The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has urged Taxable Persons to file their Tax Returns and pay Corporate Tax due within nine months of the end of their Tax Period, as the September 30 deadline approaches.

The FTA said all Taxable Persons, including those eligible for Small Business Relief, whose financial year ended on December 31, 2025, must file their Tax Returns and pay the Corporate Tax due no later than September 30, 2026.

The authority also said Exempt Persons are required to register to file their annual declarations with the FTA within nine months of the end of their financial year, a WAM report said.

Read more-UAE Corporate Tax penalty waiver benefits 68,600 businesses

It urged all concerned to prepare early and ensure the necessary documents are ready to meet their tax obligations efficiently and within the statutory deadlines.

The FTA confirmed that registration, Tax Return filing and payment of Corporate Tax due are available around the clock through the EmaraTax digital tax services platform.

Taxable Persons can file their Tax Returns directly through the platform or seek assistance from approved Tax Agents listed on the FTA’s website.

Records must be maintained

Taxable Persons eligible for Small Business Relief must fulfil their compliance obligations under the Corporate Tax Law for each Tax Period.

These obligations include registering for Corporate Tax, filing simplified Tax Returns and maintaining all relevant documents supporting the accuracy of information provided in their Tax Returns or any other documents required to be submitted.

The FTA said the records and documents that must be maintained include records of the Taxable Person’s transactions during the Tax Period, an asset register detailing purchases and disposals of assets, records of liabilities, and details of shares or ownership interests held at the end of the Tax Period.

The FTA warned that failure to maintain the required records and any other information specified under the Tax Procedures Law and the Corporate Tax Law will result in administrative penalties in accordance with the relevant tax legislation.

Amanat Holdings (Amanat) has a firm number in mind — Dhs1.5bn to deploy over the next three years — but, pointedly, no fixed formula for spending it. The Dubai-listed investment company, one of the largest dedicated healthcare and education platforms in the GCC, is refusing to pre-divide that capital between organic expansion, greenfield projects and acquisitions. “We want to ensure that capital follows opportunity rather than being constrained by a predetermined allocation,” says CEO John Ireland.

That flexibility is the thread running through Amanat’s next chapter. The group is scaling two core platforms, Cambridge Health Group, now wholly owned and on a path from 715 beds towards more than 1,000, and its listed education arm Almasar, which served close to 28,900 students and beneficiaries in the first half of 2026 while eyeing selective acquisitions across the region and beyond. It does so from a position of unusual financial strength: around Dhs1.4bn in cash as of March 2026, and gearing of just 10 per cent.

Here, Ireland talks to Gulf Business about where the strongest growth lies across GCC healthcare and education, how Amanat intends to avoid overpaying as competition for quality assets intensifies, and why the group is confident it can fund an ambitious investment programme while sustaining its new dividend — all held to the discipline of a minimum 10 per cent return on equity.

Amanat plans to deploy Dhs1.5bn over the next three years. How much will be allocated to organic expansion, greenfield projects and acquisitions, and how will the programme be financed?

Over the next three years, Amanat is targeting the deployment of approximately Dhs1.5bn. We do not intend to set fixed allocations between organic expansion, greenfield developments and acquisitions. We want to retain the flexibility to direct capital towards the opportunities that offer the strongest strategic fit, attractive returns and the greatest potential to create long-term value.

In healthcare, this includes expanding our existing businesses, developing new facilities and services, and pursuing selective acquisitions. Cambridge Health Group, for example, is progressing a new 155-bed integrated post-acute care facility in Riyadh and a 70-bed expansion of its Jeddah hospital, alongside ongoing capacity and service enhancements across the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

In education, we will continue to support Almasar’s growth, including the expansion of its existing businesses, capacity and service offering, while pursuing opportunities where it can leverage its established capabilities and market positions.

The programme will be funded through a combination of internal cash resources, cash generated by the businesses, capital recycling and, where appropriate, debt financing. We have a strong balance sheet and are open to all forms of financing where the terms are appropriate and where additional capital allows us to pursue attractive opportunities.

