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Tariq Al-Mansouri

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  • Ellington Properties and ADCB have introduced pre-approved home financing in Dubai for both off-plan and ready properties.
  • Off-plan buyers can secure pre-approved financing for up to 50% of a property’s value, renewable annually until handover.
  • ADCB is offering rates from 3.49% per annum, fixed for three years, with processing and valuation fees waived for a limited time.
  • The partnership pairs Ellington’s residential portfolio with ADCB’s mortgage expertise through a single digital application and a dedicated relationship manager.

Pre-approved home financing in Dubai picked up a new route this month for anyone eyeing an Ellington Properties home. The boutique developer has partnered with Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank to offer financing that follows a buyer from reservation through handover, whether the unit is still under construction or ready to move into today.

Instead of applying for a mortgage after signing a sales agreement, an eligible buyer secures approval first. That approval travels with them through the milestone payments, construction updates and eventual handover that come with buying property in Dubai. Simple, in theory.

This is not an isolated move. ADCB struck a similar arrangement with Emaar Development in July, bundling mortgage approval directly into that developer’s off-plan sales process. Pairing with Ellington extends the same model to a second major Dubai developer, and signals a bank betting that pre-approved home financing in Dubai will keep pulling buyers toward developments where the paperwork is already half done.

Business Intelligence & News

  • UAE passport ranks first globally in 2026, recording a Mobility Score of 182 and worldwide access of 91.9 percent, per Passport Reports’ September ranking.
  • The score covers 128 visa-free destinations, 44 visa-on-arrival or simplified-entry destinations, and 10 reachable through an eTA.
  • Europe, the Gulf, and the Middle East each show 100 percent overall access for UAE passport holders.
  • Only 16 destinations remain visa-required, and the UAE itself ranks 91st out of 199 for inbound travel.
  • HOSPITALITY

How pre-approved home financing in Dubai works

Under the arrangement, ADCB and Ellington Properties Dubai buyers share a single digital application built for both off-plan and completed units. A dedicated relationship manager stays attached to the file from start to finish. Buyers are not shuffled between departments every time a payment milestone lands.

Off-plan purchases follow a specific structure. Eligible buyers can secure pre-approved financing covering up to 50% of a property’s value. That approval holds for 12 months and renews annually until the keys change hands. Dubai mortgage pre-approval usually means reapplying as construction milestones pass. This structure compresses that into one approval that carries a buyer through, year after year, until the building is complete. Construction timelines can stretch, and a tower meant to top out in 18 months sometimes takes 24. Annual renewal means a buyer’s financing plan does not lapse simply because a project runs long.

What the rates mean for buyers

Rate uncertainty is the usual complaint with early financing offers, since many are pegged to benchmarks that shift with the market. ADCB home loan rates on this program start at 3.49% per annum, fixed for three years. The bank is also waiving processing and valuation fees for a limited time, trimming the upfront cost of getting approved before construction even begins.

Three years of fixed pricing is a meaningful stretch in Dubai real estate financing. Buyers juggling handover payments alongside rent, or an existing mortgage, gain one less variable to plan around. A rate locked at signing does not move if the market tightens later.

A wider shift in Dubai property lending

Developers and banks across Dubai have leaned into bundled financing through 2026, pairing sales offices with in-house mortgage desks rather than leaving buyers to shop separately. The logic is consistent across these tie-ups. Get buyers pre-approved early, then keep them financed through a construction cycle that can run several years.

Ellington Properties, founded in Dubai in 2014, has built its reputation on design-led residential projects across Jumeirah Village Circle, Downtown Dubai and Palm Jumeirah. Linking that portfolio to ADCB’s mortgage arm gives the bank a direct channel into an active off-plan pipeline. It gives Ellington a financing partner its buyers can lean on instead of shopping the open market for a separate lender.

Pre-approved home financing in Dubai used to feel like a separate errand from choosing a unit. Off-plan property financing in Dubai buyers once treated as a background task, now sits inside the same conversation as picking a floor plan. For anyone weighing a reservation on an Ellington unit, the practical move is to ask about pre-approval before signing anything. A rate locked today, at 3.49% for three years, could look considerably better than whatever the market offers by the time a project reaches handover.

TAGS
  • ADCB, Banking, UAE, UAE Banking

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Pre-approved home financing in Dubai
  • ADCB
  • 4 min read
Etihad launches Etihad Escapes
  • Etihad Airways

Etihad Airways has unveiled Etihad Escapes, a new travel platform designed to extend the Etihad experience beyond the flight and make it easier for guests to plan and book more of their journey in one place.

Announced at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026 in Dubai, Etihad Escapes will launch in October, initially allowing guests with an Etihad flight booking to add hotel accommodation directly through etihad.com.

The platform is the first step towards a broader integrated travel offering that Etihad plans to develop through 2027, bringing together flights, hotels and additional travel services within a single digital experience, with further integration into the Etihad app and Etihad Guest.

Antonoaldo Neves, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Airways, said, “Our guests already choose Etihad to take them to some of the world’s most exciting destinations. With Etihad Escapes, we want to make the rest of their journey just as easy.”

He added that the platform aims to build a deeper relationship with guests beyond the flight, eventually bringing together flights, hotels, Etihad Guest and other travel experiences in one place to provide a simpler and more personalised journey.

