Early Experience With The New UAE Merger Control Regime

In April 2025, the UAE introduced a major reform to its merger control regime by introducing new revenue-based threshold that apply alongside the existing market share threshold.

In April 2025, the UAE introduced a major reform to its merger control regime by introducing new revenue-based threshold that apply alongside the existing market share threshold. This expanded the scope of application of the UAE merger control regime drastically. Under the amended law, any transaction qualifying as an economic concentration is subject to notification if the parties collectively achieve turnover of at least AED 300 million (approx. USD 81 million) in the relevant market in the UAE. Following this amendment, we have see a stark increase of filings in the UAE. This client briefs looks back at the first months of the new regime being applied by the Competition Department at the UAE Ministry of Economy.