Category: Publications

Regulatory Focus: Ready for reform across the region?

A host of employment law changes have been introduced across the GCC, which mean employers will have to think again about who they recruit and retain, and the penalties for failure to comply with other new requirements. Employment law experts from across the GCC explain the points to watch in each jurisdiction.

Public-private partnerships: the changing face of infrastructure finance

Over 30 years of heavy investment in infrastructure development has seen the emirate of Dubai transformed from an under-developed backwater into a hub for project finance which is often cited as the poster child for the type of metropolis that can be created through dedicated infrastructure investment. With the growing appetite for public private partnerships (PPPs) in the UAE, Rahat Dar analyzes the role Islamic finance will play in this new era.

Convertible Sukuk for funding social welfare in the modern era

As with other countries in the heavily oil-dependent Gulf region, the UAE has taken active steps in recent years to expand its revenue streams (including the implementation of value-added tax, effective the 1st January 2018). Afterall, relying on treasury reserves, albeit substantial, to plug spending gaps in the national budget was only going to be a short-term solution to the long-term problem of low oil prices.

Blockchain and Crypto Currencies, Lexis Middle East Law

Blockchain technology is attracting the attention of Governments, business people, and consumers. The headline-grabbing cryptocurrency, ‘Bitcoin’, is the best-known application, but the implications and potential uses of Blockchain technology and, more broadly, distributed ledger technology (DLT), are much broader than Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.