When the first season of Dubai Bling premiered on Netflix last year, the reality show was the centre of much contention.
Ostentatious displays of wealth, unnecessary drama, the same shots of Dubai’s skyline and desert, all played into the stereotypes many Gulf Arabs often fight against.
These are valid points to find frustrating. While the West has and continues to confine Gulf Arabs and residents of the region to a specific caricature, it felt counter intuitive to present those same stereotypes on a silver platter lined with diamonds and sprinkled with gold leaf.
However, it’s also important to remember that Dubai Bling is a reality show. This means that, for the most part, it’s as far removed from reality as possible. It is not a documentary, neither is it study on Arab identity or a show that claims to represent Arabs or the region. The point isn’t to represent, the point is to entertain within a particular genre – and merit must be placed on entertainment, especially if it is frivolous.
With this context in place, was the new season of Dubai Bling entertaining? It's complicated.
The second season starts with analysing the aftermath of the main dramatic incident in season one that split the group of Dubai-based personalities, leaving fans of the show to pick a side.
An argument that arose between two camps, led by cast member Ebraheem Al Samadi and his best friend Danya Mohammed against Zeina Khoury and her best friend Safa Siddiqui, was the central storyline in the first season. Their disagreement reached its peak when Al Samadi and Mohammed marched into Khoury’s office.
True to the genre, that now-infamous standoff culminated in curse words and a coffee cup carelessly being flung about, followed by the utterance of Khoury’s now iconic phrase, “I am the company.” Following a template set by many international reality stars, Khoury quickly minted the viral moment, turning the phrase into a clothing brand, now available at Galleries Lafayette.
The first half of the eight-episode second series sees the conflict being revived and rehashed – though decidedly less passionately than in the show's initial outing. This time around, however, all the characters seem to have taken a back seat, not wanting to steer the argument that, in season one, made the reality TV drama reach the top 10 list on Netflix in 47 countries.
Aside from the dramatic confrontations and funny one-liners, season one captivated audiences due to the characters’ openness in discussing issues such as infidelity, surrogacy, working mothers, divorce and strained relationships between family members.
These are not topics many Arabs discuss nonchalantly on television.
Unfortunately, season two flattens many of the storylines of characters that we can assume have much more going on in their personal lives apart from the launch of new business ventures.
Many of the characters who were at the center of the drama or whose storylines were given the most attention seem to have less airtime this time around. Here, they talk about their massive life changes in passing or attempt to rebrand themselves with smoother edges, which lowers the stakes considerably.
Reality shows are platforms for people to brand themselves through the stories of their lives, but they also need to work as pure entertainment to keep viewers bingeing. Dubai Bling struck this balance in season one, melding assumptions about wealth and the capitalist idea of 'making it' with real-life stories.
Season two, however, skews more towards hollow narratives, the pay off of which are launch events. It's hard not to get the feeling you're watching a marketing exercise as much of the cast members refuse to be characters at all.
Ultimately, it's the new cast member, beauty entrepreneur Mona Kattan, that is the most wholesome addition to the show. Both her father and husband make appearances in some scenes and Kattan frankly discusses her new business venture Kayali perfumes, while also opening up about her issues with co-dependency and her trepidations about having a baby.
While the conversations could have been more in-depth, or blended into the facets of Kattan’s life on the show more seamlessly, it is nevertheless appreciated when compared to the contributions of other cast members, who created feuds and storylines that lacked substance, humour or even irony.
The obvious standouts of the cast are still Siddiqui and her husband Fahad Siddiqui. After recently having their second child, Siddiqui is as feisty as ever, a little over the top, but entertaining throughout.
“I am materialistic, but I’m also sentimental,” she tells the audience before turning to her husband and adding, “I need that push present. Time is ticking.”
With a mix of authentic and seemingly fabricated scenarios, Siddiqui delivers hilarious lines again and again, all while dressed in over-the-top outfits matching her over-the-top demands to her calm and unassuming husband.
There is, of course, a lot of unrealistic displays of wealth, mostly for the cameras. Siddiqui herself makes an accusation in the new season's first episode that a number of cast members are renting their designer bags and cars. In doing so, she seemingly exposes the fact that while having 'bling' in Dubai doesn’t signify actual wealth, it is the appearance of wealth, even in the crassest way, that matters most in the 'reality' they operate within.
The show is about being 'extra' – extra fashionable, extra accessories, extra loud, extra successful, extra rich. The 'more is more' approach, without the grit of real storytelling, makes the show feel like the Instagram profile of an over-filtered influencer – carefully curated without a shred of personality.
While the second season is not as entertaining or endearing as the first, Dubai Bling still deserves a space in the landscape of pop culture. The show still understands what it is.
Reality stars don’t often have much say on what parts of their lives are edited out or into a show. The reason why audiences feel a connection to reality stars is because, despite their real or scripted lifestyles, we can connect with them through the power of story.
But if the narrative becomes too controlled, their stories can wear thin. If Dubai Bling is to continue, that aspect will need massive tweaking in order for the series to captivate audiences in the seasons to come.
Dubai Bling season two is now streaming on Netflix
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Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday
Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
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The Sky Is Pink
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Name: Yousef Al Bahar
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Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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