C - Arbitration in the UAE: 2017 in Review

Introduction

2017*[1] has been a busy year for arbitration in the UAE. Both onshore and free zone arbitration in mainland UAE*[2] and offshore, i.e. in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) has burgeoned, with new institutional and legislative initiatives as well as fresh case law precedent consolidating the UAE's position as a leading regional arbitration hub. This review aims to trace the main developments as a means of providing easy reference and guidance to both those new to arbitration in the UAE and more seasoned practitioners with more experience in the region. While some developments have underlined the arbitration friendliness of the UAE judiciary, others have caused concern as the UAE has not entirely left behind some of the procedural erraticism that has often been claimed to have characterised UAE arbitration in the past. That said, overall, there is reason to remain confident that arbitration in the UAE is developing in the right direction and continues to consolidate the country's status as a regional leader in the field.