UAE Capital Markets Show Resilience Amid Global Volatility
The UAE capital markets are showing increasing resilience despite global economic challenges, according to Prasad Chari, Senior Managing Director of Equity Capital Markets at Emirates NBD. In an interview with Emirates News Agency (WAM) at the Capital Market Summit 2025, Chari highlighted the positive impact of high-net-worth individuals and global asset managers relocating to the UAE. This trend is providing a significant boost to the country’s capital markets and overall market performance.
Chari explained that local and regional investors’ long-term investment outlook is helping to strengthen the UAE capital markets’ ability to absorb new offerings, even in times of global volatility. He pointed to several successful initial public offerings (IPOs) in recent years, such as those by DEWA, TECOM, Dubai Taxi, and Spinneys, which were launched amid global uncertainty and rising interest rates. Despite these challenges, the IPOs were successful, reinforcing the confidence in the UAE’s capital markets.
While the pace of IPOs has slowed somewhat in 2025, Chari emphasized that the market remains active with other types of transactions, including voluntary takeover bids, block trades, and specialty offerings. These activities are increasing liquidity and fostering greater investor participation. Although the number of IPOs may not match last year’s level, Chari expects the volume of capital raised to be similar or even higher, particularly with more offerings expected before and after the summer season.
