Michael Lahyani

Countless founders ask the wrong first question when setting up in Dubai. “Which license is cheapest?” they usually inquire when they should be asking: “Which license will unlock my market, protect my ownership, and save me from a future restructure?” After all, it’s not just about the piece of paper; it’s about where and how you want to play the game. Here’s the distilled 4-step version I give my clients over coffee: Step 1: Understand what a license actually does Your license is more than just legal permission. It spells out your allowed activities and locks in your jurisdiction. That combination determines: - Where you can sell - Who you can sell to - How much of your business you actually own - Your tax exposure Step 2: Know the three playgrounds (and their pros and cons) a) Mainland Pros: Sell anywhere in the UAE & internationally Bid for lucrative government contracts 100% foreign ownership in most sectors (thanks to law reforms) Flexible office locations, no activity restrictions Cons: 9% corporate tax on profits above AED 375k Visa quota tied to your office size Some “strategic sectors” still require a local partner b) Free Zone Pros: 100% foreign ownership, no local sponsor Industry-focused hubs with networking and infrastructure Streamlined setup process & customs benefits 0% corporate tax (applicable on the condition that goods & services aren’t entering the UAE) Cons: Can’t trade directly with the mainland without a local distributor Expansion may require extra licenses if you add new activities Some free zones are geographically restrictive for visas & offices 3. Offshore Pros: 100% ownership + 0% corporate tax Asset protection & confidentiality Ideal for holding companies and global trade Cons: No UAE market access at all No physical office or visas Limited to very specific use cases (not operational businesses) Step 3: Think long-term, not just setup cost That cheap license? It might cap your visas, block you from markets, or force a costly restructure later. Your future plans should drive your decision, not today’s budget. Step 4: Avoid these three rookie mistakes - Picking based only on cost - Misclassifying your activity (big fines ahead) - Ignoring visa quotas until it’s too late Bottom line: In Dubai, your license and jurisdiction are the foundation of your market access, ownership, and scalability. Get them right, and everything else falls into place. Do you have any questions? Let me know! Banke International Properties BNI Energizers - Dubai, UAE BNI Global

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Let’s talk about the biggest mistake 90% of Dubai Real Estate companies are making with ‘Personal Branding’. Warning - this might trigger a few people and hurt feelings (but I’m saying it anyway) ↳ Too many brokerages aren’t building PERSONAL brands. They’re building identical ones. *Read that again* I see it constantly. Brokerages claiming to “build brands” for their agents, but what they’re really doing is copying and pasting: → Same editing style → Same fonts, colours, aesthetic → Same tone of voice in captions (usually AI-generated - I can spot it a mile off) Just because you spend 1:1 time making content for someone doesn’t mean you’re building their personal brand. It means you’re doing your job. At Williams International Real Estate , we do it differently, and more importantly, we do it right. That looks like: → Collaborative brainstorming with each broker (their input matters more than mine) → Custom moodboards + brand styling sessions → 1:1 mentorship on content, strategy, and direction → Every broker having their own tone of voice, style, colours, fonts, aesthetic → Teaching them how to own their voice (without the use of ChatGPT) Because REAL personal branding isn’t about fitting into a company’s mould. It’s about breaking it and showing the human behind the name. I’ve literally had people come up to me and say “Why would you promote an agent if their vibe doesn’t match the Williams brand?” That question alone is exactly why we do it. We don’t want agents to be replicas of each other. We want them to be real and recognisable. Yesterday, we spent half a day creating some seriously next-level content with Huz Mohamed All I’ll say for now? He’s building something the Dubai real estate industry has never seen before. Going live soon. Trust me, you’ll want to watch this space. #DubaiRealEstate #PersonalBrandingTruths #RealEstateMarketing

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🏦 Land Banking: The quiet strategy of Dubai’s family offices While many investors chase rentals, family offices quietly: ✅ Acquire prime plots in growth areas ✅ Hold them for 2–5 years ✅ Exit when developers need land This strategy has created multi-generational wealth in Dubai. Land doesn’t just produce returns. It produces legacies. #FamilyOffices #DubaiLand #WealthStrategy

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Real estate developers in the UAE are asking one big question: How will Corporate Tax treat gains that were built up before CT came into force? That’s where the transitional rules under MD 120 of 2023 come in, and the valuation method is at the heart of it. In this short deck, we’ve simplified: 1. Scope & applicability of transitional relief 2. What qualifies as immovable property (QIP) 3. How disposals/deemed disposals are triggered 4. The step-by-step formula to calculate excluded gains The idea is simple: protect pre-CT gains, while ensuring fairness for post-CT profits. For more detailed discussions and ongoing updates on Corporate Tax and Transfer Pricing, follow GTPN – Global Transfer Pricing Network CA Sanjay Agarwal | CA Neha Agarwal | CA Vishal Thappa Kuldeep Sharma | Anand Vemuganti | Praneeth Narahari #tax #ca #network #dubai

