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Good morning from the GLE Editorial desk. The Middle East is opening up and tightening up at the same time. Saudi Arabia has thrown open its capital market and its property market to foreign investors, the UAE is reshaping its digital and tax rulebook, and Israel and Turkey are sharpening data-protection and competition enforcement. For counsel advising investors and businesses across the region, the regulatory map is being redrawn on several fronts at once.
Joel Gordon, Editorial · Global Law Experts
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Quick digest
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Saudi Arabia's new Law of Real Estate Ownership and Investment by Non-Saudis took effect on 22 January, with a Saudi Properties platform handling eligibility and registration.
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The Saudi Capital Market Authority opened the market to all categories of foreign investor from 1 February, removing the Qualified Foreign Investor and swap-based access frameworks.
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The UAE is reshaping its digital rulebook, with IT-law, data-protection, e-invoicing and corporate-governance reforms landing together for businesses operating there.
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Israel's Privacy Protection Authority has expanded powers and tougher fines under its 2025 reforms, increasingly coordinating with the competition regulator on data concentration.
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Turkey's competition authority remains an active enforcer, and its labour and data regimes keep evolving, adding to the compliance load for businesses operating there.
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Jurisdictions covered
Saudi Arabia · United Arab Emirates · Israel · Turkey · Qatar · Jordan
Lawyers featured in this edition
Nour Saleem · Jeremy Ben David · Ata Umur Kalender · Dr. Bini Saroj · Ece Nihan Günen
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What mattered this fortnight
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SAUDI ARABIA · FOREIGN INVESTMENT |
Saudi Arabia Throws Open Its Market and Its Property to Foreign Investors
Two major openings landed together: the new Law of Real Estate Ownership and Investment by Non-Saudis took effect on 22 January 2026, with a centralised "Saudi Properties" platform handling eligibility, registration and oversight, and the Capital Market Authority opened the market to all categories of foreign investor from 1 February, removing the Qualified Foreign Investor and swap-based access frameworks. Both sit alongside the Personal Data Protection Law, now in full force.
Why it matters for counsel: The Kingdom is materially easier to invest into than a year ago, but the new property and market-access rules come with registration, documentation and eligibility requirements that reward early, careful structuring. Investors should map the route in before committing, not assume the openness removes the process.
Read the full analysis →
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UNITED ARAB EMIRATES · TAX & DIGITAL |
The UAE Reshapes Its Digital and Tax Rulebook All at Once
Recent UAE reforms across IT law, data protection, e-invoicing, corporate governance, AI and banking supervision are reshaping how businesses structure their digital operations, manage personal data and address cyber risk. They arrive on top of the federal corporate-tax regime, leaving companies to reconcile new tax and digital-compliance obligations together.
Why it matters for counsel: The reforms are individually manageable but cumulatively significant, and the e-invoicing and tax-compliance pieces in particular need systems work, not just policy updates. Businesses should map the combined tax-and-digital obligations against their UAE operations rather than treat each reform in isolation.
Read the full analysis →
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"The most successful UAE businesses will move beyond regulatory silos by embedding tax, technology, AI and regulatory compliance into a single enterprise-wide governance framework. Compliance is no longer a control function, rather it is a strategic capability that builds resilience, trust and long-term value."
Priju Dominic · Dom UAE · United Arab Emirates
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Israel's Privacy Regulator Gains Teeth, and Starts Working With the Competition Authority
Israel's 2025 reforms have significantly expanded the Privacy Protection Authority's mandate, with administrative fines reaching into the millions of shekels for serious database and data-governance failures. The PPA is increasingly coordinating with the Israel Competition Authority where data concentration raises competition concerns, while the Health Information Mobility Law adds sector-specific data-portability duties.
Why it matters for counsel: Data protection in Israel is now a genuine enforcement risk, not a paper exercise, and the data-plus-competition overlap means a privacy failure can become a competition problem. Businesses handling Israeli personal data should harden governance and breach-response before the regulator tests it.
