A growth in the number of women-led venture funds will further boost female entrepreneurship in the UAE, which has risen in recent years, according to industry experts.
While more women holding top positions, especially in the public sector, there is a need to offer women more networking opportunities to help them scale their careers and push the private sector to bolster female participation at the boardroom level, the experts said during an online panel on Monday.
“We have evolved a lot … I see a lot of opportunities created for women, especially in the recent years,” Zahra El Zayat, chief commercial officer at evision, the media and entertainment arm of e& life, told the panel.
“Women have a voice that is loud and clear in boardrooms, in investment committees and in funding rounds.”
In October, e& launched a $250 million venture capital fund as part of its new investment unit, e& capital, to support the technology start-up ecosystem.
Ms El Zayat said diversity and inclusion of women are crucial parameters that e& capital considers before investing in any start-up.
However, she said there could be an unconscious bias.
“We rarely see VCs are run by females and that is unfortunate … we receive a lot of pitches related to start-ups but not many women are looking for funding. They are not having the right networking opportunities of knowing the person who knows the right person to connect them for business or funding,” Ms El Zayat said.
The online panel focusing on venture funding in the UAE and the role of women, was hosted by the Atlantic Council’s WIn Fellowship.
The WIn Fellowship, a collaboration between the Atlantic Council’s empowerME Initiative and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, is supported by the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi. The Abu Dhabi Global Market is its UAE in-country partner.
“We just have to create more women-only funds, incubators, programmes and I think that is happening,” Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE’s ambassador to the US, told the panel.
“I know funding in general is hard, even for young men now, it is not just a challenge for women … we have to create the right ecosystem and just allow more encouragement, more risk taking and more incentivising for women [to motivate them to] enter that space,” Mr Al Otaiba said.
In May, Abdulla bin Touq, Minister of Economy, said that women-led start-ups and businesses would play an important role in driving the UAE's economic growth.
The government has passed laws and policies over the past 15 years to enhance women's contribution to society and the nation's sustainable economic development, reflecting its commitment to women's empowerment across economic, social and work spheres, Mr bin Touq said during an event in Dubai.
“The government is way ahead in supporting and encouraging female participation compared to the private sector,” Huda Al-Lawati, founder and chief executive of Gulf Co-operation Council-centric fund Aliph Capital, said.
While talking about challenges faced by women, Ms Al-Lawati said the education system “has historically not encouraged people to take risks, it encouraged people to be safe”.
“In Europe and the US, youngsters are running corporates at home … [they have a] very good understanding about what entrepreneurship means, what it takes, [and] also the responsibility that comes with it.”
Nearly half of women business owners in the UAE face challenges in raising capital, with eight out of 10 tapping into their personal savings, according to Visa’s Women SMB Digitalisation Index.
More than half of the female entrepreneurs surveyed also faced stereotypes such as being considered less capable of making tough decisions.
The index, which assesses businesses using several indicators, found that companies owned by women in the UAE scored highly on digital marketing, online presence and customer engagement.
“The UAE is a regional leader in gender equality according to the global gender gap report,” said Amjad Ahmad, chairman of empowerME Atlantic Council.
“While this progress is noteworthy, it also emphasises up on the need to promote further representation and opportunities for women in venture capital and entrepreneurship … we must foster more women in venture capital and equity to fund more women-led start-ups and businesses.”
Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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
