The fund is reviewing its executive ranks, recruiting senior professionals and reorganising parts of its portfolio, according to people familiar with the matter cited by Bloomberg.

L’imad has been working with the Boston Consulting Group on the recruitment process and has asked some executives transferred from Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Group, better known as ADQ, to reapply for their positions.

The changes come only months after Abu Dhabi consolidated ADQ’s assets under L’imad, creating a sovereign investment platform spanning infrastructure, energy, healthcare, aviation, ports, financial services, technology and industrial assets.

The Emirate aims to establish a diversified sovereign investment powerhouse through the restructuring.

At the centre of the new structure is Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, who was appointed chairman of L’imad in January.

Jassem Al Zaabi, chairman of Abu Dhabi’s Department of Finance and vice-chairman of the UAE Central Bank, was appointed managing director and group chief executive.

The changes give L’imad a potentially important position within Abu Dhabi’s already formidable sovereign investment ecosystem, alongside the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and Mubadala Investment Company.

From ADQ to L’imad
The creation of L’imad represents one of the most significant reorganisations of Abu Dhabi’s state investment architecture in years.

ADQ, established in 2018, had accumulated more than USD 263 billion in assets before its consolidation into L’imad.

Its holdings included strategic companies across energy, infrastructure, healthcare, food, transport and financial services.

Under the new structure, L’imad’s portfolio encompasses 25 investment companies and platforms and more than 250 subsidiaries, including TAQA, Modon Properties, Etihad Airways, PureHealth, Etihad Rail, Wio Bank, Abu Dhabi Ports, McLaren and Louis Dreyfus.

The stated objective is not simply to hold these assets but to manage them more actively.

In July, Sheikh Khaled approved L’imad’s investment and operational framework, covering energy and utilities, urban development, ports and logistics, aviation, industrial businesses and alternative investments.

The fund said the framework would diversify income streams and improve returns over the medium and long term. Al Zaabi described L’imad’s model as an “operationally active shareholder” approach, in which the fund works directly with portfolio companies rather than functioning solely as a passive investor.

That approach could make the fund an increasingly significant participant in large corporate transactions, infrastructure projects and strategic investments.

Dealmaking is already under way
L’imad has moved quickly since its formation.

It acquired a 42.54% stake in Abu Dhabi real estate company Modon Holding from International Holding Company last year.

The fund was also involved in the consortium that pursued Paramount’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery alongside Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Qatar Investment Authority.

Its investment programme has since expanded to include infrastructure projects.

In May, L’imad joined BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners, Singapore’s Temasek and ADNOC in a partnership targeting USD 30 billion of investment across the Gulf, Central Asia and selected markets in the wider Middle East and North Africa.

The partnership will use a combination of equity and debt to invest in greenfield and brownfield projects, particularly in energy, transportation and logistics.

The initiative illustrates the type of transactions L’imad is positioning itself to pursue: large-scale projects where Abu Dhabi’s capital can be combined with international financial and operating expertise.

L’imad has also taken greater control of existing domestic assets. In June, it acquired 2PointZero’s stake in TAQA, a transaction that is expected to give L’imad ownership of about 98.12% of the power and water utility once approvals are completed.

In August, the fund announced its intention to acquire the remaining shares of AD Ports Group, further consolidating strategic infrastructure assets under its umbrella.

A broader role for sovereign capital
The restructuring is taking place against a broader expansion of Abu Dhabi’s use of sovereign capital.

The emirate oversees several of the world’s largest pools of state investment money. ADIA alone was estimated by Global SWF to have about USD 1.187 trillion in assets in 2025, while Mubadala reported assets of USD 385 billion at the end of that year.

The consolidation of ADQ into L’imad, therefore, does not create a new pool of USD 300 billion from scratch. Rather, it reorganises a substantial existing portfolio under a new institutional structure and leadership.

That distinction is important to understanding L’imad’s role.

Where ADIA has traditionally operated as a globally diversified investment institution and Mubadala has focused heavily on diversification and strategic investments, L’imad’s emerging mandate appears particularly connected to operating companies, domestic economic development and strategic sectors.

The fund’s portfolio framework explicitly covers industries that Abu Dhabi regards as critical to its economic transformation, including energy, logistics, aviation, technology and advanced industry.

