| Legal Updates | Description |
| United Arab Emirates (UAE) | |
| The Central Bank of UAE imposes Operational Risk Management Regulation | The Regulation to be effective from 14.09.2026 shall be applicable to all licensed financial institutions and sets out minimum requirements for these institutions to manage their operational risk and resilience |
| Institutions must report major incidents to the regulator within 4 hours, run periodic stress and penetration tests, keep tested business continuity and disaster recovery plans, and manage third-party risk under a board-approved policy | |
| Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) updates Investor Relations Guide | The Guidelines provide for 6 mandatory baseline requirements including appointment of investor relations officer, publishing audited financials within 90 days, publishing equity story presentation on ADX |
| The Guidelines also provide for best practices to be followed by all listed companies and fines for companies that fail to meet the baseline requirements | |
| Dubai introduced stricter compliance norms for Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASP) | Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) now requires VASPs to adopt detailed transaction record-keeping and audit trails, applying across the emirate’s crypto ecosystem, including trading, custody and asset management services |
| VASPs are required to keep proper books, transaction logs and client statements so that every transaction can be traced and verified, making robust documentation a core compliance obligation | |
| Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) | |
| Draft Rules for Engaging in Supply Chain Finance published by Saudi Central Bank | The Saudi Central Bank published draft Rules for Engaging in Supply Chain Finance (SCF Rules) for consultation of public which will provide framework for activities conducted by supply chain finance companies, banks, brokerage companies and digital platforms |
| The SCF Rules cover licensing requirement, financial crime reporting and digital platform governance | |
| State of Qatar | |
| Qatar issues Law No. 11 of 2026 Concerning Owners’ Associations | Issued on 02.09.2026, the new Law consolidates Law No. 4 of 1985, the Civil Code (Law No. 22 of 2004), Law No. 29 of 2006, Law No. 6 of 2014 (as amended by Law No. 5 of 2023), and Law No. 24 of 2017 and serves as the primary framework for regulating, managing and governing jointly owned properties in the country |
| The Law requires for an Owner’s Association to be established and registered with Aqarat if there are three or more distinct owners | |
| State of Kuwait | |
| Kuwait’s Cabinet approves draft decree law to consolidate Arbitration Law | The decree-law repeals Kuwait Law No. 11/1995 on Judicial Arbitration and introduces clear procedural timelines, strengthens neutrality in arbitral proceedings and enables electronic procedures |
| The law aligns with the UNCITRAL Model Law while being tailored to Kuwait’s legal and commercial context | |
| Public Tenders Law amended | Law No. 94 of 2026 amended Law No. 49 of 2016 on Public Tenders allowing public entities to directly award contracts without the approval of Central Agency for Public Tenders |
| The amended Law mandates for subcontracting atleast 30% of work locally and strictly prohibits use of commission-based agents in public contracting procedures | |
| Kuwait’s Cabinet amends Company Law No. 1 of 2016 | The proposed Law eliminates the requirement for separate notarization of corporate transactions and articles of association and further abolishes unincorporated joint venture companies |
| The proposed Law is now placed before His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for approval | |
| Sultanate of Oman | |
| Law on Combating Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances | Oman enacted a strict new Law on Combating Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances under Royal Decree 67/2026, replacing the older anti-narcotics law of 1999 |
| The new law imposes fines ranging from RO 35,000 to RO 60,000 on import, export and manufacturing of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances and minimum imprisonment of 15 years along with fines on possession and distribution | |
| Kingdom of Bahrain | |
| LMRA introduces new digital service for employers | Bahrain’s Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) launched new digital service which enables employers to update permissions for authorised persons to enter data, submit applications, pay invoices and print work permits within one working day |
