Asia Briefing’s Middle East Focused Regulatory and Operational Business Updates

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April 16, 2026

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Weekly business and foreign investment news roundup in Asia

by Asia Briefing and Dezan Shira & Associates.

MIDDLE EAST EDITION

TOP STORIES THIS WEEK:

Global Shocks Spur Energy Policy and Spending Surge: Implications for the Gulf

Global energy shocks are reinforcing the Gulf central role in stabilizing markets while accelerating policy shifts toward diversification and energy transition. For businesses and investors, this creates a dual landscape of short-term opportunities in hydrocarbons alongside growing pressure to invest in resilience, clean energy, and new industrial value chains.

Consumer Protection Regulation Marks a Shift in UAE Central Bank Approach

The UAE Central Bank’s Customer Protection Regulation represents a structural shift from prudential supervision toward a consumer-centric regulatory model. For financial institutions, this evolution introduces higher compliance expectations, expanded regulatory scope, and increased accountability in customer-facing operations.

Qatar Tightens Rules for Representative Offices and Advisory Firms

Qatar has introduced new rules for representative offices and wholesale advisory firms, clarifying permitted activities and strengthening supervision for financial institutions.

Child Social Media Restrictions to Reshape Gulf Advertising

New child social media restrictions across the Gulf, are set to fundamentally reshape the region’s digital advertising ecosystem. For advertisers and platforms, the shift forces a transition away from hyper-targeted marketing toward contextual, family-oriented, and compliance-driven strategies.

UAE Commercial Companies Law Amendments: What Businesses Need to Know

Federal Decree-Law No. 20 of 2025 introduces major reforms to the UAE Commercial Companies Law, giving companies greater flexibility in ownership structures, fundraising, shareholder exits, and re-domiciliation between mainland and free zones.

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COMPLIMENTARY BUSINESS RESOURCES:

An Introduction to Doing Business in India 2026

This latest edition of An Introduction to Doing Business in India provides a clear, practical roadmap to navigating GST 2.0 reforms, the full rollout of the four Labor Codes, the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules 2025, and updates to incorporation processes, entity selection, audit requirements, and financial reporting.

An Introduction to Doing Business in Indonesia 2026

This publication, designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in Indonesia, was compiled by the experts at Dezan Shira & Associates, a specialist foreign direct investment practice, that provides corporate establishment, business intelligence, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence, and ﬁnancial review services to multinationals investing in emerging Asia.

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