Regulatory updates
New rules, circulars, consultations and notices from UAE regulators, each summarised with who is affected and what to do. Collected by Arakan Lexara from the regulators' own websites.
Arakan Lexara Weekly
The week's changes, what they mean and the deadlines ahead. Every Monday, free.
Following the June-July 2026 consultation, DIFC enacted amendments to the Data Protection Regulations strengthening AI-system safeguards under Regulation 10 and adding Regulation 11 (Commissioner power to recognize AI accreditation/certification schemes). LOW CONFIDENCE ON DATE: the exact enactment date could not be independently confirmed via direct DIFC source fetch in this research pass (WebFetch access to difc.com was blocked/rate-limited); the date shown is a best estimate based on the 30-day consultation closing 18 July 2026 plus typical DIFC enactment lag seen in other 2026 items. Compliance teams should verify the precise in-force date against DIFC's Legal Database or the cited DIFC news page directly.
Following the April-June 2026 consultation (Consultation Paper No. 1 of 2026), DIFC enacted amendments broadening access to the Prescribed Company regime and mandating Corporate Service Provider appointment for most Prescribed Companies. Existing Prescribed Companies without a CSP have a transition window to appoint one or confirm Exempt PC status. This enactment was announced by DIFC in a release jointly covering Real Property Law amendments; the precise DIFC press-release date is a best estimate (24 July 2026) drawn from secondary legal commentary, as the DIFC source page itself could not be directly fetched in this research pass.
Updates are found automatically on regulators' websites and summarised by AI. Check the official source before relying on any item.
Past weekly briefingsDIFC enacted the amendments to the Real Property Law and Regulations proposed in Consultation Paper No. 3 of 2025, introducing decennial liability for construction defects, extended lease-registration and freehold transfer-fee deadlines, and new unregistered-lease penalties. This was announced jointly with the Prescribed Company Regulations enactment; the exact DIFC press-release date is a best estimate (24 July 2026) based on secondary legal commentary, as the DIFC source page could not be directly fetched in this research pass — verify against DIFC's own Legal Database before relying on this date.