Property prices across Dubai continued to rise in March, driven by an increase in investor demand, CBRE says.
The total volume of transactions reached 7,865 last month — an increase of 83.4 per cent compared to a year earlier, while off-plan sales were up 94.6 per cent and secondary market sales up 76.1 per cent.
Total transaction volumes in the first three months reached 19,009.
Average residential property prices rose by 11.3 per cent in the first quarter of this year, CBRE said in its market snapshot. Average apartment prices were up by 10 per cent and villa prices by 20.2 per cent.
Click through the slideshow above to see where apartment prices have risen and fallen.
Where were the highest price increases in Dubai?
In the apartment sector, Green Community saw the biggest month-on-month increase in sales prices in March at 4.9 per cent.
It was followed by Dubai Sports City (4.5 per cent increase), Jebel Ali (4.2 per cent), Remraam (4 per cent) and Business Bay (3.9 per cent).
Palm Jumeirah was up 3 per cent, as was Downtown Dubai, which is the most expensive area for apartments in the city by square foot.
In the villa segment, prices on Palm Jumeirah rose the most at 4.8 per cent, along with Jumeirah, on a monthly basis in March. District One and Jumeirah Islands also had notable price increases of 3.8 per cent.
See the apartment price rises and falls in the slideshow below.
What's driving the rise in prices?
The UAE property market has been rebounding on the back of government initiatives, such as residency permits for retirees and remote workers, as well as the expansion of the 10-year golden visa programme and the economic boost from Expo 2020 Dubai.
The market has also benefited from the country's widespread coronavirus vaccination programme, which has kept cases relatively low.
“Despite the continued increase in the cost of financing and further tightening of payment plans, we have yet to see this impact transactional activity in Dubai’s residential market," said Taimur Khan, Mena head of Research at CBRE.
"In fact, the total number of transactions in March reached 7,865, up from 5,598 a month earlier. As a result, this has been the strongest first quarter on record for Dubai in terms of residential transactions.
"While average prices and average rents continue to increase, we are seeing a moderation in both sales and rental growth rates in the villa segment of the market.”
The UAE economy is expected to grow 4.9 per cent in 2022, Japan's largest lender MUFG Bank said, while Emirates NBD forecasts growth of 5.7 per cent and Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank estimates a 5 per cent expansion.
Meanwhile, S&P Global Ratings said last month that property prices and rents in Dubai's residential market will continue to increase in 2022, in line with the trend seen in 2021.
Properties are also "relatively affordable", with prices 25 to 30 per cent below 2014 levels, despite a significant rise in 2021, the agency said.
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Dubai price changes in March - apartments
- Downtown Dubai - up 3 per cent
- Jumeirah - down 0.2 per cent
- Palm Jumeirah - up 3 per cent
- DIFC - up 2.4 per cent
- The Old Town - up 1.4 per cent
- Jumeirah Beach Residence - down 0.6 per cent
- Business Bay - up 3.9 per cent
- MBR City - up 2.6 per cent
- Dubai Hills Estate - 2.1 per cent
- Dubai Marina - down 1.1 per cent
- The Views - up 0.9 per cent
- Dubai Festival City - up 1.1 per cent
- Meydan City - down 0.5 per cent
- The Greens and The Views - up 1.7 per cent
- Jumeirah Lakes Towers - down 0.4 per cent
- Damac Hills (Akoya) - up 2 per cent
- Dubai Science Park - down 1.9 per cent
- The Greens - up 0.1 per cent
- Jebel Ali - up 4.2 per cent
- Arjan - up 4.2 per cent
- Jumeirah Village Circle - up 1.2 per cent
- Town Square - up 1.1 per cent
- Green Community (DIP) - up 4.9 per cent
- Motor City - up 2.8 per cent
- Dubai Sports City - up 4.5 per cent
- Dubai Production City (IMPZ) - down 2.5 per cent
- Living Legends - down 1.3 per cent
- Dubai Silicon Oasis - down 2.6 per cent
- Remraam - up 4 per cent
- Discovery Gardens - down 1.6 per cent
- Dubailand Residence Complex - down 1.3 per cent
- Liwan - down 2.9 per cent
- International City - up 0.1 per cent
Dubai price changes in March - villas
- Palm Jumeirah - up 4.8 per cent
- Emirates Hills - up 2.9 per cent
- Jumeirah - up 4.8 per cent
- District One - up 3.8 per cent
- MBR City - up 0.2 per cent
- The Meadows - up 2.7 per cent
- Dubai Hills Estate - up 0.8 per cent
- Jumeirah Islands - up 3.8 per cent
- The Lakes - up 2.6 per cent
- Jumeirah Golf Estates - up 2.9 per cent
- Arabian Ranches - up 1.1 per cent
- Meydan City - up 1.2 per cent
- The Springs and The Meadows - down 1.8 per cent
- Al Barari - down 2.6 per cent
- Jumeirah Park - down 2 per cent
- Victory Heights - down 2 per cent
- The Springs - down 0.5 per cent
- Damac Hills (Akoya) - up 0.7 per cent
- Mudon - up 1.9 per cent
- The Sustainable City - down 0.4 per cent
- Jumeirah Village Triangle - down 2.5 per cent
- The Villa - up 1.7 per cent
- Reem - up 1.6 per cent
- Town Square - up 1.4 per cent
- Al Furjan - down 0.5 per cent
- Living Legends - up 2.3 per cent
- Green Community (DIP) - down 1.9 per cent
- Falconcity of Wonders - up 0.2 per cent
- Jumeirah Village Circle - up 0.1 per cent
- Akoya Oxygen - down 0.2 per cent
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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.”
UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
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Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The five pillars of Islam
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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T20 World Cup Qualifier A, Muscat
Friday, February 18: 10am - Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm - Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am - Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm - UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am - Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm - Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm – semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm – final
UAE squad: Ahmed Raza (captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv
Dunbar
Edward St Aubyn
Hogarth
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
All%20The%20Light%20We%20Cannot%20See%20
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It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
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
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet
Price, base: Dh429,090
Engine 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 510hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 700Nm @ 1,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.2L / 100km
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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