Leadership reset
The executive restructuring also aims to establish a distinct institutional identity instead of merely renaming ADQ’s existing organisation.

Bloomberg reported that L’imad is reassessing roles and recruiting senior talent, with some former ADQ executives required to compete for positions they previously held.

The move could help determine how the fund balances two potentially competing priorities: operating a giant portfolio of domestic strategic companies while simultaneously deploying capital internationally.

The appointment of Sheikh Khaled as chairman also places L’imad directly within the emirate’s senior economic leadership structure. Its board includes figures such as Mubadala managing director Khaldoon Al Mubarak, reinforcing links between Abu Dhabi’s major investment institutions.

The fund is consequently emerging at a time when Abu Dhabi is seeking to increase the global reach of its capital while using state-backed investment to accelerate economic diversification at home.

For L’imad, the immediate task is to turn the consolidation of more than $260 billion of inherited ADQ assets into a coherent investment platform.

Its growing involvement in infrastructure partnerships, utilities, ports and international transactions suggests that the new fund is being positioned for an active role in that process.

The next phase will reveal whether L’imad becomes primarily an operating shareholder of Abu Dhabi’s strategic companies, a global dealmaker, or a combination of both.

For now, the restructuring of its leadership and portfolio indicates that Abu Dhabi is building an institution designed to do more than simply manage assets: it is positioning a large pool of sovereign capital as an instrument for both domestic economic development and international investment.

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Total installed power-generation capacity is projected to increase to about 50 gigawatts from the current 25 GW, Abdulaziz Alobaidli, director general for regulatory affairs at the Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, told The National. The Emirate plans to invest more than Dh300 billion (USD 81.7 billion) in generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure over the coming decades.

The scale of the planned investment highlights how electricity is becoming a strategic input in Abu Dhabi’s economic diversification programme. The emirate is seeking to expand non-oil industries while developing itself as a regional centre for technology, finance, manufacturing and logistics.

AI is expected to become an increasingly important source of demand. Abu Dhabi is positioning itself as a global artificial intelligence (AI) hub, with large-scale computing facilities requiring vast quantities of reliable electricity.

One of the flagship projects is Stargate UAE, a 1 GW AI infrastructure project by Abu Dhabi-based G42, in collaboration with OpenAI, Oracle, and Nvidia, which forms part of a planned 5 GW UAE-US AI campus in Abu Dhabi.

The growth in electricity consumption will also coincide with a transformation in how Abu Dhabi generates power.

The Emirate expects clean and renewable sources to account for 60% of its power mix within five years, compared with about 45% currently, with the share expected to increase further thereafter.

The shift is central to the UAE’s longer-term net-zero strategy. Abu Dhabi’s Department of Energy has modelled several pathways towards 2050, including scenarios involving greater electrification, renewable energy, nuclear power, hydrogen and carbon capture. Its energy outlook says electricity demand could reach as high as 251 terawatt-hours in 2050 under a current-policies scenario, compared with 205 TWh in the 2021 base year.

The Emirate is also investing in round-the-clock clean power. Masdar, in partnership with Emirates Water and Electricity Company, is developing a USD 6 billion project designed to provide 1GW of uninterrupted renewable electricity. The project is expected to begin operating next year.

The expansion comes as global electricity demand is accelerating. The International Energy Agency expects electricity consumption to rise substantially as economies electrify transport, industry and buildings, while data centres and AI add a new source of demand.

For Abu Dhabi, the challenge is therefore not simply generating more electricity. It is ensuring that power remains reliable while the system becomes cleaner and more complex.

The Emirate’s experience during the recent regional conflict has reinforced that priority. Alobaidli said Abu Dhabi’s power and water infrastructure remained operational and undamaged, which he attributed to long-term investment and preparedness.

That resilience will become increasingly important as the emirate builds an economy in which energy-intensive industries and AI infrastructure operate alongside conventional oil and gas businesses.

Abu Dhabi’s next economic expansion will therefore require a parallel expansion in electricity.

The message from its planners is clear: the race for economic growth is increasingly a race for reliable power.

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The study found that the UAE leads the GCC in confirmed construction demand, supported by a broad pipeline of projects that are either under way or ready for execution. Saudi Arabia follows with 628 confirmed projects valued at USD 168 billion, while Oman ranks a distant third with 85 projects worth USD 19 billion.

