Side Hustles In Dubai; UAE Petrol Prices; Saudi Job Localisation; Habtoor Cancels Lebanon Investments – 10 Things You Missed This Week

Plus, we learned of enhanced job localisation plans in Saudi Arabia, Khalaf Al Habtoor cancelled investment plans in Lebanon and new AI platform DeepSeek made its first impact on the Middle East.

Catch up on 10 of the biggest news stories this week as selected by Arabian Business editors.

‘Side hustles’ in Dubai: The do’s and don’ts of owning a business while working as a full-time employee

Dubai has seen an increasing number of professionals exploring the opportunity to start their own businesses while maintaining full-time employment. However, according to legal experts, this dual path comes with legal complexities and that require careful navigation.

“The entrepreneurial landscape in Dubai is incredibly vibrant, but there’s a critical need for employees to understand the legal framework before embarking on their business ventures,” explained Derek Robbins, Associate at BSA Global in an exclusive interview with Arabian Business.

Robbins highlighted the presence of intricate legal considerations that aspiring entrepreneurs must consider while maintaining their primary employment.

Saudi Arabia announces localisation plans for 269 professions

Saudi Arabia has announced major plans to localise jobs in the Kingdom.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD), in collaboration with the ministries of health, commerce, and municipalities and housing, announced a series of decisions to enhance localisation rates across 269 professions in diverse sectors, including dentistry, pharmacy, accounting, and technical engineering, to expand employment opportunities for Saudi citizens across all regions of the Kingdom.

Effective July 23, 2025, the decision to increase the localisation rates in pharmacy professions will be implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Health.

UAE billionaire Khalaf Al Habtoor cancels Lebanon investments

UAE businessman Khalaf Al Habtoor has announced he will cancel all planned investments in Lebanon. Al Habtoor said the “painful decision” was taken over security concerns in the country and would extend to a withdrawal of travel for family and company managers as well as sale of existing properties and investments. The decision was taken alongside the board of directors of the Habtoor Group.

A statement on X said: “In consultation with the Board of Directors, I made a painful decision that I never wanted to reach, but the current situation in Lebanon, the lack of security and stability and the lack of any horizon for improvement in the near future, prompted us to take the following steps:

• “Cancel all investment projects that we intended to implement in Lebanon
• “Refrain from traveling to Lebanon, whether for myself, my family, or the group’s managers
• “Selling all my properties and investments in Lebanon.

“These decisions were not taken in a vacuum, but rather came as a result of careful study and in-depth monitoring of the situation there”.

New luxury mall in Dubai to open April 2025

Dubai Holding Asset Management has announced the highly anticipated opening of Nad Al Sheba Mall.

The group is the owner and operator of one of Dubai’s most extensive retail portfolios encompassing 15 destinations, 10 malls, and 18 centres.

The 500,000sq ft mixed-use retail destination in the heart of Nad Al Sheba is set to open in April 2025. Featuring more than 100 carefully curated stores across fitness, retail, entertainment, F&B, and healthcare, the mall promises a seamless blend of convenience, lifestyle, and leisure.

EXCLUSIVE: World’s highest home hits Dubai real estate market at $51m

The world’s highest residential property has hit the market in Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, testing the appetite for ultra-luxury real estate in the emirate as prices continue to surge in the tax-free haven.

The 21,000-square-foot (1,951-square-metre) penthouse, dubbed “Sky Palace,” occupies the 108th floor of the world’s tallest building and is being offered as a shell unit for $51 million (AED187.3 million), according to Asad Khan, CEO of Invest Dubai Real Estate (IDRE), which has the exclusive listing.

The two-floor apartment sits 460 metres (1,509 feet) above ground and requires an additional $4.9 million (AED18.3 million) investment in renovations. Once completed, the property could fetch more than $112 million (AED411.6 million), Khan said in an interview, citing comparable trophy properties in other global cities.

UAE announces petrol price rise for February 2025

The UAE Fuel Price Committee has approved the fuel prices for February 2025.

Petrol prices have increased after two months of unchanged rates. From February 1, the cost of filling up vehicles in the UAE will be:

• Diesel: AED2.82 a litre from AED2.68 in January
• Super 98: AED2.74 a litre from AED2.61 in January
• Special 95: AED2.63 a litre from AED2.50 in January
• E-Plus: AED2.55 a litre from AED2.43 in January

Revealed: Freehold ownership move could trigger 30-50% jump in property values on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Jaddaf, say experts

The transition of Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Jaddaf into freehold ownership zones and the introduction of the Smart Rental Index will set the stage for a redevelopment surge in Dubai, elevating market’s quality and competitiveness, leading to a 30-50 percent jump in property values in redevelopment areas, industry experts said.

The dual initiatives will also enable unlocking of significant property values, making it an attractive proposition for both developers and investors, they said.

Redevelopment projects that focus on sustainability and energy efficiency are also tipped to attract eco-conscious investors to Dubai in large numbers, fetching them higher long-term property value.

UK millionaires head for Dubai, Abu Dhabi despite attempts to slow exodus, experts say

Dubai and Abu Dhabi can hope to welcome more and more super wealthy from the UK as no let-up is expected in the ongoing exodus of millionaires from Britain despite moves on some back pedalling in the Labour government’s highly controversial non-dom tax rules, experts said.

Experts also called for a complete reversal of the planned amendments to the non-dom tax rules for the UK to make it easier for wealthy people to move to the UK, especially in light of the Trump presidency.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves last week indicated watering down some of the provisions in the country’s non-dom tax rules.

UAE Corporate Tax: FTA sets March deadline for registration of natural persons

The UAE’s Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has called on all natural persons subject to Corporate Tax to submit their Tax Registration applications by March 31, 2025 to avoid administrative penalties.

The FTA previously issued a guide titled ‘Registration of Natural Persons (CTGRNP1)’ to inform individuals about the requirements for Corporate Tax registration.

According to the FTA, a natural person is defined as a living individual of any age, residing in the UAE or elsewhere.

DeepSeek impact: Experts advise calm, diversification as Middle East investors scramble to reshuffle portfolios

Even as Middle East investors, including large institutional investors and family offices, are scrambling to quickly reshuffle their investment portfolios in the wake of the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek-triggered stock market bloodbath, market experts advised calm and diversification as the best strategies to tide over the current roller-coaster.

They also suggested using ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds)-route for broader exposure to mitigate risks in the current market scenario.

Market participants said investors in the Middle East also resorted to panic selling in tech shares, especially in AI-focussed Nvidia, Microsoft, and Meta, in the wake of DeepSeek’s rise sending shockwaves through the AI investment landscape.