The UAE has suspended flights operated by Iranian airlines to and from the country with immediate effect, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) announced on Thursday, September 24.

The suspension will remain in place until further notice, according to the aviation regulator.

The GCAA said the decision was taken in light of a US ban imposed on Iranian airlines from using airports in various countries around the world, WAM reported.

The move affects flights operated by Iranian carriers between Iran and the UAE. The authority did not provide further details on individual airlines or routes affected by the suspension.

The GCAA said it would continue to update relevant authorities and the public on any developments as they arise, pending the resumption of normal air traffic between the UAE and Iran.

The authority also urged passengers and members of the public to rely exclusively on official and authorised sources for information regarding the suspension and any subsequent changes to flight operations.

EFG Hermes has retained the No. 1 position in the Corporate Access Conference category of the 2026 Extel Emerging EMEA Research Survey, while several of its analysts secured top-three rankings across sectors including utilities, healthcare, transportation and real estate.

The investment banking business of EFG Holding has held the top position in the corporate access category for a second consecutive year, according to the survey results. Its research team also recorded multiple sector rankings, highlighting the breadth of its coverage of Middle East and North Africa markets.

Corporate access ranking

The corporate access result follows the latest edition of EFG Hermes’ One-on-One Conference, which brought together 220 companies from 12 countries and 675 institutional investors and fund managers representing 252 global institutions.

The conference is one of the firm’s main platforms for connecting investors with companies and other market participants in the region. Alongside its London MENA Conference, it has become a recurring event on the regional investment calendar.

Mohmed Ebeid, co-CEO of EFG Hermes, said the second consecutive No. 1 ranking reflected the scale and execution of the firm’s corporate access activities.

“Being ranked No. 1 in Corporate Access Conferences for the second consecutive year is a clear vote of confidence from our clients,” Ebeid said.

He added that access to management teams, policymakers and sector leaders had become increasingly important as MENA attracts greater attention from emerging-market investors.

“Our focus is to deliver that access with substance, consistency, and depth, enabling investors to make better-informed allocation decisions across MENA,” Ebeid said.

Research team posts multiple sector rankings

EFG Hermes’ research division also recorded several top positions in the 2026 survey.

Ahmed Hazem Maher, MD and head of Energy, Transport & Industrials, ranked first in Utilities, second in Transportation and as runner-up in Oil & Gas.

Ahmed Moataz, director and head of Healthcare and Insurance, ranked first in Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals.

Mai Attia, MD and head of Real Estate & Construction, ranked third in Construction & Real Estate.

Hatem Alaa, MD, deputy head of Research and head of the Consumer sector, ranked third in Transportation and as runner-up in the Consumer sector.

The results come as investment banks and research firms compete for recognition among institutional investors tracking emerging markets. Sector rankings are based on the Extel survey, which gathers views from investment professionals.

Research leadership

Ahmed Shams, MD and global head of Research at EFG Hermes, said the rankings reflected the research team’s sector coverage and analytical work.

“We are especially pleased to see our analysts recognized across a broad range of sectors, including multiple top rankings,” Shams said.

He said the results also reflected investor confidence in the firm’s research platform and the team’s focus on serving clients.

The awards were presented at the Extel Europe & Emerging EMEA Equities Awards Dinner & Ceremony in London on Sept. 17.

For EFG Hermes, the results combine recognition for its investor-access activities with several individual research rankings, giving the firm a broad showing across the 2026 Emerging EMEA survey.

EFG Hermes, an EFG Holding company and the leading investment bank in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), held its 12^th Annual London Investor Conference at the iconic Emirates Stadium in London, from September 21–24, 2026, under the title At the Home of Champions: MENA’s Market Leaders Meet Global Capital.

Now in its 12th edition, the flagship conference brought together some of MENA’s most prominent listed companies, leading global and regional institutional investors, and fund managers for four days of direct engagement, insight-driven dialogue, and investment discovery.

This year’s edition featured 125 presenting listed companies from seven countries across MENA and welcomed more than 830 guests from around the world, including over 420 investors representing 181 leading investment institutions.

The conference convened at a pivotal moment for global markets, as investors navigate geopolitical uncertainty, shifting rate expectations, evolving capital flows, and a renewed focus on market quality and earnings resilience.

Against this backdrop, MENA continues to attract growing attention from international investors, supported by ongoing structural reforms, deeper capital markets, strong demographic fundamentals, and a pipeline of listed companies increasingly relevant to global portfolios.

Through a highly curated programme of one-on-one and group meetings, alongside focused thought-leadership sessions, the conference provided investors with direct access to the companies, sectors, and policy perspectives shaping the region’s investment outlook.

Discussions spanned high-growth sectors, liquidity and capital allocation, regulatory developments, ESG-driven value creation, macroeconomic resilience, and the impact of geopolitical developments on regional markets.

Karim Awad, group CEO of EFG Holding, said: “MENA is no longer a market that investors look at only through the lens of cyclical opportunity; it is increasingly a structural allocation story. Across the region, reform agendas, market liberalisation, private-sector growth, and stronger corporate fundamentals are creating a deeper, more investable story for global capital. At a time when investors are reassessing risk and searching for durable growth, the region’s leading listed companies are demonstrating the scale, resilience, and ambition required to command greater international attention.”

