Asma Ali Al Messabi Advocates & Legal Consultants

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IF YOU BUY A TOKENIZED PROPERTY INTEREST IN DUBAI, DO YOU OWN THE PROPERTY?The answer cannot be determined simply from t...
10/09/2026

IF YOU BUY A TOKENIZED PROPERTY INTEREST IN DUBAI, DO YOU OWN THE PROPERTY?

The answer cannot be determined simply from the fact that you hold a token.

“Tokenized real estate” describes the use of digital infrastructure, but the legal rights associated with a particular token depend on how the arrangement has been structured.

A useful way to analyse it is to separate five layers:

Property → Legal Ownership → Investor Rights → Token → Investor

The property is the underlying asset. Its ownership exists within the applicable property-registration and legal framework. A structure then determines what rights are made available to investors. The token digitally represents the relevant interest, and the investor holds that token subject to the terms and regulatory framework governing the arrangement.

Depending on the particular structure, those rights may not necessarily be identical to direct ownership of the underlying property.

That distinction matters when considering distributions, transfers, governance, redemption, disputes and enforcement.

And the same principle extends beyond property.

Whenever an asset or right is tokenized, one of the first legal questions should be:

What precisely does the token represent?

Asma Ali Al Messabi Advocates & Legal Consultants advises businesses and investors on tokenisation, digital assets, corporate structuring and related UAE regulatory matters.

https://asmalaw.com/tokenization-digital-assets-services/

New UAE protections for SME customers take effect on 13 September 2026.The Central Bank of the UAE’s new SME Customer Pr...
09/09/2026

New UAE protections for SME customers take effect on 13 September 2026.

The Central Bank of the UAE’s new SME Customer Protection Regulation replaces the existing SME Market Conduct Regulation and establishes an updated framework for how CBUAE-licensed banks and finance companies provide financial products and services to SME customers.

The Regulation covers several important aspects of that relationship, including disclosure and transparency, responsible conduct, financing practices, complaints, customer data and the treatment of customers experiencing financial difficulty.

The requirements are practical as well as regulatory. Financial institutions must provide information that is accurate, comprehensive and not misleading, with disclosures available in English and Arabic. When providing credit, institutions must also assess the customer’s ability to meet its credit obligations and must not provide credit beyond amounts the customer is capable of servicing.

Complaint handling is also specifically addressed. Financial institutions must provide an accessible and transparent complaints process without fees and establish an independent complaints-management function reporting directly to senior management.

For UAE SMEs, this is therefore more than a regulatory development for the banking sector. It is a framework businesses should understand from the customer side of the financial relationship.

Asma Ali Al Messabi Advocates & Legal Consultants advises UAE and international businesses on financial, corporate and regulatory legal matters.

A business can outgrow its corporate structure without realising it.International expansion often happens incrementally....
07/09/2026

A business can outgrow its corporate structure without realising it.

International expansion often happens incrementally. A subsidiary is established for a new market. Another company is created for a particular investment. New shareholders enter the business. An acquisition adds another entity. Governance arrangements that worked for a smaller organisation remain in place as the group becomes considerably more complex.

Over time, the result can be a corporate structure that no longer corresponds neatly with the commercial reality of the business.

Cross-border restructuring provides an opportunity to examine that structure as a whole. Depending on the objectives of the group, this may involve shareholder restructuring, entity consolidation, changes to holding arrangements, redomiciliation or governance realignment across jurisdictions.

These are legal changes to existing companies, rights and relationships. Corporate approvals, shareholder interests, contractual arrangements, financing and regulatory requirements therefore need to be considered alongside the commercial objective of the restructuring.

Asma Ali Al Messabi Advocates & Legal Consultants advises corporate groups and international businesses on restructuring involving UAE and cross-border operations.

Asset recovery can become particularly challenging when funds or property connected to a dispute have been transferred, ...
03/09/2026

Asset recovery can become particularly challenging when funds or property connected to a dispute have been transferred, concealed or moved across jurisdictions.

The original asset may no longer exist in the same form. Funds can pass through different accounts, value can be converted into other assets, and ownership may involve companies or structures that require further examination.

This is why complex asset recovery often combines several elements of legal work.

Asset tracing can help establish how value moved and where it may now be held. Where legally available and appropriate, freezing orders, injunctive relief or other protective measures may be considered to preserve assets while proceedings are underway. Cross-border cases may also require legal action to be coordinated across several jurisdictions.

Asma Ali Al Messabi Advocates & Legal Consultants advises businesses, investors and international clients on asset recovery matters involving fraud, misappropriation and concealed assets in the UAE and internationally.

What happens when a business wins a case abroad, but the counterparty — or the assets needed to satisfy the judgment — a...
01/09/2026

What happens when a business wins a case abroad, but the counterparty — or the assets needed to satisfy the judgment — are in the UAE?

