Ras Al Khaimah merged its real estate and hospitality arms, Dubai’s property market hit new highs, and Dubizzle delayed its long-awaited IPO. The week also brought new investor incentives for hotel developers, a warning on Saudi Arabia’s oversupplied hospitality pipeline, and a $980 coffee that gave Dubai’s café scene a jolt.
Catch up with 10 stories you might have missed this week, as selected by Arabian Business editors.
Dubai’s Emaar launches AED 100 billion masterplan with 40,000 luxury homes
Dubai real estate developer Emaar Properties on Thursday announced the launch of Emaar Hills, a AED 100 billion master-planned community featuring 40,000 ultra-luxury homes, as it expands its portfolio of high-end developments in the emirate.
Located near Dubai Hills Estate and Dubai Hills Mall, the project will include Dubai Mansions, a collection of 10,000 to 20,000-square-foot residences designed to combine modern architecture with landscaped surroundings and wellness-focused amenities.
Emaar described the new community as one of Dubai’s most prestigious enclaves, integrating leisure, nature, and connectivity. The development will include direct access to a championship golf course, wellness centres, retail outlets, and a network of landscaped parks.
Ras Al Khaimah merges real estate and hospitality arms under Marjan to accelerate growth
This comes as the emirate aims to fast-track its transformation into a global lifestyle and investment hub in line with RAK Vision 2030, executives told Arabian Business at the launch.
The merger brings together the emirate’s real estate, hospitality and lifestyle divisions under one platform, positioning Marjan as one of the UAE’s largest developers and a central driver of Ras Al Khaimah’s growth targets. These include welcoming 3.5 million annual visitors, expanding to nearly 20,000 hotel keys and delivering new master-planned communities across the emirate.
Dubai Free Zone Guide 2025: The ultimate handbook for entrepreneurs
Dubai free zones power one of the world’s most dynamic startup ecosystems — combining 100 per cent foreign ownership, tax advantages and streamlined licensing.
In 2025, around 30 specialised zones across the emirate cater to entrepreneurs in AI, FinTech, HealthTech, Design, E-commerce and Advanced Manufacturing.
EXCLUSIVE Prince Khaled blasts Meta for ignoring online scams: “They are only here to profit”
HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud has accused tech giant Meta of “turning a blind eye” as fake accounts impersonating his sister, HRH Princess Reem bint Alwaleed, openly defraud Gulf residents on Facebook and Instagram.
Dozens of fraudulent pages, he said, are using Princess Reem’s name and image to solicit small cash “investments” – often as little as AED 100 – from vulnerable GCC citizens. Despite documented complaints, Meta has failed to acknowledge his team’s reports.
“When there is a real problem, like fraudulent bad actors taking unsuspecting people for money, out and out conning them openly, social media companies claim not to be able to manage the problem,” Prince Khaled told Arabian Business.
Dubai café serves $980 coffee to give the city’s specialty scene a serious buzz
A Dubai café is serving the world’s most expensive coffee for $980 a cup — and it’s giving the city’s specialty scene a serious buzz.
The Dubai specialty-coffee scene has reached a defining moment as home-grown roaster Julith begins pouring the Nido 7 Geisha, the world’s most valuable coffee.
Following its record-breaking purchase for AED2,218,785 ($604,080) at the 2025 Best of Panama Auction, the rare beans are now available to the public — though only 20kg exist worldwide, with a portion reserved for the Dubai Royal Family.
Saudi hotel pipeline in Riyadh, Jeddah risks oversupply, JLL warns ahead of 2034 FIFA World Cup
Saudi Arabia’s hospitality sector is poised for significant expansion ahead of the 2034 FIFA World Cup, but risks oversupply in major cities such as Riyadh and Jeddah unless investors diversify into emerging destinations like NEOM and Abha, global real estate consultancy JLL said in a new white paper.
The report, titled Beyond the Whistle, said hotel supply in Riyadh and Jeddah is already growing rapidly, with projected annual increases of 6 and 5 per cent respectively, among the highest in the Kingdom. Riyadh currently has 22,729 hotel keys, while Jeddah’s stock of 20,518 is expected to climb to 30,611 by 2030.
JLL warned that “while Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar will remain strategically important, Abha and NEOM present more immediate and underexploited opportunities for hotel development,” particularly as the Kingdom prepares for the World Cup. These regions, it said, align with Saudi Arabia’s tourism diversification strategy and offer “first-mover advantages” in sustainable and luxury hospitality.
UAE Lottery announces first $27m jackpot winner
According to the game organiser, the chances of winning the grand prize are one in 8,835,372 and this is the first time it has happened since the UAE Lottery was launched.
A post on the official website showed a single ticket won the top prize, while three people won a lesser prize by matching six numbers.
Dubizzle postpones IPO plans
The listing was planned for November 6 on the Dubai Financial Market and was expected to see around 30.34 per cent of the company’s total issued share capital offered to investors through a combination of new and existing shares.
In a statement, the group said it has received strong interest from investors and will look at future IPO listing.
Dubai property market hits $37.7bn as apartment sales soar and villa deals cool
While total value dipped 6.4 per cent quarter-on-quarter, sales volume rose 11.4 per cent, underscoring deep investor confidence and sustained demand for new projects. Apartment sales surged to AED93bn ($25.3bn) — the highest value ever recorded in Dubai’s residential market.
Volumes climbed 22 per cent to 48,646 units, led by a 35 per cent quarter-on-quarter jump in off-plan apartment sales. Off-plan transactions accounted for 70 per cent of total sales volume and 59 per cent of value — both all-time highs.
Dubai hotels: New investor incentives offer 100% fee refunds for projects in key growth zones
Dubai has unveiled a major hotel investor incentive programme offering 100 per cent refunds on key municipal and tourism fees for two years after opening. The move targets new hotel projects in Dubai South, Palm Jebel Ali, Dubai Parks and Dubai Islands.
The Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) launched the hotel investor incentive to stimulate hospitality development in future high-growth areas across the emirate.
The initiative follows the issuance of Executive Council Resolution No. (68) of 2025 by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council.