In primary construction demand, however, Saudi Arabia remains ahead, with 78 major projects valued at USD 89.5 billion compared with the UAE’s 129 projects worth USD 50.1 billion.

The report highlights a significant transformation in Abu Dhabi’s construction sector, where value creation is increasingly shifting from traditional building activities towards advanced downstream construction systems. These include engineered mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) solutions, industrialized building methods, and integrated control systems designed to improve efficiency and project delivery.

The transition is being supported by wider adoption of modular and prefabricated construction, low-carbon building materials, artificial intelligence-enabled project management, and fully digital delivery models, reflecting broader global trends in infrastructure and industrial development.

ADCCI Director General Ali Mohamed Al Marzooqi said the emirate’s construction industry is becoming increasingly focused on integration, quality, and delivery certainty rather than simply project size.

He added that stronger private sector participation demonstrates growing confidence in Abu Dhabi’s evolving construction ecosystem and supports the emirate’s ambition to become a global hub for high-value construction and advanced manufacturing.

The sector’s expansion is also reflected in business activity. By February 2026, Abu Dhabi had more than 38,600 active construction licenses, while new business registrations increased by 66% in 2025 compared with the previous year. Active construction memberships also rose by nearly 25%, with new memberships recording a compound annual growth rate of almost 28% between 2019 and 2025.

The report also identifies growing export opportunities across the construction value chain, ranging from raw materials such as clay and limestone to manufactured components including ductwork, valves, switchgear, and power distribution systems.

Supported by improved digital permitting, industrial incentives, and sustainability-focused regulations, Abu Dhabi is positioning itself to compete internationally in high-performance construction systems.

ADCCI said the emirate’s strategic location, logistics network, and expanding industrial base are strengthening its role as a regional center for advanced construction as infrastructure investment across the Middle East and North Africa remains resilient.

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The route, the numbers, the moment
The inaugural service connects Abu Dhabi and Fujairah with a journey time of one hour and 45 minutes, a dramatic cut from the roughly two and a half hours the same trip takes by road. The very first train departed Fujairah at 5.34 am, with passengers welcomed at the station with traditional Emirati dance and Arabic coffee, and arrived in Abu Dhabi seven minutes ahead of schedule. His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, inaugurated the Mohamed bin Zayed City Passenger Train Station in the capital as part of the launch.

Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of Etihad Rail, called the network a defining moment for the country’s transport ecosystem, one built on modern technology to deliver a safe and efficient mobility system. The framing matters. This is not being pitched merely as a convenience for commuters, but as a structural piece of how the UAE wants to be seen, connected, efficient and diversifying beyond oil and aviation.

What the fleet and stations look like
The passenger fleet consists of 13 trains manufactured by the Spanish firm CAF, capable of speeds up to 200km/h and each carrying up to 400 passengers. Fujairah Station, the first to be fully completed in the network, sits within Hilal City, close to the emirate’s key economic hubs and roughly 12 minutes from Fujairah International Airport, with parking and ride hailing pick up points built in. Inside, elevators and escalators serve the platforms, alongside a premium lounge, a help desk, a police hub and real time timetable screens. Abu Dhabi Station in Mohamed Bin Zayed City will operate daily from 5 am to 11 pm, and amenities across stations include prayer rooms, family waiting areas, retail outlets and food and beverage counters.

Tickets, classes and how to book
Fares on the Abu Dhabi to Fujairah route start from Dh55 in Comfort Class and Dh120 in Premium Class, though this reflects a launch period discount of roughly half the regular Dh109 and Dh239 pricing. Within Comfort Class, travellers can choose between Standard, Value and Flex tiers, with the Flex option costing an additional Dh20, offering seat selection and a refundable booking, while the base Standard ticket has automatically assigned seating and no refunds. Children up to 17 travel at Dh28 in Comfort and Dh60 in Premium under the discount, seniors aged 60 and above pay Dh44 and Dh96 respectively, and infants under two travel free on an adult’s lap. Wheelchair users are charged standard adult or child fares, with designated spaces and priority seating subject to availability.

