Ben Jones

I first walked into DIFC in 2009 — when it was half-empty, jokingly called the Dubai International Food Court, and surviving on a $20bn bailout. Today, it’s a global financial hub. • 7,700+ active companies (double since 2020) • 47,900 workers from London, Mumbai, Hong Kong • 1.6mn sq ft new space under construction The energy today is unrecognisable. But as the Financial Times recently highlighted, rapid growth brings competition and challenges: • Abu Dhabi is deploying $1.7tn in sovereign wealth to attract funds. • Saudi Arabia is pushing bankers and consultants to base in Riyadh. • Rising rents, costs, and congestion are testing DIFC’s edge. From a regulatory lens: • Resilience: The UAE’s swift removal from FATF’s grey list showed its ability to adapt under scrutiny. • Compliance: Openness is a strength, but it demands vigilance from firms. • Crypto: Dubai is one of the few jurisdictions giving structure to a volatile sector. The takeaway: DIFC has proven itself on the world stage. The challenge now is sustaining credibility and growth through agility and compliance. How has the DIFC shaped your journey? Share your perspective below. #DIFC #ADGM #Dubai

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Elias Moubarak, Partner in our Banking and Finance team, has joined the firm's Abu Dhabi office, enhancing our on-the-ground capability in the UAE. The move bolsters the firm's cross-border offering and positions Elias to support capital flows across the Middle East and ASEAN regions, as well as investments and financings into the UK. This strategic step reflects the firm's commitment to further growth across the UAE, deepening our local presence and enhancing our reputation across the Banking and Finance sector. Find out more: https://bit.ly/4fHEHyU #TrowersInternational

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With a strong foothold in Riyadh and Dubai, Latham & Watkins has become a go-to adviser for IPOs across the Gulf. At the center of that rise is Salman Al-Sudairi—MENA managing partner and head of the Saudi Arabia practice—who has led on nearly every major Saudi IPO since 2011, including the record-breaking $25.6 billion Aramco deal. In a conversation with Dario Sabaghi, Al-Sudairi shares insights on the biggest risks, shifts, and opportunities in Saudi Arabia: https://lnkd.in/eywTfdPV

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DarGlobal Appoints Charbel Sabeh As Chief Legal Officer Dar Global has appointed Charbel Sabeh as Chief Legal Officer, strengthening its global legal team and operations with focus on Saudi Arabia and luxury real estate. “What makes this opportunity particularly compelling is that Dar Global is not only a listed UK plc, but also operates at the intersection of my core expertise, which is real estate development and hospitality. The company is rapidly growing and reshaping the landscape of luxury living, and I am proud to be part of that journey, with such an amazing team led by our CEO Ziad El Chaar. ” Link to read full News: https://lnkd.in/dq_BYVgV #DarGlobal #CharbelSabeh #ChiefLegalOfficer #RealEstateDevelopment #LuxuryLiving #Riyadh #APAC #LegalEra

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M&A in the Middle East continues to gain momentum, with sovereign wealth funds and private equity driving deal flow across the region. At the Law Middle East M&A Summit, partner Osama Lone joined the “M&A Trends & Market Dynamics” panel to share insights on these developments and their impact on the regional market.

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📢Our multidisciplinary cross-border team led by Waleed Rasrommani, Bertrand Andriani and Justin C. Faye advised Vision Invest, a leading Saudi Arabian infrastructure investor and developer, on its investment in ARISE Integrated Industrial Platforms (ARISE IIP), a pan-African developer and operator of integrated industrial zones. This transaction forms part of a landmark US$700m capital raise by ARISE IIP and represents one of the largest private infrastructure capital raises in Africa to date, with both primary and secondary components. Read more here: 👉https://lnkd.in/gVetfabF

