ع
Nasdaq Dubai reported 33 fixed-income listings valued at $13.8 billion for the first half of 2026, according to a statement from the exchange. The total comprised 17 bond listings worth $7.83 billion alongside 16 sukuk issuances amounting to $5.97 billion, with UAE-based issuers accounting for 57 percent of the activity and international issuers making up the remaining 43 percent. Fifteen distinct issuers participated across sovereign, supranational, financial institution and corporate sectors, reflecting broad demand for the exchange’s platform. By the close of the period the value of all outstanding debt securities listed on Nasdaq Dubai had reached $141 billion, including $98.6 billion in sukuk and $42.4 billion in conventional bonds.
Several medium-term programmes were established during the six months, the statement said, among them Mashreq’s $5 billion Euro Medium Term Note programme, Almasar C.I. Ltd.’s $8 billion Trust Certificate Issuance Programme and Arab Bank for Investment and Foreign Trade’s $5 billion Medium Term Note programme. These facilities are designed to facilitate further capital-market activity in the months ahead. The exchange highlighted debut listings by Al Masraf and the New Development Bank, whose $1.75 billion issuance marked a high-profile entry, while The Arab Energy Fund made a notable return to the venue.
Financial institutions including Emirates NBD, Mashreq, Dubai Islamic Bank, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Dubai branch and Al Masraf tapped the market through conventional bonds, sustainable green and blue bonds, Additional Tier 1 instruments and digital assets. Corporate issuers from aviation and real estate, such as DAE Funding, Binghatti and OMNIYAT, added to the activity that blended sovereign, multilateral and private-sector deals. The statement noted that the variety of structures underscored the depth of Dubai’s capital markets.
A milestone that bridged the first and second halves was the UAE Ministry of Finance’s inaugural retail sukuk, announced and subscribed during the first half before its listing on July 2. The instrument attracted Dh445 million in subscriptions against an offer that produced a bid-to-cover ratio of nearly nine times, after which it was upsized to Dh100 million. Investors from 116 nationalities took part, with 76 percent subscribing for Dh10,000 or less and 16 percent entering the capital markets for the first time.
Nasdaq Dubai’s central securities depository now permits direct safe-keeping of client assets at no charge, enabling retail participants to hold sukuk until maturity, the exchange added. Its iVestor digital subscription tools and eIPO bookbuilding system, previously used for IPOs, handled more than 18,000 subscribers for the government retail sukuk across all channels. The development signals growing retail interest in fixed-income products within the UAE.
Abdul Wahed Al Fahim, chairman of Nasdaq Dubai, said in the statement, “Issuer activity throughout the first half of 2026 reflects the strong confidence placed in Nasdaq Dubai as a leading listing venue for fixed income instruments in the region.” He added that the pool of sovereign, supranational, financial institution and corporate issuers “underscores the depth of Dubai’s capital markets and its standing as a global financial centre.” Hamed Ali, CEO of Nasdaq Dubai and Dubai Financial Market, stated that the first half saw continued momentum in issuance activity across bonds and sukuk driven by strong participation from regional and international issuers.