Bookings opened through the Etihad Rail app and website from 23rd June, and uptake has been swift. More than 10,000 tickets were sold in the week following the opening of bookings. Up to six services a day are expected to run between Abu Dhabi’s Mohamed Bin Zayed City station and Fujairah’s Al Hilal City station, spread across morning, afternoon and evening slots.

What the ride actually feels like
This is the part most likely to draw curious first time riders. Premium Class seats recline at the touch of a button and come with generous legroom, while both classes get USB and USB C charging points at every seat along with complimentary Wi-Fi. Retractable tray tables, overhead and under seat luggage storage, wall mounted hooks for bags, and dedicated seating for families and pregnant women feature across the cabins. Etihad Rail has been candid that for many residents, this will be their first experience of rail travel altogether, and station design has been shaped around that, with clear signage and staff on hand to guide first timers.

Interestingly, the cabin interiors also carry a distinctly national touch, featuring portraits of the UAE president and his sons woven into the contemporary design, a small but deliberate detail that ties the infrastructure project to the country’s broader identity building exercise.

The rollout still to come
The Abu Dhabi to Fujairah link is only the opening move. Dubai and Al Dhaid stations open on 30 September, followed by stations across the Al Dhafra region on 30 December, and the initial route will be completed when Sharjah station opens on 30 March 2027. Beyond that, feasibility studies are being conducted to evaluate expanding passenger rail into the remaining emirates and regions of the country. Once complete, the network will connect ten cities stretching from Al Sila in the west to Fujairah in the east, and Abu Dhabi to Dubai is projected to take under an hour, with Dubai to Fujairah around 69 minutes. A separate high speed line between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, expected to eventually cut that leg to just 30 minutes, is also part of the longer term plan.

There is a luxury dimension too. Etihad Rail has signed a deal with the Italian hospitality group Arsenale to develop a premium train experience, one that has drawn comparisons in spirit to the Orient Express, aimed squarely at the tourism market rather than daily commuters.

Why this matters beyond the timetable
The launch arrives less than five years after the UAE first announced its National Railway Programme as part of the “Projects of the 50” initiative in 2021, a pace officials are keen to highlight as proof the country can deliver large infrastructure ahead of schedule. Beyond the novelty factor, the economic logic is straightforward. Faster, cheaper intercity movement lowers the cost of doing business across emirates, opens northern emirates like Fujairah to a wider tourism catchment, and reduces reliance on congested highways. Once the network is fully operational, Etihad Rail expects to carry up to 10 million passengers a year, a figure that would meaningfully reshape domestic travel patterns in a country long defined by private car use.

For now, the practical takeaway for travellers is simple. The Abu Dhabi to Fujairah corridor is open, tickets are discounted for the launch window, and three more legs of the network arrive over the next nine months. Anyone curious about experiencing it first hand will not need to wait long to see the rest of the map fill in.

Image Credit: Etihad Website

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“Abu Dhabi’s real estate market is evolving toward a more balanced and sustainable growth trajectory. On the supply side, the residential sector maintained a steady delivery rhythm in Q1 2026, with approximately 1,200 units added, while a further 7,000 units are scheduled for completion by year-end,” the report said.

“Development activity also reached record levels, with 22 new projects added to the pipeline, including nine branded residential schemes. In Q1 2026, the rental market transitioned toward a more measured environment, with citywide apartment averages rising 15% year-on-year, while mid-end developments exceeded 20%. The residential villa segment recorded a marginal 1% quarterly increase and 6% annual growth. Notable yearly gains of 7%-10% were sustained in high-quality communities on Yas Island, as well as in specific mid-quality developments such as Al Reef,” it added further.

Talking about the commercial real estate segment, the office market maintained strong performance, with occupancy levels exceeding 95%. Rents across all grades recorded annual growth of between 8% and 20%.

The primary office inventory was bolstered by the handover of Shams Tower on Al Reem Island, with the market currently monitoring the imminent completion of Masdar City Square and The Link, both of which are already capturing robust occupier interest.

As per the Colliers, the trend reflects a continuing appetite for sustainable Grade A workspace within the UAE capital’s core business districts.

“Residential transaction activity in Abu Dhabi continued to accelerate in Q1 2026, with approximately 7,800 deals recorded, reflecting a 10% increase quarter-on-quarter and a 119% surge year-on-year. Average apartment and villa sales prices recorded quarterly growth of 4% and 2% and annual increases of 32% and 21%, respectively,” the agency noted.

