Parties with Dubai-seated or UAE-governed arbitration agreements can now confidently apply to the UAE courts to preserve evidence without breaching their arbitration clause or risking dismissal of future arbitral proceedings. A 2025 Dubai Court of Cassation decision has confirmed that court applications for the preservation of evidence are procedural in nature and protective, not substantive claims. As a result, these types of application do not fall within the scope of arbit

Over the past three years the Middle East has continued its pronounced shift toward modernised, arbitration-friendly dispute-resolution frameworks. Governments and major regional institutions have adopted new institutional rules, encouraged procedural innovation and, in some jurisdictions, are pursuing legislative reform designed to bring domestic arbitration law into closer alignment with international practice. The result is a patchwork of rapid evolution, selective legisla