In addition to a plethora of evening events, markets and pop-ups, many malls in Dubai have announced they have extended their operating hours during Ramadan.
Here are 12 shopping hubs, plus five other retail, dining and entertainment destinations you can visit until the early hours.
Malls
The Dubai Mall
During the holy month, shops will be open from 10am to midnight from Monday to Thursday, and from 10am to 1am on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Restaurants and cafes will serve diners from 10am to 2am every day.
Dubai Festival City Mall
Shops will be open from 10am to midnight from Sunday to Wednesday, and from 10am to 1am from Thursday to Saturday.
If you visit, watch a Ramadan-themed water and light performance as part of Imagine, a water projection screen synched to 30 fountains in Festival Bay.
Mall of the Emirates
Shops will be open from 10am to 1am, with some retailers operating until 2am.
If you visit, have a stroll through Zeman Awwal, a dedicated cultural space that celebrates local heritage and gives Emirati artists the chance to present their works and the Ramadaniyat Market next to Ski Dubai.
City Centre Mirdif and City Centre Deira
The mall will be open from 10am to 1am every day, with some retailers operating until 2am.
The Mirdif mall will also host a Sweet Corner from 4pm to midnight until April 24, offering six creative desserts tailored for iftar and suhoor gatherings.
Souk Al Marfa
The shopping centre will be open from noon to midnight from Sunday to Thursday; from 2pm to 2am on Friday; and from noon to 2am on Saturday.
If you visit, check out the waterfront Ramadan Night Market, which offers food and fashion kiosks, plus children's activities, from 8pm to 2am until April 25.
Dragon Mart
The shopping centre will be open from 10am to 11pm from Monday to Thursday, and from 10am to midnight on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Ibn Battuta Mall
Shops and restaurants will be open from 10am to 10pm from Sunday to Thursday, and from 10am to midnight on Friday and Saturday.
The Carrefour will be open from 9am to midnight every day.
The Outlet Village
Until April 14, shops will be open from 10am to 10pm from Monday to Thursday, and from 10am to 11pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. From 15 April, all shops will be open for an hour longer, until 11pm on weekdays and until midnight from Friday to Sunday.
Circle Mall
Shops will be open from 10am to 10pm from Sunday to Thursday, and from 10am to midnight on Friday and Saturday. Restaurants will serve diners until midnight every day, while the in-house salon will operate from 10am to 10pm from Sunday to Thursday and until 11pm on Friday and Saturday.
Spinneys will operate from 7am to midnight every day, while Nesto will be open from 9am to 1am every day.
Dubai Hills Mall
Shops will be open from 10am to midnight every day, while restaurants will serve diners from 10am to 1am every day.
City Walk
Shops will be open from 10am to midnight, while kiosks and restaurants will operate until 1am.
Dubai Outlet Mall
Shops will be open from 10am to midnight, and the mall also has a Ramadan market on its premises until April 24.
Leisure destinations
The Beach, JBR
Shops will be open from 10am to 11pm from Sunday to Thursday, and from 10am to midnight on Friday and Saturday
Restaurants and cafes will serve diners from 10am to midnight from Sunday to Thursday, and from 10am to 1am on Friday and Saturday.
La Mer
Shops will be open from 10am to 11pm from Sunday to Thursday, and from 10am to midnight on Friday and Saturday.
Restaurants and cafes will serve diners from 10am to midnight from Sunday to Thursday, and from 10am to 1am on Friday and Saturday.
Bluewaters Island
Shops will be open from 10am to 11pm from Sunday to Thursday, and from 10am to midnight on Friday and Saturday
Most F&B outlets will be open from 10am to midnight every day, while fine dining restaurants such as London Project, Shi and Alici will operate until 3am every day.
Al Seef and Al Khawaneej Walk
All shops and restaurants will be open from 10am to midnight on weekdays and from 10am to 1am on weekends.
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
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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.”
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