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Podcast: Middle East Dossier
Episode: One Jump Ahead: Is the UAE leading the Gulf pack?
Description: Towards the end of 2021, the late President of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed approved an extensive list of legal reforms. New laws and updated legislation span the business, labour, family, personal status, crime, intellectual property and e-commerce sectors. Of note is a new law permitting investors and entrepreneurs to completely own onshore companies in all sectors – a significant departure from previous practice that guaranteed the UAE national major shares in any company. On the social front, the move to decriminalise consensual relationships outside of marriage is another novelty. Is the motivation behind these changes the creation of a mo...