Mohamed Ebeid, co-CEO of EFG Hermes, an EFG Holding company, said: “EFG Hermes conferences have become a benchmark for corporate access because their value is consistently validated by the clients they are built for. Year after year, our conferences are voted by investors among the industry’s best, with EFG Hermes topping global and regional rankings, a reflection of the quality, seniority, and relevance of the access we deliver.”

Ebeid added: “This recognition is driven by our ability to curate high-impact engagement at scale, connecting investors with the decision-makers behind MENA’s leading listed companies. For global capital seeking informed conviction in the region, our conferences remain one of the most effective gateways into MENA equities.”

The UAE has emerged as the highest-ranked GCC market for electric vehicle (EV) readiness, placing 22nd globally in Arthur D. Little’s 2026 Global Electric Mobility Readiness Index (GEMRIX).

The UAE recorded a score of 53, as the consultancy’s latest research found that the development of the wider EV ecosystem — rather than vehicle technology alone — is increasingly determining the pace of electric mobility adoption across markets.

The third edition of GEMRIX assesses 31 markets across five areas: macro factors, the EV market and competition, customer readiness, public charging infrastructure, total cost of ownership and regulation. A score of 100 indicates broad market-readiness parity between EVs and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

China topped the index with a score of 106, followed by Norway at 103, making them the only two markets to exceed the 100-point threshold. Singapore scored 96 and the Netherlands 90.

EVs reach 9 per cent of UAE new vehicle sales

Electric vehicles accounted for around 9 per cent of new vehicle sales in the UAE in 2025, according to the study.

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) represented around 6-8 per cent of sales, while plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) accounted for approximately 2.5 per cent.

The UAE’s charging infrastructure has expanded to approximately 2,800 charging points, including around 1,250 direct current (DC) points and 350 high-power charging units.

The country is targeting electric and hybrid vehicles to account for 50 per cent of vehicles on its roads by 2050, while Dubai aims for EVs to represent more than 15 per cent of its vehicle fleet by 2030.

Joseph Salem, Partner and Middle East lead for the Travel, Transportation, and Hospitality practice at Arthur D. Little, said: “The UAE’s position in GEMRIX 2026 reflects an EV market with growing visibility and a clear ecosystem direction. EV adoption is gaining momentum alongside continued investment in charging infrastructure and strong long-term mobility ambitions. The opportunity now is to keep aligning infrastructure, vehicle availability and customer needs to translate this momentum into broader market scale.”

EV transition takes different paths

Globally, Arthur D. Little found that electric mobility is developing at different speeds, with factors including affordability, charging infrastructure, industrial policy and domestic manufacturers shaping adoption.

Markets including Türkiye, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Brazil are gaining momentum through different combinations of these factors, while plug-in hybrids and range-extended EVs continue to serve as a transition technology in some markets.

China was highlighted as the benchmark for combining vehicle technology and manufacturing scale with battery and component supply chains, software, charging infrastructure, energy economics and regulation.

Alexander Krug, Partner, Automotive & Manufacturing Goods Practice at Arthur D. Little, said: “The world will not become 100 per cent electric at one speed or through one pathway; winners will read each ecosystem and act before the market opportunity is obvious.”

The report concludes that the global EV race is increasingly shifting beyond the vehicle itself, with the strength of the surrounding ecosystem becoming a key factor in determining how quickly individual markets can scale adoption.

The entire report can be downloaded here.

The Ajman Department of Finance has introduced enhancements to two key services as part of efforts to simplify government procedures and support Ajman’s zero bureaucracy drive.

The changes cover the Financial Enquiries and Consultations service and User Access Permissions for Systems and Applications, both of which support government entities in accessing financial and digital services.

The department said the enhancements focus on simplifying procedures, streamlining requirements and reducing the number of steps needed to complete transactions.

The changes were presented during a Customer Gathering, where the department demonstrated the service journeys before and after the enhancements and outlined their impact on procedural efficiency and customer experience.

Customer feedback to shape further changes

The gathering also provided customers with an opportunity to highlight challenges, identify their requirements and suggest further improvements to the two services.

The department said it will assess the feedback and proposals based on their feasibility and expected impact, with priority ideas feeding into future service improvement plans.

The initiative forms part of efforts to make government services more flexible and efficient while reducing unnecessary procedures and accelerating transaction completion.

Marwan Ahmed Al Ali, Director-General of the Ajman Department of Finance, said: “We believe that the most effective government services are built around the customer experience. Guided by this approach, we continuously review and simplify our services and procedures while drawing on customer feedback to identify opportunities for improvement, enhance access to financial and digital services, and elevate the overall experience.”

He added: “The Customer Gathering provides an important platform for direct engagement with customers and a deeper understanding of their needs and aspirations. Their insights support our efforts to advance the principles of zero bureaucracy in government work and deliver more efficient, seamless, and responsive services that meet evolving expectations.”