Dubai Land Department has completed 104 real estate projects worth more than AED111 billion in the first half of 2026, adding 24,537 units to the market, as the authority showcases its digital services at IPS 2026.
September 09, 2026 | Tripti Mehta | UAE | Real Estate | 2 Min Read
Image Courtesy: Magnific
Dubai Land Department (DLD) is showcasing its digital services, investment opportunities and initiatives supporting Emirati talent and businesses at the 22nd International Property Show (IPS 2026), which opened at Dubai World Trade Centre and runs until 9 September.
The exhibition opened in the presence of Omar Hamad Bu Shehab, Director-General of DLD, with the department participating as a strategic partner and hosting visitors at its Hall 7 stand, contributing to discussions supporting the Dubai Real Estate Strategy 2033 and Dubai Economic Agenda D33.
During the opening panel, Majid Saqr Al Marri, CEO of DLD's Corporate Support Sector, joined IPS President Dawood Al Shezawi for a discussion moderated by real estate expert Ismail Al Hammadi on market developments and opportunities for collaboration.
Al Marri highlighted the completion of 104 real estate projects in the first half of 2026, with an investment value exceeding AED111 billion, adding 24,537 units to the market. Compared with the same period in 2025, completed projects increased by 38.7 per cent, investment value rose by 52 per cent, and new units grew by more than 36 per cent.
He said, "Through the services, data, and digital solutions we provide, we continue to enhance the experience of investors, developers, and customers, while strengthening the market's ability to meet the needs of diverse investor segments."
The First-Time Home Buyer Programme has helped more than 3,200 residents purchase their first homes by June 2026, generating transactions exceeding AED5 billion since its launch in July 2025, and has attracted more than 45,000 registrants.
Mohammed Yahya, Director of DLD's Real Estate Transactions Department, discussed global market trends and the role of open data in helping investors understand market activity, alongside digital transformation in property registration and the importance of project quality and diverse ownership options.
Mohamad Al Dah, Real Estate Regulatory Consultant at DLD, took part in a session on Dubai's role in the GCC real estate economy, discussing how regulation, data quality and service efficiency support investor confidence, alongside emerging investment models and PropTech solutions. He highlighted the REES Real Estate Innovation Initiative and the Initial Registration platform, which combines project and transaction registration with escrow account management and uses artificial intelligence to read documents and extract data.
The opening day also featured an Emirati empowerment workshop organised with the Emirati Human Resources Development Council in Dubai, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, and the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council (Nafis). Noura Al Jasmi, Senior Corporate Support Adviser at DLD, presented the outcomes of initiatives to increase Emirati participation in real estate over the past two years.
The Jusoor Forum, organised with the Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Dubai SME), connected Emirati-owned companies with developers, brokers, real estate businesses and owners' associations, exploring procurement and collaboration opportunities across construction, engineering, technology, marketing, training and consultancy.
At its stand, DLD is presenting interactive transaction and market data, information on registered real estate brokers, and services supporting investors, developers and customers, including Initial Registration, the First-Time Home Buyer Programme, the Dubai REST application and Malik, its AI-powered customer service assistant.
The scale of growth reported by DLD, with project completions, investment value and new units all rising sharply year-on-year, reflects the continued depth of Dubai's development pipeline even as the market matures. Combined with the momentum behind the First-Time Home Buyer Programme and digital initiatives such as Initial Registration, the figures point to a market that continues to broaden both its investor base and its service infrastructure.
Source: WAM (Emirates News Agency); Zawya
