It could well be argued that local firms in the UAE have an easy time of it. Thanks to favorable company laws, a demographic explosion and soaring oil prices, the major groups — which are almost all family-run — have seen their fortunes multiply over the past few years without needing to open their capital to outside investors. But change now looks to be afoot. A recent amendment to IPO regulations, as well as the prospect of a key commercial law being relaxed, means that the traditional family business model might require some tweaking in the future. No one believes that the dominance which the bigger family firms still enjoy in the economic landscape of the UAE will be substantially reduced, but for various reasons, that landscape could well look slightly different in five years’ time. List chance One key change may start on the country’s capital markets in Dubai