Read the full analysis →
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Turkey's Competition Authority Keeps Up the Pressure, Especially on Digital Markets
Turkey's Competition Authority remains one of the region's most active enforcers, pursuing abuse-of-dominance and merger-control matters with a particular focus on digital platforms, alongside a data-protection regime that continues to bed in. The combination keeps compliance demands high for companies operating in or selling into the Turkish market.
Why it matters for counsel: Businesses with Turkish operations or deals touching Turkey should not treat competition clearance or conduct rules as a formality, especially in digital sectors under close scrutiny. Building competition and data compliance into transactions and day-to-day conduct early avoids costly surprises.
Read the full analysis →
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SAUDI ARABIA · EMPLOYMENT |
As Saudi Arabia Opens to Foreign Capital, Workforce Localization Tightens in Parallel
Alongside the investment openings, Saudi Arabia continues to advance workforce-localization (Saudization) targets and labour-law modernisation, with sector quotas, wage-protection requirements and enforcement remaining central to operating in the Kingdom. For new entrants drawn in by the easier capital and property rules, the employment side is where the day-to-day compliance work sits.
Why it matters for counsel: Investors planning a Saudi presence should build the Saudization and labour-compliance plan at the same time as the corporate structure, not after, since localization quotas and enforcement can shape hiring, cost and timeline. The open door comes with workforce obligations attached.
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SAUDI ARABIA – DATA PROTECTION
The Saudi PDPL Is Now in Full Force as the Market Opens
Saudi Arabia's Personal Data Protection Law is now fully in effect, with GDPR-style obligations on consent, transfers and governance arriving just as foreign investors enter in greater numbers. New entrants should fold PDPL compliance into market-entry planning rather than bolt it on afterwards.
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QATAR – FINANCIAL CENTRE
The QFC Keeps Broadening Its Pitch for Regional Headquarters and Funds
The Qatar Financial Centre continues to widen its permitted activities and incentives to attract regional headquarters, funds and professional-services firms under its own legal and tax framework. Groups choosing a Gulf base should weigh the QFC's regime against the Saudi and UAE alternatives.
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ISRAEL – HEALTH DATA
The Health Information Mobility Law Mandates Portability of Patient Data
Israel's Health Information Mobility Law requires health data to move between HMOs, hospitals and private clinics through a centralised Ministry of Health system, a sector-specific layer on top of the tougher general privacy regime. Health and health-tech players should align data flows with both the portability mandate and the PPA's enforcement posture.
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JORDAN – INVESTMENT
Jordan Leans on Investment Incentives and Stability to Court Regional Capital
Jordan continues to position its investment-law incentives, development zones and trade-agreement network as a stable Levantine base for regional operations. Investors weighing a Levant footprint should compare Jordan's incentives and treaty access against the larger Gulf hubs.
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TURKEY – DATA PROTECTION
KVKK Reforms Continue to Bring Turkey Closer to International Data Norms
Turkey's data-protection regime under the KVKK keeps evolving, including on cross-border transfers, moving the framework closer to international norms while keeping its own requirements. Businesses processing Turkish personal data should re-check transfer mechanisms and consent practices against the current rules.
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TURKEY – M&A
Turkey Stays an Active M&A Market Despite Macro Headwinds
Deal activity in Turkey continues across technology, energy and consumer sectors, with competition clearance and currency considerations the recurring execution issues for cross-border buyers. Acquirers should build merger-control timing and FX risk into Turkish deal planning from the outset.
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REGIONAL – SOVEREIGN INVESTMENT
Gulf Sovereign Capital Keeps Reshaping Deal Flow Across the Region and Beyond
Gulf sovereign wealth funds remain among the most active sources of capital globally, shaping deals in technology, infrastructure and energy, with the Saudi and UAE market openings reinforcing inbound interest. Counterparties should understand sovereign-fund governance and approval dynamics when negotiating with them.
