Understand the policies, laws and regulations shaping business across China and the UAE.
Business registration · Investment · Taxation · Customs · Trade · Financial regulation · Employment · Visas · Free-zone policies. Every update identifies the issuing authority, jurisdiction, publication date, effective date and official source.
The UAE Federal Tax Authority announced that businesses with annual revenues of AED 50 million or more must appoint an Accredited Service Provider by October 30, 2026. Failure to comply incurs a recurring fine of AED 5,000 per month. Businesses below this revenue threshold must appoint a provider by March 31, 2027.
The UAE Capital Market Authority recorded a 43 percent year-on-year increase in licensed financial entities during the first nine months of 2026. Trading across the Abu Dhabi and Dubai markets reached AED 408 billion, with foreign capital accounting for 49 percent of transactions. The regulator also increased enforcement, issuing AED 12.9 million in financial fines.
The UAE Ministry of Finance has issued Ministerial Decision No. 197 of 2026 to update the national electronic invoicing framework. The amendment provides a 24-month temporary exclusion for intra-tax group transactions and eliminates the mandate to store invoicing data exclusively within the UAE. Core rollout timelines remain unchanged, requiring businesses with revenue of AED 50 million or more to appoint an Accredited Service Provider by October 30, 2026.
A new research report by Smoke Free Sweden suggests the UAE could accelerate anti-smoking progress by incorporating tobacco harm reduction alongside existing regulations. While the UAE reduced adult smoking to 11.1% by 2024, Sweden lowered daily smoking to 5.3% through wider access to alternatives like snus, vapes, and nicotine pouches. The authors recommend aligning UAE taxation and regulatory scrutiny with the relative risk of smoke-free products.
United Arab Emirates
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