According to Prasad Chari, Senior Managing Director of Equity Capital Markets at Emirates NBD, the capital markets of the UAE are demonstrating greater resilience against global fluctuations.
On the fringes of the Capital Market Summit 2025, Chari told the Emirates News Agency (WAM) that the increasing number of high-net-worth individuals and international asset managers moving to the United Arab Emirates is directly improving the performance of the nation’s capital markets.
“The ability of domestic and regional capital markets to take in new offerings even in the face of difficult circumstances has been strengthened by the long-term investment perspective of local and regional investors,” he explained.
According to Chari, several recent initial public offerings (IPOs), including DEWA, TECOM, Dubai Taxi, and Spinneys, occurred during times when interest rates were rising and significant world events were occurring, but they went ahead and were successful. He emphasised that the market has maintained its impressive performance in a variety of circumstances because of the trust that institutions and investors have built.
About the current year’s IPO pace, Chari noted that there has only been one listing and offering of a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) in the UAE market. He did point out that the market has been active in other ways, like block trades, speciality offerings, and voluntary takeover bids, all of which help to boost investor participation and liquidity.
According to him, the number of initial public offerings (IPOs) may not be as high as they were the previous year, but the amount of capital to be raised will be comparable to or higher, particularly given the expected offerings before and after the summer.
Meanwhile, the Capital Market Summit 2025, which ended in Dubai on May 7, focused on the future of capital formation in the region as well as cross-border capital flows.
In addition to Bahrain Bourse’s (BHB) Sheikh Khalifa bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the panel included Hamed Ali from Dubai Financial Market (DFM), Edward Knight from Nasdaq, Sherman Lin from Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE), and Nasdaq Dubai.