From UAE holidays to highways, mortgages to mega-sales — right here’s what made headlines throughout the UAE and Gulf this week.
Whether or not you’re planning your subsequent time off or monitoring the area’s actual property growth, we’ve bought you coated.
Compensate for 10 of the most important tales information tales of the week as chosen by Arabian Enterprise editors.
When is the subsequent 2025 UAE vacation?
Folks within the UAE loved an extended weekend break as employees in the private and non-private sectors got a vacation to mark Islamic New 12 months on Friday, June 27.
It adopted a short while after an prolonged vacation for Eid Al Adha, earlier in June.
There are extra official public holidays to return, nonetheless, with deliberate breaks to mark:
- Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) birthday
- UAE Nationwide Day
Unified visa for UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman launching ‘quickly’ says GCC chief
A unified tourism visa for guests to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman can be launched quickly, in accordance with GCC Secretary Common Jassem Al Budaiwi.
In an announcement by the GCC Secretariat, Al Budaiwi expressed gratitude to member nations for efforts to understand the unified tourism visa. After it’s launched, non-GCC guests to the area will be capable to transfer freely between the six nations utilizing a single visa.
As soon as authorized, the unified Gulf vacationer visa will permit its holders to go to six GCC international locations, specializing in attracting and retaining vacationers inside the area to reinforce financial integration.
UAE proclaims petrol costs for July 2025
The UAE has launched its petrol costs for July 2025. The costs have elevated in comparison with the charges in June.
Whereas costs have remained regular not too long ago, motorists are paying significantly much less on the pump in comparison with the identical interval final 12 months throughout all gas varieties, despite the fact that there have been value variations all through the earlier 12 months.
From July 1, the fee of filling up automobiles within the UAE has been:
- E-Plus: AED 2.51 a litre from AED 2.39 in June
- Particular 95: AED 2.58 a litre from AED 2.47 in June
- Tremendous 98: AED 2.70 a litre from AED 2.58 in June
- Diesel: AED 2.63 a litre from AED 2.45 in June
Dubai slashes journey time on main street from 12 to three minutes with new tunnels and bridges
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched the Al Safa Road Enchancment Challenge, a significant infrastructure improve geared toward reducing journey time, enhancing visitors circulation, and supporting the Emirate’s fast city growth.
The undertaking, extending 1.5km from the junction of Al Safa Road with Sheikh Zayed Highway to Al Wasl Road, is designed to accommodate inhabitants progress and elevate high quality of life throughout key districts.
As soon as full, the journey time on Al Safa Road will drop from 12 minutes to simply 3 minutes, whereas street capability will double from 6,000 to 12,000 automobiles per hour in each instructions.
UAE proclaims new mortgage procedures
The UAE has introduced new mortgage plans to slash paperwork and assist actual property effectivity.
In a transfer towards seamless authorities companies within the UAE, the Ministry of Vitality and Infrastructure (MoEI) held its inaugural Buyer Council assembly to overtake the mortgage launch process following mortgage compensation.
The initiative—a part of the Ministry’s Good Authorities agenda—brings collectively federal and native authorities, the Emirates Improvement Financial institution, and end-users to pinpoint bottlenecks and co-design a streamlined course of.
Saudi Arabia’s new Social Insurance coverage Legislation takes impact from as we speak
Saudi Arabia’s new Social Insurance coverage Legislation, issued final 12 months on July 2 by a Royal Decree, got here into pressure this Tuesday.
The Common Organisation for Social Insurance coverage (GOSI) acknowledged that the legislation applies solely to new civil workers becoming a member of the private and non-private sectors, who would not have any prior contribution intervals within the present Civil Pension Legislation or Social Insurance coverage Legislation.
The amended legislation stipulates a gradual enhance in retirement age. There can be no change within the present GOSI subscriber advantages. The organisation acknowledged that the statutory retirement age for people affected by the amendments will vary between 58 and 65 years.
Dubai actual property gross sales hit file $89bn in H1 2025; best-selling tasks and neighbourhoods revealed
Dubai’s actual property market recorded its highest-ever half-year efficiency, with 98,603 property gross sales value AED326.7bn ($89bn) accomplished within the first half of 2025, in accordance with the most recent replace from fäm Properties.
The expansion was fuelled by a record-breaking Q2, which noticed 53,118 transactions value AED184bn ($50.1bn) — a 25 per cent enhance in worth in comparison with the earlier peak of AED147.2bn ($39.7bn) in This autumn 2024, and 5.39 per cent extra transactions than the sooner file of fifty,400 offers.
Highlights of the evaluation embody:
- Plot gross sales: AED 32.2bn ($8.7bn) from 1,384 offers (up 49 per cent YoY)
- Villas: 10,019 items bought value AED66.5bn ($18.1bn) (up 38.3 per cent YoY)
- Residences: AED81.6bn ($22.2bn) in gross sales (up 18.7 per cent YoY)
- Industrial properties: AED3.6bn ($980m) from 1,252 transactions (up 12.5 per cent YoY)
Dubai to welcome 3 new world universities for 2025-26 tutorial 12 months
Dubai is ready to welcome three main worldwide universities for the upcoming tutorial 12 months because it goals to develop into a world training hub.
Three main worldwide universities — IIM Ahmedabad (India), American College of Beirut (Lebanon), and Fakeeh Faculty for Medical Sciences (Saudi Arabia) — are set to open department campuses in Dubai in the course of the 2025-26 tutorial 12 months, the Information and Human Improvement Authority (KHDA) confirmed.
The transfer is a part of Dubai’s wider push to place itself as a high 10 world vacation spot for greater training beneath the emirate’s Training 33 technique, aligned with the broader Dubai Financial Agenda D33.
Dubai South Properties launches new luxurious actual property group Hayat
Dubai South Properties has launched Hayat, a master-planned group masking 10 million sq. ft.
The event sits within the Golf District at Dubai South, near Al Maktoum Worldwide Airport’s present terminal.
The event will home roughly 2,500 residential items comprising townhouses, semi-attached and standalone villas, mansions, residences, and resort residences.
Dubai suspends 2 engineering corporations, proclaims main improve to contractor analysis system
Dubai Municipality has suspended two engineering consultancy places of work from licensing any new tasks for six months, following violations {of professional} laws, licensing phrases, and moral requirements.
The choice was made by the Committee of Registration and Licensing the Apply of Engineering Consultancy and Contracting and goals to guard the pursuits of property homeowners and builders throughout the emirate.
The motion is a part of the municipality’s broader regulatory position, which incorporates routine area inspections to make sure that engineering consultancies adhere to authorized authorized {and professional} requirements.
