UAE tops global property investment appeal as stability and regulation drive demand

The UAE has emerged as the world's most attractive destination for real estate investment, with more than half of global investors planning to increase their exposure to the country's property market, according to a new international survey.

Speaking on the findings, Lieutenant General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, said the country's leadership had made stability a strategy, security a guarantee, legislation a cornerstone, and opportunity an extension of a vision that shapes the future.

"Investors do not come to the UAE to merely invest," Lt. Gen Sheikh Saif said, adding: “They come to a country where capital feels secure, and where vision precedes returns."

The survey, conducted by the US-based Penta Group in cooperation with ARADA, found that 56 per cent of international investors intend to expand their investments in the UAE real estate sector, while 51 per cent said they were fully aware of the investment opportunities available in the market.

Among investors who ranked the UAE among their top three investment destinations, 92 per cent of Egyptians, 91 per cent of Indians, and 85 per cent of Saudis selected the country as a preferred market. In Europe, 63 per cent of French investors, 60 per cent of Germans, and 57 per cent of Swiss investors identified the UAE as their leading investment destination.

The survey cited legislative transparency, political stability, a strong regulatory framework, ease of property ownership, security and stability, and the prospect of attractive returns as the main factors underpinning the country's appeal.