The UAE Ministry of Finance has introduced a direct accreditation process for electronic invoicing service providers, removing the preliminary approval stage used during system development and testing.

Ministerial Decision No. 168 of 2026, which took effect on October 1, repeals Decision No. 64 of 2025 and its amendments, including Decision No. 56 of 2026, the ministry said.

Under the new framework, service providers must complete the required accreditation assessments and testing before receiving approval to provide e-invoicing services in the UAE.

The ministry said the change reflects the programme’s transition from development and testing to an operational system. The previous pre-approval process had supported the onboarding of providers while technical infrastructure and interoperability arrangements were being established.

Providers that received preliminary approval before October 1 have up to 30 days from that date to meet the new accreditation requirements. They will not need to submit a new application unless the ministry determines otherwise.

Preliminary approval will terminate if providers do not meet the requirements within the prescribed period.

The decision retains provisions allowing providers to use third-party Peppol service provider products and outsource their development, operation or management, as well as elements of their e-invoicing services. Providers remain fully responsible for compliance and service delivery.

The framework also sets out procedures for accreditation renewal, ongoing evaluation and termination, alongside a formal process for providers to challenge a termination decision.

The ministry said the rules require providers to demonstrate technical capability, operational readiness and compliance before accreditation, and are intended to improve compliance efficiency and strengthen oversight of e-invoicing.

Read: UAE launches e-invoicing ‘4-Corner’ model to advance digital tax system

The UAE has begun implementing limits on sodium, total sugars and total fat in selected packaged foods, including bread, chips, sweetened dairy products and processed cheese, with food establishments facing fines of up to Dhs500,000 for breaches.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention said the resolution aims to reduce obesity and other noncommunicable diseases linked to unhealthy diets by setting progressively tighter limits through December 31, 2030.

The rules cover specified packaged foods manufactured locally or imported, and establishments handling them across the UAE, including companies operating in free zones.

Penalties include warnings, fines ranging from Dhs5,000 to Dhs500,000, administrative closure for up to six months, renewable, or cancellation of an establishment’s licence or approval in coordination with the licensing authority.

Penalties will depend on the seriousness of a violation, its circumstances and whether it is repeated.

What changes for everyday foods?

The resolution sets two phases of maximum ingredient levels, measured per 100 grammes of each product.

For leavened bread, first-phase limits are 444 milligrammes of sodium, 6 grammes of total sugars and 8.4 grammes of total fat. These fall to 370 milligrammes, 5 grammes and 7 grammes, respectively, in the final phase.

Flatbread must contain no more than 384 milligrammes of sodium per 100 grammes in the first phase, falling to 320 milligrammes in the final phase. Its total sugar and total fat limits are the same as those for leavened bread.

Total sugars in sweetened milk drinks, including milk alternatives, will be capped at 9.6 grammes per 100 grammes initially, falling to 8 grammes. Sweetened or flavoured yoghurt and laban face limits of 12 grammes initially and 10 grammes in the final phase.

Several snack categories face lower sodium ceilings.

Salted crackers will have a first-phase limit of 696 milligrammes per 100 grammes, falling to 580 milligrammes. The limits for salted nuts and seeds are 336 milligrammes initially and 280 milligrammes in the final phase, while pretzels face caps of 912 milligrammes and 760 milligrammes.

Extruded snacks and chips made from potatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetables or grains will have sodium caps of 564 milligrammes initially and 470 milligrammes in the final phase.

Processed cheese falls into a separate compliance group. Spreadable processed cheese will have a sodium ceiling of 864 milligrammes per 100 grammes initially, falling to 720 milligrammes. Other processed cheese will be capped at 1,200 milligrammes initially and 1,000 milligrammes in the final phase.

When must businesses comply?

Establishments handling the first group, covering the specified breads, sweetened dairy products and snacks, must meet initial limits within nine months of the resolution taking effect.

Those handling processed cheese have two years and three months from the effective date to meet first-phase limits.

Both groups must comply with the final limits by December 31, 2030. The ministry’s announcement did not specify the resolution’s effective date.

Stock manufactured or imported before the resolution takes effect may remain on sale for up to one year from its effective date, or until expiry, whichever comes first. After that period, products that do not meet the applicable limits may no longer be traded.

The rules apply across the food chain, from manufacturing and import to storage, distribution, serving and sale. Products intended solely for export or re-export are excluded unless traded within the UAE.

Limited exceptions

Businesses may apply for an exception to first-phase limits if compliance would require reducing a targeted ingredient by more than 20 per cent of its established content.

Applications must be submitted within 30 days of the resolution taking effect and relate to products already manufactured, imported or traded in the UAE before that date.

Applicants must provide technical information, registered nutrition-label data and accredited laboratory results, and commit to reducing the ingredient by at least 20 per cent during the first phase.

An exception does not remove the obligation to meet final limits or extend compliance beyond December 31, 2030.