Our approach is deliberately flexible: we want to ensure that capital follows opportunity rather than being constrained by a predetermined allocation. This allows us to respond to market opportunities as they arise while maintaining the financial discipline that underpins our strategy.

Which GCC markets and healthcare or education segments offer the strongest growth opportunities, and what criteria will determine where Amanat invests first?

We continue to see significant opportunities across the GCC in both healthcare and education, particularly in segments where demand is growing, and there remains a gap between the services available and the needs of the communities we serve.

In healthcare, we see strong opportunities in post-acute care, rehabilitation, long-term care and complementary services such as surgical capabilities and home healthcare. We also see significant potential in specialist areas such as dementia, mental health and neurological care, where demand is growing and specialist provision remains relatively underdeveloped across the region.

In education, we see attractive opportunities across higher education, Special Needs Education and Care and selected K-12 opportunities, supported by favourable demographics and increasing demand for high-quality education.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia will remain our core markets, where we have established businesses, strong market positions and deep operating expertise. At the same time, we will remain open to opportunities across the wider GCC and selectively in international markets where they complement our existing businesses and capabilities.

Ultimately, our investment decisions will be guided by strategic fit, market fundamentals, our ability to execute, expected returns, cash generation and risk. Our target of achieving a return on equity of at least 10 per cent provides an important financial discipline to our capital allocation.

We are not looking to invest simply because a market is growing. We want to invest where Amanat has a clear right to win and where our capital and operating expertise can create sustainable long-term value for shareholders.

What expansion plans do you have for Cambridge Health Group and Almasar Education, and what revenue, capacity or geographic targets have you set for each platform?

Cambridge Health Group currently has 715 beds across six facilities in the GCC, with a clear pathway to more than 1,000 beds. Our confidence in the business is reflected in the recent acquisition of the remaining minority interest, bringing Amanat’s ownership to 100 per cent.

We are continuing to expand Cambridge through new facilities, capacity expansions and complementary services. This includes the development of a new 155-bed integrated post-acute care facility in Riyadh, the 70-bed expansion of our Jeddah hospital, and ongoing capacity and service enhancements across the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

We also see opportunities to broaden Cambridge’s specialist offering, including rehabilitation, home healthcare, surgical services and other areas of complex care, as well as through selective acquisitions.

Almasar is Amanat’s listed education subsidiary, and we are very supportive of its continued growth. It served approximately 28,900 students and beneficiaries in H1 2026, representing 21 per cent year-on-year growth, and continues to expand across higher education and special needs education and care. We see opportunities to continue expanding capacity, enhancing its offering and entering attractive adjacent areas where it can leverage its existing capabilities.

For both businesses, our focus is on sustainable and profitable growth rather than growth for its own sake. We will continue to invest where we see strong demand, attractive returns and a clear ability to build on the market positions and capabilities we have established.

What acquisition opportunities are you considering, and how will you avoid overpaying for assets as competition for high-quality healthcare and education businesses increases?

We are evaluating a strong pipeline of selective acquisition opportunities across healthcare and education, both in the GCC and internationally. Our focus is on businesses that complement our existing capabilities, strengthen our market positions, add specialist expertise or provide access to attractive new growth opportunities.

Our approach to acquisitions is disciplined and highly selective. Every opportunity is assessed against a combination of strategic and financial criteria, including strategic fit, market fundamentals, expected returns, cash generation, operational capability and execution risk. The target of achieving a return on equity of at least 10 per cent provides an important discipline to our capital allocation decisions.

We also look carefully at where we can add value following an acquisition. Our track record of acquiring, developing and scaling businesses such as Cambridge Health Group and Middlesex University Dubai gives us confidence in our ability to identify businesses where our capital and operating expertise can accelerate growth and enhance performance.

Competition for high-quality assets is healthy, but we will remain disciplined on valuation. We are not seeking to win transactions at any price; we are seeking to invest in businesses where we believe we can generate attractive returns and create sustainable long-term value for our shareholders.

Amanat has introduced a three-year dividend policy targeting minimum annual distributions of 7 fils per share. How confident are you that the company can maintain those payments while funding its Dhs1.5bn investment programme?