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The Next Chapter for UAE Real Estate is Beyond Dubai For years, Dubai has been the face of the UAE, synonymous with innovation, luxury, and world-class living. Its market remains strong, and in my opinion still bullish for the majority of the city. But as we look ahead to 2025–2026, the real estate story of the UAE is that it is expanding. The other emirates are now stepping onto the stage with bold projects and unique opportunities. Abu Dhabi Beyond the much-anticipated Disneyland, the capital is adding global icons such as the Four Seasons. With its blend of culture, hospitality, and luxury, Abu Dhabi is shaping itself as an international lifestyle hub. Ras Al Khaimah Already home to five-star names like Anantara, Waldorf Astoria, Ritz-Carlton, Nikki Beach, and Nobu, RAK is preparing for its biggest leap yet with the Wynn resort and casino, the first of its kind in the region. This will redefine tourism and hospitality in the emirate and create a ripple effect for luxury real estate. Sharjah Long seen as Dubai’s quieter neighbor, Sharjah is now emerging with exciting master community launches and luxury residences. Just a short drive to Downtown Dubai closer than many parts of Dubai itself and often at less than half the price, Sharjah is becoming a serious contender for both lifestyle and investment. All of the Emirates still benefit from: Tax-free income, High rental yields, Easy company setup with low fees, world class schools and hospitals, safety and Global connectivity. Branded residences, such as the Four Seasons and Anantara, a segment once largely confined to Dubai are now launching across the UAE, meeting the growing demand from HNWIs seeking lifestyle-driven investments. The story of UAE real estate is no longer just about Dubai and Savvy investors already know this. Each emirate is carving out its own identity, and together they’re building a truly diversified, world-class and sustainable market. #UAE #Dubai #AbuDhabi #RasAlKhaimah #Sharjah #RealEstate #PropertyInvestment #RealEstateTrends

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Most Dubai investors don’t know these 4 types of developers. But depending on the type of the developer, you can anticipate a different outcome. This means less surprises Predictable outcome Confidence from knowing your position on the market. There are hundreds of developers registered with the Dubai Land Department at the moment. Only a few are master developers. They own the land, build the infrastructure, and set the vision The rest are sub-developers. This is where it gets interesting. Some are established sub-developers with years of proven projects you can go and see for yourself. You can go to one of their buildings, see the quality, talk to the residents and get a feel of the result you can expect when investing with them. The others are brand-new sub-developers with no completed work yet. They offer tempting entry prices, but no track record to judge from. Yes, you can get them at a cheaper price, but it's a more speculative decision, than master developers or sub-developers with a track record. And then there’s my favourite group — contractor-turned-developers. There are not a lot of them, and they are usually not heavily advertised, so it takes some legwork to find them. These are the teams who have quietly built some of Dubai’s most recognizable towers for the most established brands in the game. They often have more construction experience — and more industry connections — than some of the biggest names. After decades of experience with being contractors, they’re launching their own boutique projects. Oftentimes, they would acquire plots of land over their business life, at cheap prices. And later they would convert into being a de facto developer, who'd use those plots of land to develop their own product. Because they’re new to selling under their own brand (1-2 years in the market), they offer incentives, prices, and terms the big players won’t touch — while delivering superb customer service and obsessive quality control. That’s why JOARLI and hunt for these hidden gems. Because in a market this crowded, the best opportunities aren’t always the loudest. We help busy professionals and entrepreneurs match with the right developer type — so they invest with confidence, not guesswork. If you were buying in Dubai, which of these developer types would you choose? #retireyounger #investindubai

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Why the next 5 years in Dubai real estate won’t look like the last 5 Everyone loves to take the past five years and use it as a crystal ball. That’s a mistake. The last half-decade was fueled by recovery, global inflows, and momentum. Money poured in, developers launched aggressively, and agencies grew fast simply by riding the wave. But the next five years? They’ll play by very different rules. We’re moving into a market defined by consolidation, investor trust, and sustainable operations. The quick wins will dry up. The brokerages built on hype and headcount will struggle. And the ones that built systems, culture, and credibility will rise. Investors are smarter. Clients are sharper. Talent is more mobile. This isn’t about copying the last cycle. It’s about adapting to the new one. Those who evolve will thrive. Those who copy-paste the past will vanish.

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