du joins MSCI Emerging Markets Index, opening door to wider global investor demand

Index inclusion takes effect September 1 and could bring new passive fund inflows

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Dubai: du will join the MSCI UAE Standard Index from September 1, giving the Dubai-listed telecom operator greater exposure to international funds that track one of the world's major emerging-market benchmarks.

The inclusion follows MSCI's latest Equity Index Review and will be implemented after the market closes on August 31. The change could increase the stock's visibility among global institutional investors and support trading liquidity as index-tracking funds adjust their portfolios.

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The MSCI UAE Standard Index forms part of the wider MSCI Emerging Markets Index, which covers large- and mid-cap companies across 24 emerging-market countries.

What the inclusion means for du shares

du said its growing market capitalisation, free float and trading liquidity supported its eligibility for inclusion.

The company expects the move to generate passive inflows from funds that track MSCI benchmarks, while expanding its exposure to international institutional investors.

Profit rises 12.6%

The index inclusion follows a stronger first-half performance from the telecom operator.

du reported revenue of Dh8.2 billion for the first six months of 2026, up 5.8% from a year earlier, while service revenue increased 7.7%.

EBITDA rose 10.5% to Dh4 billion and its EBITDA margin increased by 2.1 percentage points to 49.2%.

Net profit climbed 12.6% to Dh1.6 billion, while operating free cash flow increased 9.7% to Dh3 billion.

The company ended the period with 9.3 million mobile subscribers and 744,000 fixed customers.

du's inclusion becomes effective from September 1 following the portfolio changes at the end of trading on August 31.

Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series. Her reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF’s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region’s economy. An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question. When she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5.

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