We are confident that Amanat can deliver both continued growth and sustainable shareholder returns. The Board’s decision to introduce a three-year dividend policy targeting a minimum annual distribution of 7 fils per share or 7 per cent of issued share capital reflects our confidence in the strength of our businesses, cash generation and balance sheet. The policy remains subject to financial performance, cash flow generation and the required approvals.

We enter this next phase from a position of financial strength, following a period in which we have actively optimised our portfolio and generated significant cash proceeds. As of March this year, we had approximately Dhs1.4bn in cash, Dhs0.8bn in net cash and gearing of only 10 per cent, providing us with significant financial flexibility.

Our Dhs1.5bn investment programme will be funded through a combination of internal cash resources, cash generated by the businesses, capital recycling and, where appropriate, financing. We are open to all forms of financing and will select the most appropriate structure for each investment, while maintaining a strong and efficient balance sheet.

Importantly, our dividend policy has been designed alongside our growth strategy, not at its expense. We believe our strong businesses, balance sheet and disciplined capital allocation provide us with the flexibility to continue investing in attractive growth opportunities while delivering a sustainable return to shareholders.

Ultimately, our objective is to grow Amanat, improve our returns on capital and provide shareholders with a sustainable and growing value proposition over the long term.

Amanat is targeting a return on equity of at least 10 per cent. What operational and financial changes are needed to reach that level, and what are the main risks that could prevent the company from meeting its target?

Our target of achieving a return on equity of at least 10 per cent will be driven by a combination of profitable growth, operational excellence and disciplined capital allocation.

We have a strong track record of acquiring, developing and scaling market-leading businesses, and our focus now is on continuing to grow our existing healthcare and education businesses, increasing capacity, introducing complementary and higher-value services and maintaining operational excellence across the Group.

ROE is also a key metric in how we assess our investment opportunities. Every investment is evaluated against defined financial and strategic criteria, including expected returns, strategic fit, market fundamentals, execution risk and cash generation. This ensures that the Dhs1.5bn investment programme is focused on the quality of capital deployed, rather than simply the amount deployed.

The main risks are execution-related, including acquisitions taking longer to integrate, new facilities ramping up more slowly than expected, or investments not delivering the expected returns. Our disciplined investment process, strong balance sheet and operating experience are important safeguards against these risks.

Ultimately, growth alone is not enough. Our objective is to deliver profitable growth, achieve operational excellence, improve returns on the capital we deploy and create sustainable long-term value for our shareholders.

Sharjah’s flagship Al Taawun Tunnel project is on track for a soft opening in November 2026 as part of a wider Dhs750m road infrastructure programme designed to improve connectivity between Sharjah and Dubai and reduce congestion on one of the UAE’s busiest commuter corridors.

The project, announced under the directives of HH Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, forms the centrepiece of a package of five interconnected road developments. The wider programme includes new tunnels, bridges and free-flow intersections intended to increase road capacity and improve traffic movement across key routes linking the two emirates.

At the heart of the scheme is a 500-metre dual-carriageway tunnel beneath Al Taawun Roundabout, allowing vehicles to bypass one of Sharjah’s most congested junctions and connect directly with Al Nahda Bridge towards Dubai. The development also includes five new bridges aimed at streamlining traffic movements and reducing delays caused by signalised intersections and roundabouts.

Authorities are using precast concrete construction methods to accelerate delivery, with work progressing under a phased traffic management plan. Temporary diversions have been in place since June, redirecting motorists via Al Corniche Street and the newly developed Al Taawun Street while construction continues.

The Al Taawun corridor is one of the busiest commuter routes between Sharjah and Dubai, serving residents travelling from areas including Al Taawun, Al Nahda, Al Khan and Al Majaz. The tunnel is expected to significantly reduce bottlenecks by enabling uninterrupted traffic flow beneath the existing roundabout.

The Al Taawun Tunnel is one element of Sharjah’s broader investment in transport infrastructure to accommodate rising traffic volumes, improve mobility and support the emirate’s long-term urban growth. While the first phase is scheduled for a soft opening in November, the wider Dhs750m programme includes additional road links and bridges that will be delivered in phases through the end of 2026.