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Akin advised Mubadala Capital in connection with structuring and establishing the consortium of funds and accounts advised by Mubadala Capital for the acquisition of CI Financial.    The Akin team was led by investment management partner Kapil V. Pandit and tax partners Olivier De Moor, Tuvia Tendler, and Ekaterina Lyashenko, and included investment management partners Robert Griffin, Barbara Niederkofler, Fadi Samman and Simon Ellis; corporate partner Tim Clark; tax partners Matthew Durward-Thomas and Natasha Kaye; regulatory partner Ezra Zahabi; counsel Sara Ainsworth, Jeff Whalen, Raquel Gordon and Mohammed Natha; and associates Arthur Norman, Zhane A., Aaron Jenman, Eva Luong and Patrick C. Pallisco.    Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eZWMRuuY   #InvestmentManagement #Tax 

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Members of the firm's Middle East Private Wealth team, Alastair Glover, Jordan Ellis, Yasmin Amin and Molly O'Brien – recently authored an article titled 'The Golden Age of the UAE', published in The Oath Legal Magazine. The UAE is emerging as a global wealth hub, attracting wealthy individuals and professionals with its strategic initiatives, including the Golden Visa. In this article, the team talk about how the UAE is reshaping the global wealth map and offering unparalleled opportunities. To read the article, please click the link below. https://lnkd.in/dnFqHsYU #UAE #PrivateWealth #GoldenVisas

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🚨 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐂𝐌𝐀 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢 𝐀𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐚 Saudi Arabia’s capital markets are entering a new era with the Capital Market Authority’s (CMA) 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞-𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, issued 2 July 2025. Proud to congratulate my colleagues in STAT’s Bank Finance Department, led by Partners Zeyad Y. AlSalloum and Faris Al Amoudi, for spearheading this milestone. The framework aligns with global best practices, enhances legal certainty, safeguards market stability and supports Vision 2030. Netting arrangements reduce counterparty risk and improve liquidity. This regulation ensures robust enforceability for Qualified Financial Contracts, including, among others, derivatives, repos, securities lending and structured products, even in insolvency or bankruptcy. 𝐇̲𝐢̲𝐠̲𝐡̲𝐥̲𝐢̲𝐠̲𝐡̲𝐭̲𝐬̲: • 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐲: netting agreements remain valid and enforceable, including in bankruptcy; • 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞-𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: enables termination, valuation and offsetting of obligations after default; • 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: enforceable title transfer and pledge arrangements; • 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: reflects ISDA principles and G20 norms; • 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬: covers foreign branches operating in the Kingdom; and • 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝 𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐞: extensive list of derivatives, securities, commodities, and Shari’a-compliant products. 𝐈̲𝐦̲𝐩̲𝐥̲𝐢̲𝐜̲𝐚̲𝐭̲𝐢̲𝐨̲𝐧̲𝐬̲: • 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: stronger tools for risk management and capital efficiency; • 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: greater security in collateral enforcement; • 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬: improved certainty in cross-border deals; and • 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: stronger global competitiveness. 𝐖̲𝐡̲𝐲̲ ̲𝐢̲𝐭̲ ̲𝐦̲𝐚̲𝐭̲𝐭̲𝐞̲𝐫̲𝐬̲: This step cements the enforceability of netting and collateral arrangements, complements earlier SAMA frameworks, and builds a stronger platform for domestic and foreign investment. I am proud that our Firm’s expertise spans transactional ECM, banking regulation, derivatives and financial infrastructure reform, enabling high-value legal solutions for issuers, underwriters, and institutional investors in Saudi Arabia and beyond. 📩 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐭. #SaudiArabia #CapitalMarkets #CMA #NettingRegulations #CollateralArrangements #FinanceLaw #Derivatives #LegalExpertise #Vision2030 #SaudiFinance #ISDA STAT Law Firm Capital Market Authority Saudi Exchange

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RAK ICC's latest overhaul of its Foundations Regulations cements those Foundations as an increasingly compelling and internationally competitive option for asset protection in/via the UAE. Think enhanced creditor protections, smarter arbitration pathways, and clearer safeguards for beneficiaries. These aren’t just regulatory tweaks—they are strategic moves to elevate trust, control, and long-term confidence.   Whether you're advising HNWIs or building cross-border structures, this update deserves your attention.   Discover what has changed—and why it matters: https://lnkd.in/dkz4dS6h   #RAKICC #UAE #AssetProtection #FoundationsLaw #PrivateClients #WealthPlanning #GlobalWealth #SuccessionStrategy #LegalInnovation

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