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REGIONAL – AI & DATA
The Gulf's AI Ambitions Are Pulling Data and AI Governance Up the Agenda
As Gulf states pour investment into AI and data infrastructure, data-protection, cybersecurity and AI-governance rules are advancing in parallel across the region. Businesses building AI capability in the Gulf should pair the opportunity with governance that matches each jurisdiction's emerging rules.
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Member spotlight
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Nour Saleem
NAS & Associates · United Arab Emirates · Trademark
"I'm one of only five IP experts registered with the Dubai courts, advising judges on intellectual property matters. In a recent case between a luxury car brand and a real estate developer, our report supported a compensation award of 25 million at first instance, reduced to 12.5 million on appeal, a landmark ruling for IP valuation in the UAE."
On trademark law and court-appointed IP expertise in the UAE. Watch his GLE Q&A.
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Jeremy Ben David
JMB Davis Ben David · Israel · Intellectual Property
"Because we operate from Israel, we work in a time zone that brings the US Patent and Trademark Office seven hours closer for clients across Europe and Asia. In many cases, they're still within their business day when we begin ours."
On building a global IP practice from Israel. Watch his GLE Q&A.
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Ata Umur Kalender
Erler Kalender Attorney Partnership · Turkey · Healthcare
"I've negotiated contracts across at least half the countries in the world, mostly import, export, distribution, franchising and licensing agreements, and managed the complicated work of terminating them and appointing or revoking distributors."
On advising international life-sciences and healthcare clients on cross-border contracts. Watch his GLE Q&A.
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Dr. Bini Saroj
Khalifa Bin Huwaidan Alketbi Advocates · United Arab Emirates · Construction
"We successfully argued that where a contract creates uncertainty between arbitration and court jurisdiction, a party's right to access the UAE courts must prevail, and the Dubai Court of Cassation upheld that position."
On a landmark construction-dispute ruling in Dubai. Watch her GLE Q&A.
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Ece Nihan Günen
Bağ & Günen Law Office · Turkey · Commercial
"One of our clients faced a customs penalty in Turkey over medical-device imports, based on an 18% VAT rate rather than 8%. We successfully defended the client before the administrative authorities and had the penalty fully cancelled."
On defending a client in a Turkish customs and VAT dispute. Watch her GLE Q&A.
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What we're tracking next
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Through 2026: watch how Saudi Arabia operationalises the non-Saudi property law and the Saudi Properties platform in practice, as implementation detail will shape real deal feasibility. |
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Ongoing: Israel's Privacy Protection Authority is expected to test its expanded powers and higher fines, so the first significant enforcement actions are the ones to watch. |
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Ongoing: the UAE's e-invoicing and digital-compliance reforms continue to phase in, so businesses should confirm systems readiness against the rolling timeline rather than wait for a single deadline. |
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Open calls for commentary
Every edition of this briefing reaches senior lawyers across the global legal community, together with the in-house counsel and business decision-makers who turn to Global Law Experts for verified intelligence on the developments shaping their markets.
When you contribute, your reading of a development becomes the practitioner voice that audience reads, published under your name, your firm and your jurisdiction. It is a direct way to be seen by your peers and by prospective clients as a leading authority on the issues moving in your market.
If a legal or regulatory development in your jurisdiction is worth flagging for the next edition, reply to this email with your jurisdiction and your take. We attribute every contributor by name, firm and country.
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Contributors this fortnight
Nour Saleem, NAS & Associates, United Arab Emirates
Jeremy Ben David, JMB Davis Ben David, Israel
Ata Umur Kalender, Erler Kalender Attorney Partnership, Turkey
Dr. Bini Saroj, Khalifa Bin Huwaidan Alketbi Advocates, United Arab Emirates
Ece Nihan Günen, Bağ & Günen Law Office, Turkey
Priju Dominic, Dom UAE, United Arab Emirates
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