One of the rights of foreign property ownership in Abu Dhabi is the 99-year lease under which a buyer owns the property but not the land it sits on, this is owned by the government or a developer. This lease structure is common in many regions, especially in the regions that demand property and restrict ownership of land. It has certain specificity and difficulties sticking to it, but it offers quite many advantages at the same time. Overview Of 99-Year Leases While a 99-year lease is a legal relationship between the property owner and the actual owner of the land, which is most often the government or the developer. Even though the buyer takes full possession of the property, he or she does not own the real estate land. This leasing model is advantageous because it is an easy way for lessees to bypass the banned rule of foreign nationals from owning land in Abu Dhabi without outright purchase. Key Features Ownership of the Property: Purchasers can occupy, leasing, or subleasing, or selling the property as they wish during the Lease Period. Land Ownership: The land still belongs to the government or a developer. Renewal Option: At the end of the term of the lease, such lease may be continued for other terms as provided by the owner of the land. This structure is especially suitable for expatriates and international investors who are interested in penetrating into the rapidly growing Abi Dhabi property market. Pros Of 99-Year Leases The 99-year lease arrangement has some benefits that will justify its adoption for property purchase and investors in Abu Dhabi.   Long-Term Security A ninety nine year lease is a long lease and can give property owners time for individual or business utilization. Apart from guaranteeing the safety of investors’ money, it also deals in stocks with long-term stability.   Property Ownership Rights Despite the fact that the land is leased, the buyer himself becomes the full owner of the property. Leasing makes it possible to freely utilize a property for rental, sale, or even alteration as long as legal requirements of the lease contract have been met.   Market Access for Foreigners Non-UAE nationals are unable to own freehold land in many parts of Abu Dhabi due to the emirates real estate laws. The 99-year lease is the substitute for the foreign interest in owning a piece of the market without allowing full ownership of the land.   Investment Potential Firms dealing with properties that are under 99-year leases commonly see the values soar because there is a lot of demand for property in Abu Dhabi. This makes them attractive in the endeavour of finding long term returns for investors.   Renewable Terms Most leases being renewable after their expiration mean that the property can be used in the next generations as it is. It is normally agreed with the landowner based on certain renewal terms. Cons Of 99-Year Leases In fact, the more appealing long term lease model also has its concerns and some disadvantages have been perceived out of it.   No Land Ownership The tendency of property buying under a 99-year leasehold is that the buyer cannot own the land. This restriction could also negatively affect the value proposition of the property as against other freehold solutions.   Uncertainty Upon Expiry Leases may be given for renewable but, it is not automatically certain that the landowner will be willing to accept his renewal terms.   Potential for Reversion In case of failure to renew or extend the lease the owners loses ownership of the property and transfers to the landowner.   Limited Loan Availability Certain institutions of finance may be rather reluctant in funding property in situations where freehold tenure is not apparent, but limited to a ninety-nine year hold leash.   Depreciation Towards Expiry During the last years of the lease the value of the property can be low because of the risk associated with renewals. When The Lease Expires? Critics of the use 99 year lease holds include, one of them being what will happen after the expiration of the agreement period. Here’s an overview of the potential scenarios:   Renewal of the Lease Fortunately, in most cases property lessees have the chance to extend the lease. Renewal terms are agreed with the landowner and renewal can come with extra lease costs or new rules and regulations to follow.   Reversion of Ownership When this lease is not renewed, then the property reverts back to the owner of the land. It often emerges when the owner does not meet the renewal conditions or when the landowner does not want to renew the tender.   Compensation In some occasions property owners may be reimbursed the value of property in event of non renewal of the lease.   Legal Protections In Abu Dhabi’s real estate laws there are provisions to safeguard owners’ interest of freehold properties under 99 years lease holding. Helpful Advice To Buyers If you are considering purchasing a property under a 99-year lease in Abu Dhabi, here are some practical tips to ensure a smooth experience:   Learn about Lease Contract Study the renewal clause, the right to change essential conditions, also, look through the possible expenses. If considering incurring debt is complicated, consult with a lawyer.   Assess Long-Term Plans Think seriously if the 99-year lease corresponds to your plans for the future this is for instance inheritance, expansion of business and others.   Verify Renewal Policies Check the existing renewal policies before purchasing a property from the landowner or the developer. You should understand these terms to enable you to plan for the future. Should You Be Concerned? For the majority of consumers, a 99-year lease in Abu Dhabi should not be problematic. The term is long enough to make use of it for personal or great for commercial purposes, and having the option to renew adds to the bonus. Final Thoughts Abu Dhabi’s system of having a 99-year lease is a

