The Middle East is a fast-growing region, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is strategically located in the Arabian Peninsula, sharing borders with Saudi Arabia and Oman. Historically reliant on oil and gas, the UAE has spent the past decade diversifying its economy into other sectors, including tourism, institutional investments, and real estate. The UAE is quickly becoming a global commercial hub with increasingly liberal economic policies. The UAE is a federation of seven Emirates Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah.

We see a large number of international businesses seeking to set up operations in the UAE, with multinational retailers and food and beverage companies particularly keen to expand their brands and concepts into this market. There is also a lot of encouragement from the government for the technology sector, with a growing number of government-linked and family-backed incubators in support of startups, and innovation taking place in the healthcare sector too.

With over 30 years' experience in the region, Gowling WLG understands the Middle East and how to do business in the UAE. Our team consists of, individuals who have been in the region for more than eight years and who are recognised experts in their fields, we in addition have a sizeable number of multilingual lawyers who combine international expertise with local knowledge and influence.

Learn more about our expertise.

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