Neves said Etihad Escapes also creates a new growth opportunity for Etihad and Abu Dhabi by connecting the airline’s network with a wider travel offering and some of the emirate’s leading visitor experiences.

He added that the platform can help attract more visitors to Abu Dhabi, encourage them to explore more of the emirate and support its ambition to welcome 39.3 million visitors and raise tourism’s contribution to GDP to AED90 billion by 2030.

At launch, Etihad Escapes will allow guests to add a hotel after booking their flight, giving them access to accommodation through etihad.com without needing to plan different elements of their journey across multiple platforms.

The platform will gradually expand to allow customers to search and book hotels independently and later combine flights and hotel accommodation within an integrated booking experience.

Future phases will extend Etihad Escapes to the Etihad app and introduce greater personalisation, enhanced Etihad Guest integration and a wider range of travel experiences and additional services.

Etihad Escapes targets a significant commercial opportunity in the global holiday market, valued at approximately US$2.7 trillion and forecast to grow by 6.5 percent through 2030, with a substantial share of travel spending taking place beyond the cost of the flight.

  • 2 min read
UAE passport ranks first globally
  • Tourism

Passport Reports says the UAE passport ranks first globally in 2026, recording a Mobility Score of 182 and worldwide access of 91.9 percent. Holders can reach that many destinations through visa-free entry, visa on arrival, other simplified entry arrangements, or an eTA. This particular measure places the document among those commonly called the world’s most powerful passport. That UAE passport ranking 2026 update also breaks down access by region, tier, and reciprocity, across all 199 tracked destinations.

UAE passport mobility score breaks into three tiers. Visa-free access covers 128 destinations. UAE passport visa-on-arrival access applies to 44 more. An eTA opens the remaining 10.

Sixteen destinations still require a visa arranged in advance. Those include Afghanistan, the United States, Australia, Belize, Bhutan, Algeria, Eritrea, Cameroon, North Korea, Lesotho, Libya, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Somalia, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Several of them still offer an electronic-visa option. Australia provides a fast-track eVisa. Bhutan, Cameroon, Libya, Nicaragua, Somalia and Venezuela also list eVisa access, though each stays classified as visa-required.

Business Intelligence & News

  • Tabby raised $233 million from existing investors in a Series F round led by Blue Pool Capital, at a $6.5 billion valuation.
  • The figure rises from $4.5 billion in October and, by Bloomberg’s account, now exceeds Klarna’s market value.
  • New Saudi and UAE licences let Tabby move beyond buy now pay later into longer-term credit and a cash account product.
  • The round still needs regulatory sign-off, including from the Saudi Central Bank, and the company has not set a listing timetable.
  • PAYMENTS

UAE passport ranks first globally across Europe, Gulf and Middle East

UAE passport ranks first globally in Europe, where access reaches 100 percent overall. Visa-free entry accounts for 97.9 percent of the region, spanning 46 destinations, with the remainder reached through the eTA category.

Gulf access also reaches 100 percent. UAE passport holders travel visa-free to Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Oman, the five other GCC states.

Middle East access also reaches 100 percent overall. Visa-free entry makes up 75 percent of that region. Visa on arrival or simplified entry adds 18.8 percent, and an eTA covers the final 6.3 percent. No Middle Eastern destination sits in the visa-required column.

Access outside these three regions varies by geography. Caribbean access stands at 93.8 percent. Oceania reaches 92.9 percent, South America 91.7 percent, Asia 89.8 percent, Africa 88.9 percent, North America 87 percent, and Central Asia 80 percent.

UAE passport visa-free countries and wider rankings

Per Passport Reports, the UAE passport ranks first globally among 50 Asian countries, 17 Middle Eastern countries, and six Gulf countries. It also leads among 24 Arabic-official-language countries, 159 World Trade Organization members, 57 Organisation of Islamic Cooperation countries, 22 Arab League countries, 11 BRICS countries and 132 G77 countries.

Per the same report, UAE passport visa-free countries do not all share the same entry process. Dominica, El Salvador and Armenia allow visa-free stays of up to 180 days. United Kingdom and Canada eTA entries carry the same allowance. Additional steps apply elsewhere. Dominican Republic entry calls for an e-ticket ahead of a 30-day stay. Malaysia requires an arrival card for 90 days. Suriname uses a tourist card, also for 90 days. Seychelles calls for tourist registration, and Côte d’Ivoire for pre-registration, both covering 90-day stays.

UAE ranks 91st for inbound travel

UAE passport ranks first globally for outbound travel, but inbound access works differently. Passport Reports also measures how easily foreign nationals can enter the UAE, a separate welcoming-country ranking. On that scale, the UAE places 91st out of 199, a figure distinct from its own passport’s Mobility Score and not to be confused with it.

Two reciprocity gaps stand out in the data. United States and Australian passport holders can enter the UAE visa-free, electronically, or on arrival, while UAE passport holders need a visa to enter either country. A longer list runs the other way. India, Pakistan, Kenya, Thailand, Türkiye, and South Africa all require their own citizens to secure a visa for the UAE, even as UAE passport holders receive visa-free, electronic, on-arrival, or otherwise simplified entry to each of those destinations.

  • 4 min read

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