Read our insights

Over the past six years, Grant Thornton UAE has tracked the progress of women in leadership across mid-market companies, multinational corporations, and the public sector. ‘Women in Business 2025’ highlights notable advances in female representation at senior levels, while also identifying the structural, cultural, and regulatory shifts driving change.

The Women in Business project has explored what helps, and what hinders, women in the workplace through a period that’s offered plenty of challenge. Global mid-market companies have navigated the financial crisis of 2007-08, worked through the pandemic and currently contend with the impact of geopolitical tension and conflict.

The UAE Accountability Authority (UAEAA) has issued Resolution No. (154) of 2024, mandating compliance with new auditor appointment rules as outlined in Federal Law No. (56) of 2023, and Resolution No. (159) of 2024, mandating Internal Audit Rules for UAEAA subject entities. These rules, effective immediately, align closely with the standards set by the Abu Dhabi Accountability Authority (ADAA).

Our Discovery Series is an opportunity for us to give back to the community and country in which we serve, through the provision of business insights. We hope that these insights will enable and inform enhanced business performance and innovation across the UAE. The first report in our Discovery Series is Women on Audit Committees in the UAE 2024, and provides baseline data for female representation that we intend to track and benchmark across other regions and markets in subsequent reports. As a firm, we are committed to advocating for gender diversity at senior leadership levels and want to keep the spotlight on this important topic so that change and progress is being made.

The Women in Business project has explored what helps, and what hinders, women in the workplace through a period that’s offered plenty of challenge. Global mid-market companies have navigated the financial crisis of 2007-08, worked through the pandemic and currently contend with the impact of geopolitical tension and conflict.

Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR) has been casting a light on the issue of gender diversity in senior management at mid-market businesses for 19 years, exposing barriers and identifying facilitators of change.

In September 2022, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) released Cabinet Decision No. (85) of 2022 (the “Decision”) which details out the requirements and conditions for determining the tax residency of legal and natural persons in the UAE. Branches of foreign entities shall not be considered as tax residents in the UAE. The Decision acknowledges the parallel importance of the international agreements and stipulates that the provisions of the double taxation treaties could apply to determine the tax residency of a person. Further, the FTA may request any information from any government entities in the UAE in order to identify the tax residency of a person.

In our October edition of GT’s Monthly Tax Newsletter, you can read the latest news updates affecting International Tax, Transfer Pricing and Indirect Tax in the UAE and across the GCC Region.

The introduction of VAT into the UAE will soon be completing 5 Years, however, many businesses have been unable to understand and appreciate the VAT zero-rating conditions for exports of goods.

VAT in the UAE approaches its 5th birthday on 1 January 2023 – but what’s next for VAT and the wider tax landscape?

Despite a difficult climate due to the pandemic across geographies and industries, Grant Thornton sees signs of optimism in both the resilience of the MENA markets and a strong recovery in economic and transactional activity.

In this tax alert, our specialists, Steven Ireland and Muhammad Bhagat clarify the annual reporting requirements for all entities classified as Financial Institutions for FATCA and CRS Reporting (including the filing of Nil Returns) as stipulated within the regulations.

Learn about the latest tax updates, concerning VAT and customs in the UAE and GCC region.

For the past 17 years, Grant Thornton has been tracking the global progress of women in senior management. Globally, female leadership positions passed the crucial 30% mark. In the UAE, we have recorded a 9% increase of female CEOs in the past 12 months, which sets the tone for a growing gender inclusive workforce in the GCC region.

Each year Grant Thornton releases a comprehensive IFRS guide to the market where we cover both the new standards as well as any amendments that have been made to existing ones. This publication is designed to give preparers of IFRS financial statements a high-level awareness of recent changes to International Financial Reporting Standards.

Over the last 12 months, our women in business research has drilled down into the gender diversity stats of mid-market organisations around the world, looking at how the numbers are changing, and most importantly, what businesses are doing to make them change.