By Christopher Lester and Connie Leung

The Prescribed Company Regulations offer a more flexible incorporation and permitted purposes regime than its predecessor, the Special Purpose Company Regulations.

Prescribed Companies are a type of corporate vehicle available in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the financial free zone of the Emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Prescribed Companies are categorised as Private Companies under the DIFC Companies Law No. 5 of 2018 (the Companies Law), but are exempted from certain

UAE Federal Cabinet approves Positive List of activities eligible for up to 100% foreign ownership.

By Christopher Lester and Connie Leung

WAM, the Emirates News Agency, reported on 2 July 2019 (the WAM Report) that the UAE Federal Cabinet has approved 122 economic activities across 13 sectors that will be eligible for up to 100% foreign investment (the July 2019 Cabinet Decision). This approval is the latest development in the UAE’s move towards encouraging foreign direct investment in priority sectors

Markets_dreamstime_4989821

On 15 June 2015, the Abu Dhabi Global Market (Global Market), Abu Dhabi’s financial free zone, published the following six new regulations concerning the regulation of non-financial services in the Global Market:

– Application of English Law Regulations;

– Companies Regulations;

– Operating Regulations;

– Insolvency Regulations;

– Employment Regulations; and

– Real Property Regulations.

As expected from the draft regulations issued by the Global Market earlier this year, the Global Market’s final approach in the regulations follows very closely

With the rise in frequency of mergers & acquisitions (M&A) in Africa, the 26 percent growth of M&A in the Middle East this year and the global volume and value of M&A at its highest for years in the first three quarters of 2014, global M&A activity is expected to continue its growth through 2014 and into the first quarter of 2015. Latham & Watkins recently hosted, in collaboration with PwC and the Dubai Economic Counsel (DEC), an industry

GCC-based family businesses are increasingly looking towards the US commercial real estate market for potential investments. Latham & Watkins recently hosted a seminar in our Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha and Riyadh offices to discuss how GCC investors typically structure US commercial real estate investments and what US tax considerations businesses should keep in mind. A panel of four-US based real estate specialists (Richard Kleinman, Associate Director, LaSalle Investment Management, and Latham partners Michelle Kelban, Nathaniel Marrs and Alan Van