| Legal Updates | Description |
| United Arab Emirates (UAE) | |
| UAE resets accreditation rules for e-invoicing service providers | The Ministry of Finance issued Ministerial Decision No. 168 of 2026, which took effect on 1 October 2026. The decision removes requirement of preliminary approval for e‑invoicing service providers. Providers must now pass the mandatory technical and operational assessments before they are first accredited |
| Businesses with annual revenue of AED 50 million or more must appoint an accredited e‑invoicing provider by 30 October 2026 | |
| ADGM Registration Authority invites comments on proposed Strata Regulations | The ADGM Registration Authority published Consultation Paper No. 4 of 2026, proposing Strata Regulations 2026 to repeal and replace the Strata Title Regulations 2015 |
| Under the proposed regulation, an Owners’ Association would come into existence automatically as a separate legal entity once a strata plan is registered. Any material defects affecting a strata development would have to be reported to a Registrar, and contractual common ownership schemes would come under formal Registrar oversight | |
| ADGM Registration Authority published its Regulatory Priorities for 2026 to 2027 | The ADGM Registration Authority identified ten supervisory and enforcement focus areas for licensed entities, corporate service providers, auditors and designated non-financial businesses and professions |
| They are accurate annual filings and licence renewals, audit quality and corporate reporting, risk-based supervision, beneficial ownership transparency, emerging financial technology, consumer protection, anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing compliance, supervision of corporate service providers, action against unlicensed activity, and proportionate enforcement | |
| Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) | |
| Council of Ministers approve four new Intellectual Property Laws | The Council of Ministers on 20 October 2026, approved the Patents and Utility Models Law, the Plant Varieties Law, the Integrated Circuit Layout Designs Law and the Designs Law replacing the old unified 2004 law |
| The laws aim to strengthen the KSA’s R&D environment, protect innovation, and align local regulations with global best practices | |
| State of Kuwait | |
| Kuwait issues a new Arbitration Law | Decree Law No. 120 of 2026 promulgating a new Arbitration Law was published in Kuwait’s Official Gazette on 18 October 2026. The new arbitration law comprises 108 articles in 15 chapters and requires arbitration centres to be licensed and supervised by a specialized unit of the Ministry of Justice |
| The law states that an arbitration agreement must be in writing, panels must have a single arbitrator or an odd number, with three as the default, and arbitrators face civil liability only for fraud or gross negligence | |
| Kuwait publishes a unified Media Regulation Law | Kuwait issues Decree Law No. 102 of 2026 enacting Media Regulation Law which brings advertising and commercial promotion on social media inside the licensing system run by the Ministry of Information |
| The law requires that sponsored content must be clearly disclosed, licence applications are to be decided within 60 days and are treated as approved if no decision is issued, and unlicensed advertising can attract fines of KD 1,000 to KD 50,000 | |
| State of Qatar | |
| QFCRA amends prudential rules for Banks | The Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority (QFCRA) amended the prudential rules for conventional and Islamic banks to align market risk capital requirements with international Basel and IFSB standards |
| The amendment introduces scaling factors and revises the calculation methodology and prudent valuation requirements for fair-valued positions and the market risk provisions take effect on 1 April 2027 | |
| Kingdom of Bahrain | |
| Bahrain issues a schedule of Administrative Penalties for Commercial Register Violations | The Minister of Industry and Commerce published Ministerial Decision No. 47 of 2026 in the official gazette, which sets out a schedule of administrative penalties for breaches of the Commercial Register Law |
| Fines of up to BD 2,500 may be imposed for violations including operating without the required registration; failing to disclose ownership information or providing required documents, comply with licensing requirements, and providing false information regarding a business’s ultimate beneficiaries | |
| Customs Affairs introduces duty-suspended warehouses inside commercial complexes | The Decision No. 1 of 2026 published in the Official Gazette of Bahrain allows goods valued at BD 10,000 or more to be stored in warehouses within commercial complexes without immediate payment of customs duty |
| As per the regulatory framework, a complex must first obtain approval from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, then a licence from the Customs President, give a documentary undertaking and install an approved electronic inventory system linked to customs clearance | |
| Kingdom of Bahrain | |
| Muscat Stock Exchange creates a dedicated Collective Investment Funds Market | The Muscat Stock Exchange Administrative vide Decision No. 129 of 2026, moved six listed funds from the Parallel Market to a new Collective Investment Funds Market with effect from 18 October 2026 |
| The regulation establishes a comprehensive framework for the establishment, governance and supervision of collective investment schemes | |