Gold fell to its lowest in more than three weeks on Wednesday as the escalating Middle East conflict lifted oil prices, stoking inflation and rate-hike fears, while investors focused on upcoming US jobs data.

Spot gold nudged 0.2 per cent lower to $4,321.31 per ounce by 0639 GMT, after hitting its lowest since August 7 earlier in the session. Prices were headed for a fourth straight session of decline and remained below the 200-day moving average, a closely watched technical level.

US gold futures for December delivery fell 0.6 per cent to $4,368.50.

Read more-Market moves: Commodities split as gold, silver and diamonds take different paths

The US dollar held firm, making greenback-priced metals costlier for buyers using other currencies.

The US and Iran found themselves back on a war footing after the most significant exchange in weeks. Oil prices rose for a third straight session, while US Treasury yields climbed.

“A rebound in oil prices after renewed US-Iran tensions added to inflation concerns. Pricier crude could continue to tighten monetary policy expectations and drive yields higher, limiting any rebound potential for gold,” said Bas Kooijman, CEO and asset manager of DHF Capital SA.

Gold is seen as a hedge against inflation, but higher interest rates weigh on its appeal as it offers no yield.

Traders are pricing in a 70 per cent chance of a rate hike at the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting this month, according to the CME FedWatch Tool.

Fed Governor Michael Barr said if inflation does not cool quickly, it will be time for the central bank to raise rates. Fed Chair Kevin Warshsignaled in his Jackson Hole speech last week that the Fed may need to hike.

Investors are now awaiting the ADP employment report, due later in the day, and the more crucial nonfarm payrolls data on Friday.

“Softer figures could ease the pressure on gold, while stronger data or more hawkish Fed comments may extend the decline,” Kooijman said.

Ask a GCC bank how well its digital lending is performing, and the answer will often come back in seconds — literally. Approval times have become the headline metric of the region’s lending race, with institutions competing to move borrowers from application to decision faster than ever. But according to Khaled Al Ahli, Middle East senior business executive and growth leader at Swiss digital-banking firm CREALOGIX, that scoreboard measures the wrong thing.

His argument is not that speed doesn’t matter — it does — but that a decision delivered in seconds has little value if it misjudges affordability, stores up credit risk, or can’t be explained to a customer or regulator. As AI takes on a larger role in credit decisions and regulators in the UAE and Saudi Arabia sharpen their focus on fairness, transparency and accountability, the tension between moving fast and lending responsibly is coming to a head.

Here, Al Ahli talks to Gulf Business about why approval time should be an operational indicator rather than a definition of success, the risks of automating weak decisions at scale, and how banks can improve the borrowing experience without loosening the controls that protect credit quality.

GCC banks have invested heavily in reducing loan approval times. Why do you believe speed is becoming the wrong measure of success?
Speed is important, but it is not the ultimate measure of digital lending performance. A loan decision delivered in seconds has limited value if it misjudges affordability, increases future credit risk, or cannot be explained clearly to the customer or regulator. The real measure is whether a bank can make the right decision quickly, consistently and responsibly. In lending, speed only creates value when it is supported by strong data, sound risk controls and clear decision logic.

KPMG’s analysis found that net loan provision charges in the GCC rose 19.4 per cent in 2025 year-on-year, even as the average non-performing loan ratio improved from 3.4 per cent to 3 per cent. This illustrates why no single metric provides a complete picture of lending performance, and why banks must assess approval speed alongside credit quality, expected losses and the long-term health of loan portfolios.

Banks should therefore judge digital lending by the quality of the resulting portfolio, customer outcomes and regulatory defensibility. Approval time should remain an operational indicator, but it should never become the main definition of success.

What risks arise when banks prioritise rapid approvals over the quality and accuracy of lending decisions?
When banks prioritise speed without the right controls, they risk making faster decisions rather than better decisions. The main risk is approving customers whose affordability or risk profile has not been properly assessed, or rejecting creditworthy customers because the decision logic is incomplete. The result is higher credit, fraud and provisioning risk on one side, and weaker customer trust and lost business on the other.