The decision obtained overseas may be decisive in the underlying dispute, but recovery can require a further legal process.

Depending on the circumstances, this may involve recognition of the foreign judgment or arbitral award in the UAE, consideration of the applicable enforcement framework, and ultimately the steps available to execute against assets.

For companies involved in international disputes, this distinction matters.

Enforcement is not simply about what happens after a case has been won. Understanding where assets are located and how an eventual judgment or award could be enforced can influence litigation and arbitration strategy much earlier.

Asma Ali Al Messabi Advocates & Legal Consultants advises international businesses, investors and other stakeholders on the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments and arbitral awards in the UAE.

A landowner has a development opportunity but does not want to develop alone. An investor has capital but needs a local ...
27/08/2026

A landowner has a development opportunity but does not want to develop alone. An investor has capital but needs a local project opportunity. A developer brings the expertise required to deliver it.

A joint venture can bring those interests together, the structure, however, needs to define how the relationship will function throughout the development.

That may include each party’s contribution, ownership and governance arrangements, project responsibilities, funding obligations, profit distribution, decision-making procedures and eventual exit.

These issues can become particularly important on long-term developments where budgets, timelines and commercial circumstances may evolve considerably between acquisition and completion.

Asma Ali Al Messabi Advocates & Legal Consultants advises developers, landowners, investors, family offices and international stakeholders on structuring real estate development joint ventures in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and across the UAE.

International companies regularly reuse commercial agreements, master templates and internal contracting procedures acro...
25/08/2026

International companies regularly reuse commercial agreements, master templates and internal contracting procedures across multiple transactions.

But what happens when the underlying legal framework changes?

The UAE’s new Civil Transactions Law came into force on 1 June 2026, replacing the previous civil transactions legislation that had been in place since 1985.

The changes are relevant not only to contractual rights and remedies, but also to practical aspects of commercial transactions, including negotiations, disclosure, related contractual documents, signing authority and the transfer of contractual rights and obligations.

Businesses entering into new contracts governed by UAE federal law should therefore consider whether their existing templates and transaction procedures remain appropriate.

Our latest article examines what international companies should know about commercial contracting in the UAE under the new legal framework (Link in Comments)

construction project begins with drawings, specifications, a programme and an agreed contractual framework.Then the proj...
20/08/2026

construction project begins with drawings, specifications, a programme and an agreed contractual framework.

Then the project evolves.

Designs may be revised, additional works requested, access delayed or completion dates affected. When these events occur, the parties may need to determine whether additional time or payment is available, which notices are required and how responsibility is allocated under the contract.

These issues can become particularly important under FIDIC-based and other construction agreements containing defined procedures for variations, extensions of time, payment and contractual claims.

Contract administration therefore matters throughout the project lifecycle, not only once a disagreement develops.

Asma Ali Al Messabi Advocates & Legal Consultants advises developers, contractors, consultants, investors and other stakeholders on construction and engineering legal matters in the UAE.

Investing in UAE real estate from overseas? Before an acquisition is completed, international investors may need to make...
17/08/2026

Investing in UAE real estate from overseas? Before an acquisition is completed, international investors may need to make decisions that extend well beyond selecting the property.

The appropriate ownership structure, legal status of the asset, transaction documentation, financing arrangements, rights between multiple investors and future plans for the property can all influence how an investment should be approached.

These considerations become even more important when UAE real estate forms part of an international investment portfolio or is being acquired through a corporate structure.

Asma Ali Al Messabi Advocates & Legal Consultants provides legal advice to international investors, businesses and other stakeholders involved in UAE real estate transactions.

Most businesses use external technology providers every day.Cloud storage, CRM systems, payment providers, HR platforms,...
13/08/2026

Most businesses use external technology providers every day.

Cloud storage, CRM systems, payment providers, HR platforms, analytics tools and external service providers can all process or access company and customer information.

This means a business operating in the UAE may have a data footprint extending far beyond the UAE itself.

Understanding that footprint is an important part of modern compliance. Businesses should consider what personal data they process, how it is used, where it travels, which third parties receive it and what procedures are in place if a cybersecurity or data incident occurs.

Asma Ali Al Messabi Advocates & Legal Consultants provides legal advice on data privacy, cross-border data transfers, cybersecurity governance, incident response and regulatory compliance.

Explore our Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Legal Consultancy:
https://asmalaw.com/data-privacy-cybersecurity-legal-consultancy/

Address

M Floor, Building No. 26, Hazza Bin Zayed The First Street
Abu Dhabi

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 17:00
Thursday 08:00 - 17:00
Friday 08:00 - 13:00
14:00 - 17:00
Saturday 08:00 - 17:00

Telephone

+97126777737

Website

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