A similar trend was seen in Dubai as well, where the real estate market is moving beyond rapid growth into a more mature phase, well-positioned to weather short-term volatility (arising due to the Iran war) on the back of strong fundamentals and ongoing infrastructure investment.

On the supply side, new apartment deliveries exceeded the 10,000-unit threshold for the second consecutive month, while approximately 1,900 villas were delivered during Q1 2026.

“The development pipeline remains substantial, with an additional 65,000 apartments and 12,500 villas scheduled for delivery by year-end, although some deliveries are expected to extend into subsequent periods. During Q1 2026, the rental market demonstrated a robust overall performance, with quarter-on-quarter (Q-o-Q) metrics maintaining a generally positive trajectory,” Colliers’ UAE Real Estate Market Report remarked.

“Average apartment rents grew marginally by 2%, supported by sustained demand in the affordable housing segment. While average villa rates remained stable throughout the quarter, the market showed a more nuanced performance at the community level, with tenants adopting a more value-driven approach,” it noted.

Both the residential and commercial verticals maintained their growth trajectory throughout Q1 2026, though the period was characterised by a notable shift in sector-specific demand.

Off-plan transaction volumes, as per Colliers’, “remained intrinsically linked to the frequency of project launches and subsequent registration timelines”.

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This information was revealed during a panel discussion at the second edition of the Abu Dhabi Infrastructure Summit (ADIS). The summit, held from 12 to 14 May, saw ADPIC sign 10 memoranda of understanding (MoU) across governance, delivery, and partnership tracks on the opening day itself. The event also set an ambitious agenda for city-scale transformation under the theme “Urban Evolution: Rethinking Cities, Redefining How We Live”.

Maysarah Mahmoud Eid, the Director General of ADPIC, said, “We are moving beyond building cities to creating communities that are more connected, more resilient, and designed around people to improve their lives. No single sector can drive this shift alone. It demands a new kind of collaboration across government, industry, finance, and technology. And that is why ADIS exists.”

At the ADIS summit, two consecutive panels discussed Abu Dhabi’s ongoing efforts to meet the infrastructure demands of rapid urbanisation. “Building at Pace: Planning with Purpose, Delivering for Impact” saw the presence of Carlos Wakim, CEO of Bloom Holding; Adel Albreiki, CEO of Aldar Projects; Mounir Haidar, Co-Founder of LEAD Development; and Francis Alfred, Managing Director of Sobha Realty, with Mustafa Al Rawi, Director of Strategic Communications at the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, moderating the session.

As the discussion examined how modular and offsite manufacturing techniques are compressing project delivery timelines, Sobha Realty confirmed an AED3 billion investment in construction innovation and offsite factories over the next three years.

Bloom Holding, on the other hand, pitched for the separation of technical infrastructure from social infrastructure, pointing to Bloom Living’s 4,200 homes as a model of integrated community design that prioritises walkability, safety, and gathering spaces.

ALSO READ: Abu Dhabi records USD 18 billion in Q1 property transactions

“LEAD Development framed infrastructure as the backbone of place-making, citing Jubail Island’s 40 million sqm of land, 25 million of which is protected mangrove. Aldar pointed to its use of AI agents for design and supply chain scrutiny, drawing on 50 million data points from previous projects, as part of how technology is reshaping delivery,” reported TradeArabia.

Talking about ADPIC’s infrastructure push, the authority has formalised a new partnership under the Bunaa Programme with Trojan Construction Holding, Gulf Contractors, and GHD Global, strengthening the delivery capacity behind the emirate’s capital project pipeline. A separate MoU with Knowledge Group will advance cooperation across training, development, advisory services, and the organisation of conferences and events, with a focus on building national talent and workforce readiness across project and infrastructure-related sectors.

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The airport launched a direct freight service to northern Thailand in partnership with K-Mile Air, a Thai cargo airline. The route connects Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai, the largest city in Thailand’s north, and a significant hub for agricultural produce, handicrafts, and light manufacturing. Flights began in May 2026 with a Boeing 737-400F freight aircraft.

