The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (“Saudi Arabia”) has seen a significant increase in foreign investments since the implementation of the country’s Vision 2030. Such influx has led to frequent inquiries from foreign and local...more
On 1 October 2025, the Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”) – the financial regulatory agency of the special economic zone, the Dubai International Financial Centre (“DIFC”) – published a consultation paper (CP 168) on...more
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (“MHRSD”) in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice (“MoJ”) have made an official statement to make wage clauses within employment contracts serve as an enforcement...more
10/29/2025
/ Contract Terms ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Employment Contract ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
New Regulations ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Saudi Arabia ,
Wage and Hour
On 7 October 2025, the Capital Market Authority (CMA) of Saudi Arabia issued the Draft Instructions of Simplified Investment Funds and proposed amendments to the Glossary of Defined Terms Used in The Regulations and Rules of...more
On the 10 June 2025, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (“FSRA”) of the Abu Dhabi Global Market (“ADGM”) announced the implementation of amendments to its regulatory framework for digital assets (the “Digital Asset...more
On 25 September 2025, Saudi Arabia adopted the Regulatory Provisions for the Rental Relationship (the “Rental Provisions”) via Royal Decree and a Council of Ministers resolution, effective immediately on the same date. The...more
On 14 July 2025, the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia issued Council of Ministers Resolution No. (M/14) approving the issuance of the Law on Real Estate Ownership by Non-Saudis (the “New Law”), which...more
On 9 July 2025, the Capital Market Authority (the “CMA”) has announced a series of significant regulatory enhancements aimed at furthering the development of the Kingdom’s investment fund industry. These amendments, effective...more
7/31/2025
/ Asset Management ,
Capital Markets ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Fee Caps ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Fund Managers ,
Investment Funds ,
Investor Protection ,
New Regulations ,
Private Funds ,
Real Estate Development ,
Real Estate Investments ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
REIT ,
Reporting Requirements
The Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (“KSA”) recently passed a resolution to strengthen the country’s arbitration and ADR framework (the “Resolution”), demonstrating a continued commitment to a range of...more
This is our third client briefing in our “Evolving Face of Finance” series which considers private credit’s emergence in the real estate sector in the Middle East and which follows on from our previous client briefing on...more
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has implemented a significant reform of its competition law framework through Federal Decree-Law No. 36 of 2023, with key implementing provisions brought into effect by Cabinet Ministerial...more
5/21/2025
/ Acquisitions ,
Antitrust Provisions ,
Competition ,
Compliance ,
Enforcement ,
Filing Requirements ,
Merger Controls ,
Mergers ,
Penalties ,
Popular ,
Premerger Notifications ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
The Gulf Cooperation Council region (the GCC) is becoming an ever-more important destination for the global private credit market. In this client briefing we explore the region’s rising prominence as a key destination for...more
4/16/2025
/ Capital Markets ,
Creditors ,
Debt ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ,
Investment Funds ,
Lenders ,
Liquidity ,
Loans ,
Middle East ,
Private Equity ,
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia issued Royal Decree number M/195 dated 03/09/1446H (corresponding to 03/03/2025G) (the “Royal Decree”), allowing foreign investment in retail pharmacies. This is a significant development as...more
On 27 January 2025, the Saudi Capital Market Authority (“CMA”) approved the ‘Controls for the Exclusion of Companies Listed in the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) from the Meaning of the Phrase (Non-Saudi) in accordance with...more
The National Center for Non-Profit Sector (“NCNPS”) is the supervisory body of civil society organizations and private foundations. The NCNPS regulates civil society organizations and private foundations in accordance with...more
On 6 August 2024, the Council of Ministers approved amendments to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (“KSA”) Labor Law and its Implementing Regulations. These will come into force on 19 February 2025, 180 days after being published...more
9/13/2024
/ Compliance ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Training ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Jurisdiction ,
Maternity Leave ,
New Amendments ,
Paid Leave ,
Penalties ,
Popular ,
Probationary Period ,
Saudi Arabia ,
Wages
On August 11, 2024, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (the “Kingdom” or “Saudi Arabia”) issued the new Investment Law, pursuant to Royal Decree number M/19 (the “New Investment Law”), which is intended to replace the Foreign...more
On May 20, 2024, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (“MHRSD”) in collaboration with the Ministry of Municipal Rural Affairs and Housing announced their goal of increasing the Saudization ratio in the...more
The launch of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (the Kingdom) Vision 2030 Program preceded the announcement of numerous ground-breaking Mega and Giga-projects throughout the country. Eight years on, recent MEED data estimates...more
8/8/2024
/ Capital Raising ,
Contractors ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Investment ,
Leaseback ,
Leases ,
Property Tax ,
Real Estate Market ,
Revenue ,
Sales ,
Saudi Arabia
On May 3, 2024, the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (“ZATCA”) issued amendments to the Real Estate Transaction Tax (“RETT”) Implementing Regulations. The RETT Implementing Regulations were first introduced on October 4,...more
The Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (“Kingdom”) in February 2021 announced its objective to limit governmental contracting with multinational companies (“MNCs”) that do not have a Regional Headquarter (“RHQ”) in the...more
The Civil Transactions Regulation (the “CTR”) was promulgated on 18 June 2023 and entered into force on 16 December 2023. The CTR was conceived as one of four key reforms announced in February 2021 to enhance the general...more
1/5/2024
/ Breach of Contract ,
Contract Termination ,
Contract Terms ,
Dispute Resolution ,
Force Majeure Clause ,
Good Faith ,
New Regulations ,
Penal Code ,
Personal Status Law ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Sales ,
Saudi Arabia
On 14 April 2023, the Economic Cities and Special Zones Authority (ECZA) announced the launch of four special economic zones (SEZs) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (the Kingdom) to accelerate the diversification of the...more
An otherwise viable business experiencing a cash flow crisis may seek relief under Chapter Four of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (“KSA”) Bankruptcy Law (“Bankruptcy Law”), a flexible statute that helps facilitate the financial...more
In conjunction with the Ministry of Justice of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (“KSA”), the Saudi Centre for Commercial Arbitration (“SCCA”) conducted a study into KSA legislation and confirmed that parties to Saudi arbitration...more