UAE: July's Political & Economic Headlines

For operators and investors with a link to the UAE, here's a recap of the Emirates' political & economic headlines in July.

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In economic news

→ UAE Central bank follows the Federal Reserve and keeps base rate (interest rate) at 4.40% (Gulf Business)

→ UAE removed from EU’s high-risk AML/CFT list after central bank crackdowns ($95M+ in fines over the past few months) (Gulf News)

→ UAE signals readiness to ramp up oil production as market needs evolve, underscoring OPEC+ swing producer role (Reuters)

→ UAE's non-oil trade reached $470B in H1 2025, up 24% YoY, boosted by 28 CEPA deals and 10 agreements in force (Dubai Media Office)

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In foreign relations news

→ Crown Prince leads UAE at BRICS Rio summit and backs BRICS' new AI governance, climate financing, and health initiatives (UAE Foreign Affairs)

→ UAE hosts new Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks to keep border talks moving (UAE Foreign Affairs)

→ UAE and India reaffirm closer strategic ties in leaders' phone call, as MoU signed for enhanced coastguard security ties (MEA India) (PIB India)

→ UAE pledged further involvement in Ukraine recovery and co-finances, alongside Italy, flagship African development projects (UAE  Foreign Affairs)

→ UAE rescued 22 crew from Liberian-flagged ship after Houthi attack in Red Sea (The National)

→ UAE resume humanitarian airdrops over Gaza, and welcomes plans by 10 countries to recognise Palestine statehood (The National)

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In foreign trade news

→ EU-UAE launch formal FTA negotiation covering goods, services, digital, renewables, and materials (European Commission)

→ Australian Parliament passes AUS-UAE CEPA (FTA); awaits UAE ratification (Trade Minister Australia)

→ State visit to Türkiye yields 7 new bilateral agreements, on economy, defence, renewables; next session in Abu Dhabi (UAE Foreign Affairs)

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In large-cap business news

→ Masdar and Iberdrola co-invested €5.2B in UK 1.4GW wind farm, aim to power 1.3M homes by Q4 2026 (Reuters)

→ UAE’s G42 and Vietnamese partners plan $2B hyperscale data centre in Ho Chi Minh City (Reuters)

→ Al-Futtaim acquired 49.95% of Saudi retailer Cenomi for $667M (Reuters)

→ Arada completed its capital raise, with its $450M sukuk seeing 4x investor oversubscription (Arada)

→ Emirates NBD approves $136M facility for Joyalukkas' expansion into UK, US, Canada, and Australia (Emirates NBD)

→ Indian steel giants SAIL and NMDC debut Dubai offices to deepen MENA trade (Economic Times)

→ Emirates (airline) signed preliminary deal to accept cryptocurrencies for flight bookings (Reuters)

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And, lastly in domestic policy news

→ Dubai Law No. 7 sets new contracting regulations re: registration, classification, and penalties; effective early 2026 (Khaleej Times)

→ Cabinet order broadens Gender Balance Council role to strengthen equality frameworks in public/private sectors (Prime Minister's Media)

→ Dubai looks likely to see Joby's air taxis operational in 2026, following a successful pilot in late June (Reuters)

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There's the recap of UAE headlines in July.

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