Finance has never been as vibrant as it is today. Technological advancements are transforming everything from how to further relate nations, trade, and secure financial transactions. One initiative at the very forefront of this onslaught is Project Aber: the innovative collaboration between the UAE and Saudi Arabia working towards revolutionizing cross-border payments with digital currency. Project Aber was launched in 2019 as part of the step towards financial integration, technological progress, and deepened economic cooperation between the two countries. This blog will try to elaborate on the core components of Project Aber, including its aims, outline, and accomplishments. What is Project Aber Abu Dhabi? Project Aber was initiated as a collaborative effort from both the UAE and Saudi Arabia to ascertain the development of shared digital currency. Aber is built for both domestic as well as cross-border transactions and aims to look forward towards modernizing the payment systems between the two countries through the adoption of Distributed Ledger Technology. It views the potential for a Central Bank Digital Currency that would facilitate frictionless financial transactions in a way that reduces friction and increases speed and security in cross-border trade. In essence, Project Aber is an investigation into the ability of digital currencies and DLT to alter financial ecosystems forward. Using innovative technology, it looks to solve some of the most pressing challenges associated with cross-border payments: inefficiencies and security concerns. It aims to create a digital currency that will not only enhance bilateral trade between the UAE and Saudi Arabia but also lay the foundation for further financial integration in the GCC region. Project Aber Abu Dhabi Objectives There were quite a few top-level objectives behind starting Project Aber and now guiding its development since its launch: Project Aber: For understanding the possibility of using DLT practically to benefit financial systems, the core objective was how DLT can be practically used and can improve financial systems. A large number of research and development have been done on how DLT would be helpful to enhance transparency, security, and efficiency of the transactions. Cross Border Payment Upgradation: Traditionally, the interbank payment system has not succeeded well. Majorly in case of cross-border payments. Regarding this problem an effort towards that solution is given with the appearance of a digital currency solution put forth by Project Aber. That should make fast payment easier between UAE and Saudi Arabia by cutting the costs associated with these settlements besides decreasing time required to be taken by these cross border settlements. Benchmarking to International Standards: All the efforts in Project Aber were targeted toward the evaluation of findings and methodologies of the same in comparison to that of international levels within the CBDC project. Hence, this project looked toward benchmarking from the international standard for ensuring that developed solutions could readily scale up across different regions. Structure of Project Aber Abu Dhabi Project Aber has three phases through which the actual tests and grooming would be tried towards the fantastic ends of being achieved: There will be straight contact with Saudi Central Bank, UAE Central Bank to have transaction direct between those two nations to test and put it to strict functional and secure checks of its digital currency by using it within cross-border settlements of the said two nations. Domestic Settlement between the Two Countries The testing of the digital currency was to be done in the domestic transactions between the two countries. This included three commercial banks from the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which both helped to determine how the digital currency would work in a real banking environment. Cross Border Transactions Between Commercial Banks The last phase of the project determined whether commercial banks from each country would use the virtual money in conducting cross border transactions. This entails identifying and detailing its application toward more dispersed implementations within the two commercial banks’ operational setup of handling cross border payments. Key Features of Project Aber Several differentiating features distinguish Project Aber from other digital currency initiatives, which may contribute to the uniqueness and success of this venture: Active Role By Commercial Banks Six commercial banks participated in the initiative, three from each country. Commercial banks played an active role in the design and testing of the digital currency. Their role was helpful since the development was based on practical and real banking needs, and simultaneously, it helped find potential risks and areas for improvement. The Other Special Aspect Of Project Aber Design Is Decentralization. The project allowed the flexibilities, scabilities, and security needs for participating banks while distributing the infrastructures of this digital currency in various nodes to ensure it reduces the risks brought about by a centralized control element. Liquidity Problem The huge liquidity problem depicts the cross border payment as quite a few banks need to carry gigantic Nostro accounts that entail. Project Aber would bring some relief in respect of this much needed and painful liquidity burden that would erect much more effective and efficient very cheap cross border system and harmonize money movements between two banks. Guiding Principles of Project Aber Several guidelines are presented by the principles behind developing Project Aber: Active Engagement of Commercial Banks: Commercial banks were engaged at all the stages of development project right from technical development to business implementation on close consultation basis. Such co-operation served to meet the pragmatic needs of both central as well as commercial banks. Real money: Real money was used on the testing side. All this was making a real money contribution to the process. This, in turn led to the thought of introducing realism into the process. This however ensured the fact that apart from working just fine, this system will just work with any ready payment infrastructure as already in existence such as through RTGS systems. Commitment to Security and Efficiency: Considering the risks in the case of cross-border transactions, security and efficiency were more or less at the front of designing the project. Cybersecurity was highly strict at each step, considering the fact that digital