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An eToro statement issued in July 2026 described the UAE real estate market as having evolved beyond short-term trading into a destination for sustained global capital and residency. Dubai Land Department figures placed first-quarter 2026 transactions at AED 252 billion, a 31 percent increase from the same period a year earlier, while full-year 2025 volume reached AED 917 billion. The department’s data further showed 60,303 transactions in the opening quarter of 2026, up 6 percent year on year, with residential deals contributing AED 137.31 billion. Dubai Land Department statistics also confirmed more than 270,000 total transactions across 2025, marking a 20 percent annual rise and underscoring broader participation in the sector.
Resident buyers accounted for more than half of investment value in 2025, according to the eToro assessment that drew on Dubai Land Department records. The analyst report placed the number of active investors above 193,000 for the full year, a base that has expanded with long-term residency programmes including the Golden Visa. Industry reviews from sources such as Global Property Guide noted that these programmes have encouraged former renters to purchase homes, with the average period between renting and owning now standing at 4.8 years. S&P Global estimates cited in market outlooks project Dubai’s population will exceed 4 million by the end of 2026, further supporting demand from those committing to the emirate.
The market demonstrated resilience amid early 2026 regional tensions, the eToro statement continued after reviewing Dubai Land Department transaction data. February sales reached AED 84 billion before a pause in March that saw volume fall to AED 56 billion, followed by a 23 percent rebound in April to AED 69 billion. Such patterns indicate buyers returned once initial uncertainty eased rather than abandoning the market, the analysis found. Dubai Land Department open data platforms continue to publish daily and monthly updates that allow tracking of these shifts across sales, mortgages and leases.
Listed developers maintained strong operational performance even as share prices reflected temporary sentiment pressure, company reports obtained by eToro showed. Emaar Properties entered the second half of 2026 with a revenue backlog of AED 163.4 billion, a 29 percent increase from the prior year, while first-quarter net profit attributable to owners reached AED 5 billion. Aldar Properties reported 12 percent revenue growth, 22 percent EBITDA growth and AED 38.2 billion in liquidity for the corresponding period, with its development backlog climbing to AED 72.1 billion by the end of March according to its own April 2026 earnings release. Both firms entered the year with record pipelines that have consistently exceeded earnings forecasts.
ValuStrat forecasts incorporated into broader sector reviews anticipate Dubai residential capital values will rise by 10 percent across 2026, with villas likely to outperform apartments by a wider margin. The eToro note highlighted that escrow-protected sales, long-term backlogs and recurring income streams insulate these developers from short-term news cycles more than many other sectors. Aldar’s first-quarter 2026 net profit after tax climbed 20 percent year on year to AED 2.3 billion, its statements confirmed, reinforcing the fundamental strength behind the physical market. A resolution of regional geopolitical issues could accelerate repricing toward those fundamentals, the eToro assessment added.
The shift aligns with a wider GCC trend in which real estate increasingly serves as a stable asset class rather than a speculative vehicle, according to multiple consultancy outlooks referenced in the eToro release. Mortgage and lease registration volumes have grown alongside sales, Dubai Land Department records show, pointing to deeper market infrastructure. eToro, a multi-asset platform with 40 million registered users across 75 countries, positioned the UAE experience as one shaped by both policy stability and organic demand from new residents. Further quarterly data releases from the Dubai Land Department are expected to provide additional granularity on whether the current pace holds through the remainder of 2026.