The route’s cargo focus comprises three main categories: perishables, e-commerce goods, and general freight. Perishables are particularly important here. Northern Thailand produces fresh fruits, flowers, and agricultural products with short shelf lives that require fast, reliable air connections to reach markets in the Middle East and beyond. A direct route removes transit delays that connecting through Bangkok or another hub would introduce, making it viable to move time-sensitive products that might not have been commercially feasible to air freight before.

E-commerce is the other major driver. Cross-border online shopping has grown significantly in both the UAE and Thailand, and direct air cargo links are the backbone of fast international delivery. As consumers in the Gulf increasingly purchase goods from Southeast Asian sellers, and vice versa, reliable freight infrastructure becomes central to the viability of those trade flows.

In the seven-day reporting period ending May 3, total cargo traffic at AUH reached 2,216 tonnes per day, up 18% from 1,878 tonnes at the start of the year. The growth is being driven by freight cargo, which has more than doubled from a baseline of 389 tonnes per day to 851 tonnes, a 119% increase.

Freight cargo now accounts for 38% of total throughput, up 21 percentage points from baseline levels. Daily freighter movements have grown 42% over the same period, with wide-body freight operations rising roughly 55% to reach 17 movements per day.

On the trade flow side, inbound freight volumes averaged 612 tonnes per day, up around 91%, while outbound volumes of 239 tonnes per day represent a 251% surge. AUH cargo throughput also grew 15% year on year, a strong performance reflecting both new route additions and rising volumes on existing ones.

The UAE’s geographic position has always been a natural advantage for cargo operations, sitting within eight hours’ flying time of roughly two-thirds of the world’s population. Airports like AUH are increasingly working to turn that geographic asset into a systematic logistical one.

For Thailand, the route opens a direct connection to a major Middle Eastern trade gateway. Thai exporters, particularly those in the north dealing in perishables or premium goods, now have a more direct path to Gulf markets and the broader network those markets connect to.

For the wider region, this kind of bilateral route development is part of an ongoing reconfiguration of global air cargo networks. This shift moves away from reliance on a handful of dominant hubs toward a more distributed web of direct connections, better suited to the speed and specificity that modern trade demands.

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The company generated USD 572 million in free cash flow while registering a cash flow of USD 4.2 billion on its balance sheet.

“ADNOC Gas’s strong financial position also enables ongoing investment throughout market cycles, supporting its commitment to meet the 2026 dividend outlook and its policy of annual dividend growth at 5% until 2030. The Board approved a quarterly dividend of USD 941 million, set for payment in June 2026,” the company remarked.

Regarding the Q1 2026 results, Fatema Al Nuaimi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ADNOC Gas, stated, “This quarter was shaped by exceptional external disruption, and our priorities were clear: protect our people and assets, maintain safe domestic supply, and protect shareholder value through disciplined execution. Our Q1 results demonstrate resilience, supported by rigorous cost management and a solid balance sheet. As we manage the disruption to maritime movements through the Strait of Hormuz, the long-term foundations of ADNOC Gas remain intact. Demand growth in the UAE – supported by continued industrial expansion – and increased flexibility associated with the UAE’s evolving production framework reinforce our confidence in ADNOC Gas’ strategy and dividend commitment.”

ADNOC Gas’ balance sheet strength and disciplined capital allocation have continued to underpin the business’ resilience. Despite the ongoing Iran war, which saw the Middle East’s energy infrastructure come under attack, the company’s long-term growth ambitions remain intact, with its targeted EBITDA growth of over 40% between 2023 and 2029 unchanged.

Talking about ADNOC’s domestic prospects, the company sees boosting demand, with the signing of the USD 5 billion supply contract with TA’ZIZ, which will be covering activities like offtake, feedstock and sales across the latter’s chemicals portfolio. ADNOC, too, made a USD 55 billion investment pledge in local manufacturing under the “Make it in the Emirates” initiative.

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As per ADREC, sales and purchases totalled AED50.97 billion through 8,940 transactions, reflecting a 228.6% increase in value and a 134% rise in volume compared to Q1 2025. Mortgage transactions also reached AED 15.03 billion through 4,578 transactions, representing a 53.4% increase in value and a 48.8% rise in volume year-on-year.

Hudayriyat Island was the leading area for real estate transactions, recording deals amounting to approximately AED 11.97 billion. It was followed by Reem Island, with AED 9.45 billion, and Saadiyat Island, with AED 8.8 billion, while Yas Island recorded activity exceeding AED 5.5 billion in transactions.

