The Dubai International Financial Centre
The UAE has inked a draft law encouraging family-owned businesses to list, while an emerging pensions industry in Dubai is expected to widen its net of investors – both marking key developments in the growth of the region’s capital markets.
Improving access to capital for the UAE’s corporates is essential to creating a sustainable, diversified economy as the region looks to a future without oil.
The move comes on the back of the Gulf’s inclusion in the MSCI and FTSE Russell indices, which has helped cement the region as a key focus for international investors.
The Cabinet of the United Arab Emirates’ draft law will facilitate the listing of family-owned businesses on domestic stock exchanges, a move which is expected to improve the diversity and liquidity of the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and Dubai Financial Market, and is welcomed by bankers and investors.
“This type of reform and market engagement will drive additional improvements to the UAE business environment, including to the areas of corporate governance, reporting and market liquidity,” says Nick Wilson, chairman of the Gulf Investment Fund.