Federal and local authorities will monitor compliance in coordination with the ministry. Establishments must provide the information and documents needed to verify that their products meet the applicable limits.

Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) has fined accounting firm PKF and one of its senior auditors a combined $100,000 after uncovering shortcomings in the way they checked financial records of a company with an annual revenue of $46bn.

ADGM’s Registration Authority announced on Friday that it had imposed a $65,000 penalty on PKF Accountants and Business Advisers LLP and a further $35,000 fine on Saranga Omprakash Lalwani, the auditor responsible for overseeing the work.

The penalties followed an inspection that found the firm failed to carry out important checks and properly document its findings when auditing an unnamed company involved in the oil, petroleum and petrochemicals industries.

The company, identified only as “Entity A” in regulatory documents, reported revenue of $46bn for the financial year ending March 2024.

According to ADGM, inspectors discovered several problems with the audit, including inadequate checks for potential fraud, insufficient evidence to support financial figures and a lack of records showing how the audit was supervised.

One of the more striking findings involved $115.4mn worth of metal inventory that PKF claimed to have physically verified.

The firm said the inventory consisted of a “few gold bars”, but ADGM questioned this explanation, noting that the stated value would represent approximately 1.09 tonnes of gold.

The regulator said there was insufficient evidence to support the claim that the inventory had been properly checked.

Inspectors also raised concerns about how PKF examined $8.1bn in outstanding payments owed to the company, finding that the audit records did not adequately support conclusions about whether those amounts were recoverable.

The inspection further found that PKF had failed to properly assess the risk of company management overriding financial controls, an important safeguard against accounting fraud.

PKF response

PKF defended Lalwani’s role in overseeing the audit, saying she had reviewed the work but that limitations in its auditing software meant her involvement was not fully documented.

“The RAP (registered auditing principle) was involved during the engagement, including providing review notes and clearing comments,” the firm said, adding that technical limitations had prevented the full extent of her reviews from being recorded.

PKF said it had since introduced new audit software and outlined plans to improve staff training and oversight.

ADGM said the failures did not appear to have been deliberate or reckless.

The regulator also acknowledged the firm’s cooperation and previous clean disciplinary record, reducing the combined penalties from an initially proposed $110,000 to $100,000.

In a statement, ADGM’s Registration Authority said:

“The Registration Authority confirms its commitment to maintaining high standards of audit quality and corporate reporting within ADGM. Registered Auditors and Registered Audit Principals are expected to conduct audits in accordance with applicable professional standards and exercise appropriate skill, care and diligence.

“This action reinforces the importance of robust audit practices and demonstrates that failures to meet regulatory requirements will result in appropriate enforcement action.”

France and Saudi Arabia are studying several options involving French military assets to help protect the Yanbu oil terminal, France’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff, General Fabien Mandon, said on Thursday.

“It’s at the study phase at the moment with Saudi Arabia. We are examining different options to protect the Yanbu terminal, which has been attacked and is essential for hydrocarbon trade,” Mandon told a parliamentary hearing.

He added that France had already deployed around 2,000 troops to the region to help protect Gulf allies, including Qatar and Kuwait.

Three Saudi nationals, including a Saudia pilot, were killed in two attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) confirmed in a statement.

The first attack targeted airport facilities, while the second struck an aircraft belonging to national flag carrier Saudia, according to the authority.

Several other Saudi citizens and residents of different nationalities were injured, with their conditions ranging from minor to critical. GACA did not specify the total number of injuries.

Saudia identified the deceased pilot as Captain Hamoud Ali Al-Kalthami, confirming his death in a statement issued on Friday.

In an obituary, the airline paid tribute to his career and contributions, saying it honoured his memory with deep respect and appreciation.

The airline also confirmed that one of its aircraft had been damaged while on the ground at the airport. No passengers were on board at the time of the incident.

GACA said emergency response teams and relevant authorities had responded immediately to both attacks in accordance with established safety procedures and emergency response plans.

All injured individuals were transported to hospital for medical treatment, while authorities continued assessing damage to airport infrastructure.

Despite the attacks, GACA confirmed that airport operations had resumed and air traffic had returned to normal.

Saudia separately announced that its flights and operations at King Khalid International Airport had returned to normal from 6pm Saudi time on Thursday.

Attacks follow deadly strikes earlier this week

The latest fatalities follow a series of attacks on Saudi aviation infrastructure earlier this week.

On October 6 and 7, separate attacks on Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport killed three foreign nationals and injured 36 others.

Those killed included two female residents of Moroccan and Algerian nationality in Abha, and a Sudanese resident in Riyadh.

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement has claimed responsibility for attacks on Saudi airports in recent days, including strikes targeting Riyadh. However, GACA did not identify those responsible for Thursday’s two attacks.

The escalation has caused disruption to regional aviation, with several international carriers, including Lufthansa Group, Air India and IndiGo, suspending services to Riyadh.

Lufthansa said its suspension would remain in place until October 16, while several Indian airlines announced temporary cancellations.