“This quarter’s performance is a clear reflection of the confidence Abu Dhabi continues to earn from investors both locally and internationally. Reaching a record level of activity is not only a sign of demand, but it also signals a market that is becoming more disciplined, with a clear focus on long-term investment,” said Rashed Al Omaira, Director General of ADREC.

“Our role as ADREC is to ensure this growth is supported through consistent oversight and a regulatory framework that upholds trust and accountability across the sector. This is what gives Abu Dhabi its strength. It is not about short-term momentum, but a market built on strong fundamentals, positioning it as a reliable investment destination,” the official added.

Despite regional volatilities, market indicators continue to show sustained demand across the UAE capital’s real estate sector, with leasing activity maintaining strong growth into March.

“The repeat lease price index recorded a 16% annual increase compared to March 2025, underscoring continued demand from end users and investors,” ADREC noted.

To address the strong demand outpacing supply, the market has been supported by a growing pipeline. Some 16 new real estate projects got registered during Q1 2026, a 60% increase compared to the same period in 2025.

“Residential supply in the Abu Dhabi region is projected to increase by 10,272 units in 2026, rising from 314,976 to 325,248, representing annual growth of 3.3%. Supply is projected to grow further in 2027, reaching 333,564 units. This reflects a market that continues to expand on solid foundations,” ADREC said.

Another salient point of ADREC’s report was the exceptional growth seen in the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) domain, as total investments reached AED 8.27 billion, marking a 423% increase compared to the Q1 2025 and equivalent to the total figure recorded during 2025. Investors from 99 nationalities contributed to this performance, up from 68 nationalities last year.

“Foreign investment activity remained strong within investment zones, accounting for approximately 84% of total investment value, surpassing AED 36.4 billion out of a total AED 43.59 billion. This represents a 242% increase compared to the same period last year, with key contributing markets including the United Kingdom, India, the Russian Federation, China, Jordan, France, and Egypt,” ADREC concluded.

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According to the department, the policy will now cover villa owners and residential buildings, enabling the latter to generate and store electricity from rooftop solar systems and efficiently integrate their usage with the grid.

The latest initiative is part of DoE’s mandate to develop policies and regulatory frameworks that advance the Emirati city’s transition towards a more efficient and sustainable energy system, while promoting the adoption of smart and flexible solutions for energy production and consumption.

“This builds on the success of the policy’s first phase, launched during the World Government Summit in February, which enabled owners of farms, rest houses, and ranches to benefit from solar energy solutions for self-generation and storage of electricity, improving consumption efficiency. The expansion reflects the growing uptake of renewable energy solutions among customers and aligns with national objectives to meet the increasing demand for energy through advanced solutions serving all sectors,” reported Emirates News Agency.

“The new phase focuses on facilitating adoption through a simplified regulatory framework that streamlines installation and grid connection procedures, alongside the standardisation of technical requirements to ensure high levels of safety and operational efficiency. In line with the first phase of the policy, DoE issued a policy on the procurement of efficient consumption appliances, providing a practical framework to support individuals and entities in purchasing and operating the most efficient solutions based on actual performance data and total lifecycle cost, enabling more efficient and sustainable long-term decision-making,” it stated.

“The policy covers key systems that will impact consumption efficiency, including air conditioning and cooling, water heating, lighting, and electrical appliances, as well as pumps, motors, and irrigation systems. It also highlights best operational practices, smart control solutions, and regular maintenance, contributing to reduced energy and water consumption, lower peak loads, and enhanced economic and environmental efficiency,” DoE remarked.

Under the second phase, customers will be enabled to meet a significant share of their daily energy consumption during daytime, allowing them to store electricity through battery storage systems, substantially reducing pressure on the grid and improving electricity load management across Abu Dhabi and the UAE.

“The second phase of the Solar Energy Self-Supply Policy represents a significant step in advancing the policy’s implementation, integrating the residential sector to enhance energy consumption efficiency and support the integration of the power system,” said Abdulaziz Mohammed Al Obaidli, Director-General of Regulatory Affairs at the DoE.

“We are strengthening partnerships in the transition towards clean energy, contributing to a more balanced and sustainable energy mix by empowering a broader segment of society,” he concluded.

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