The risk increases when banks automate weak decision processes instead of improving them. If the data foundation is incomplete, the model logic is outdated, or the decision rules rely on too narrow a set of indicators, errors can scale quickly across thousands of applications. In that environment, automation does not reduce risk; it accelerates it.

The regulatory direction is also clear. The CBUAE’s 2026 AI guidance emphasises accountability, fairness, transparency, human oversight, data management and privacy, while Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) consumer protection and responsible lending principles reinforce the need for fair and transparent lending decisions.

Faster approvals must therefore remain reproducible, reviewable and defensible. The goal is not automation for its own sake, but controlled automation that improves speed without weakening credit discipline, customer protection or regulatory confidence.

Which indicators should banks track instead of, or alongside, approval time to assess the effectiveness of their lending processes?
Banks should treat approval time as one operational indicator, not the main measure of lending performance. A stronger lending dashboard should combine three views: credit quality, process quality and customer outcomes. On the credit side, banks need to monitor whether faster approvals are supported by healthy early delinquency levels, controlled defaults, expected credit losses, fraud indicators and appropriate decision overrides.

The second view is process quality. Banks should track where applications drop, where exceptions increase, and whether decision explanations are clear enough for review and customer communication. If approval time improves but abandonment, complaints or rework increase, the process is faster but not necessarily better.

The goal is not automation for its own sake, but controlled automation that improves speed without weakening credit discipline, customer protection or regulatory confidence.

As banks use more AI in credit decisions, how can they ensure that outcomes remain explainable, transparent and free from unintended bias?
As AI becomes more embedded in credit decisioning, explainability cannot be treated as a technical add-on. It has to be part of the decision framework itself. Banks need to understand not only the outcome of a credit decision, but the logic behind it: the data used, the risk factors considered, the rules or model applied, and whether the result is consistent with the bank’s risk appetite and customer fairness standards. In lending, an AI-supported decision is only credible if it can be explained, reviewed and challenged when needed.

Avoiding unintended bias requires active testing, not assumptions. Banks should monitor outcomes across customer groups and maintain regular model validation, performance monitoring and human oversight. The objective is not to remove human judgement, but to use AI to improve consistency, speed and decision quality while keeping accountability clearly with the bank.

How does CREALOGIX’s Lending Origination Hub help banks balance faster decisions with auditability, regulatory compliance and effective risk controls?
In digital lending, speed and control should not be treated as separate objectives. The strongest origination models are those where auditability, compliance and risk controls are built directly into the journey, not managed outside. A bank should be able to trace what information was collected, how the customer was qualified, which decision steps were followed, where human review was required, and how the outcome was reached. This is what allows digital lending to become faster without becoming less controlled.

CREALOGIX‘s Lending Origination Hub supports this by helping banks digitise the origination journey while keeping their credit policies, approval steps and control points inside the workflow. It allows banks to configure products and approval paths, support qualification and proposal generation, manage onboarding and contracting, and combine automation with human validation where needed. The result is not simply faster processing; it is a more traceable, consistent and controlled lending journey that supports auditability, compliance and responsible decision-making.

How can GCC banks improve the borrowing experience without weakening underwriting standards or creating additional regulatory and credit risks?
The best borrowing experience removes avoidable friction, not unnecessary scrutiny. Customers should not have to repeat information, chase updates or navigate unclear documentation requirements. A better journey gives them clarity on what information is needed, where the application stands, what the next step is, and why a decision has been made.

At the same time, banks should not remove the controls that protect credit quality. A stronger lending journey uses early qualification, better data capture and clear routing rules to separate straightforward cases from those that need deeper review. Simple applications can move faster, while more complex or higher-risk cases can be directed to the right team for human assessment.

This is where digital origination becomes valuable. It improves the customer experience while preserving underwriting discipline by connecting the front-end journey with credit policies, documentation, approval workflows and audit trails. For GCC banks, the opportunity is to make borrowing faster and easier for the customer, while keeping decisions controlled, explainable and aligned with responsible lending standards.