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Construction news, real estate, property, and infrastructure news from the Middle East. All the important stories, exclusive interviews, plus authoritative opinion and analysis on the construction market.
Construction news
Real-estate transactions in Sharjah rose nearly a quarter in April 2025 following a strong start to the year, thanks to population growth and rising demand for residential units. The emirate registered 7,206 transactions, up 20 percent year on year, with a trading value reaching AED4 billion ($1 billion), the UAE state-run Wam news agency reported, […]
Dubai plans to award major infrastructure contracts at Al Maktoum International Airport this year as construction accelerates on what will become the world’s largest airport, a senior government official said. Tenders for an automated people mover system and baggage handling infrastructure have already been floated and are expected to be awarded before the end of […]
Emaar Development, the UAE-focused development arm of Emaar Properties, said backlog growth had crossed AED100 billion ($27 billion) by the end of the first quarter of 2025. The backlog, which refers to future revenue from property sales to be recognised in the coming years, surged 52 percent year on year, the developer said in a […]
China’s Shandong Construction Company has won a contract to build the first phase of a 60,000-home project in the Iraqi capital Baghdad. The development will be in an area formerly known as Saddam City after late leader Saddam Hussein, the state Iraq news agency reported, but which was renamed Al-Sadr City. Shandong will build 11,000 […]
Construction of a new terminal at Casablanca airport is to begin next month after local engineering company Stam won a $29 million earthworks contract. Morocco is investing $1.5 billion in the terminal at Mohammed V International Airport, part of a massive construction drive as the country prepares to co-host the Fifa World Cup in 2030. […]
Dubai developer Gulf House Real Estate has launched Olaia Residences, its first luxury development, for sale in the heart of Palm Jumeirah. The upscale residential project is planned to open in 2027 and will consist of one-to-three-bedroom apartments and three-to-five-bedroom duplexes. State-of-the-art amenities will include indoor and rooftop pools, a wellness centre, a mini-golf course […]
Oman has toughened rules around licensing new petrol stations, telling operators to install solar power and provide electric vehicle charging points and other facilities. The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion has said it will not issue licences for new petrol pumps unless they fulfil requirements which include the provision of fuel, suitable pumps […]
Dubai Holding is to list its residential real estate investment trust (REIT), shrugging off local investor scepticism towards the structures and becoming the first initial public offering (IPO) on the Dubai stock exchange this year. The investment conglomerate owned by Sheikh Muhammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the emirate’s ruler, said on Monday that it will […]
Dubai real estate developer Omniyat has raised $500 million to fund its sustainable developments. The order book of the inaugural three-year green sukuk was oversubscribed 3.6 times, reaching $1.8 billion. The sukuk will be listed and traded on Nasdaq Dubai and the London Stock Exchange’s international securities market. The pricing details were not given. Sukuk […]
Property in the Emirates emerges as a resilient safe haven amid tariffs
MBS Global Investments and the Maldives government will jointly develop a $8.8 billion Maldives International Financial Centre (MIFC) in the Maldivian capital city of Malé. The freezone will have no corporate tax and tax-free inheritance in a bid to attract digital nomads, entrepreneurs and high net worth individuals. Based in Dubai, MBS Global is the investment […]
Morocco is offering tax incentives of up to 30 percent, as it looks to attract private sector partners for large scale projects such as the infrastructure needed ahead of its co-hosting of the World Cup in 2030. “Morocco offers incentives that can reach up to 30 percent of the total investment amount,” Karim Zidane, Morocco’s […]
Amendments to land taxes in Saudi Arabia will make it more expensive for property owners to hold on to undeveloped land for long periods of time, or to buy and sell land quickly, tax experts have said. Changes to the White Land Tax Law in the kingdom, which were ratified on Tuesday, aim to encourage […]
Tecom Group, a Dubai-based developer and operator of business parks and free zones, reported an increase in net profit for the first quarter, driven by record demand in the emirate’s commercial property sector. Net profit grew by 23 percent year-on-year to AED361 million ($98 million) during the three months to March led by “improved collections […]
Dubai International Airport will become one of the emirate’s most valuable real estate assets once operations shift to the new Dubai World Central airport within the next decade. The DXB site, located in the densely developed Al Garhoud district and spanning 2,900 hectares (7,200 acres), will eventually cease operations as Dubai consolidates air traffic at […]
Dar Global, the international development arm of Saudi-listed Dar Al Arkan, has partnered with the Trump Organization to develop a Trump International Golf Club in Doha. The project is the US company’s first foray into Qatar’s property market. The project will include an 18-hole golf course, a clubhouse and branded villas overlooking the golf course […]
Chelsea fans finally have something to celebrate: Dubai’s first football-themed development will wear the blue of the famous west London club. As part of a new partnership between Chelsea FC and Damac Properties, the Dubai-based property developer will build a Chelsea-themed real estate project in the emirate. Chelsea Residences “will be built with Chelsea Football […]
AlUla, one of Saudi Arabia’s flagship tourism projects, is expecting a record year for visits in 2026, following an international marketing campaign targeting overseas travellers who typically stay longer and generate more yield. The oasis resort in Medina province received 286,000 visitors last year, up by a fifth on 2023, according to the Royal Commission […]
Red Sea Global is expanding beyond its west coast base to develop hotels and other projects in Saudi Arabia and overseas, a company executive has said. The company will probably announce a new project in a Saudi city later this year, head of hospitality Sébastien Carre told AGBI on the sidelines of Arabian Travel Market […]
Aldar Properties, Abu Dhabi’s largest real estate developer, has reported a rise in first-quarter profits driven by sales to international buyers. Net profit after tax increased 22 percent year on year to AED1.9 billion ($520 million). Revenue was up 39 percent to AED7.8 billion. Overseas investors and expatriates living in the UAE accounted for AED7.4 […]
Emaar the Economic City (Emaar EC), the developer of King Abdullah Economic City, has signed an agreement with four Saudi banks to reschedule a total of SAR3.4 billion ($904 million) in existing financing. The agreement also includes securing a new credit facility of SAR287 million from Alinma Bank, Saudi Awwal Bank, Banque Saudi Fransi and […]
Kuwait Investment Authority, the world’s fifth-biggest sovereign wealth fund, is suing global investment company Axa Investment Managers in connection with a planned tower in London’s financial district that risks blocking light to a KIA building. St Martins Property, the investment authority’s property development unit, is suing Hygie, a special purpose vehicle controlled by Axa Investment […]
