Emaar Properties

Emaar was founded in 1997 by Mohamed Alabbar and floated on the Dubai Financial Market in 2000. It built the district most visitors picture when they think of Dubai: Downtown Dubai, with Burj Khalifa (opened 2010), The Dubai Mall (2008 to 2009) and Dubai Opera. Its UAE homes business is run through a separately listed subsidiary, Emaar Development (DFM: EMAARDEV). In May 2026 the Investment Corporation of Dubai transferred its entire 22.27% stake to a Dubai Holding subsidiary, which made Dubai Holding the largest shareholder with 29.73%. Dubai Holding also owns Nakheel, Meraas and Dubai Properties.

Emaar sells almost entirely inside its own master communities. Its website lists ten in the UAE, all in Dubai. Five are established: Downtown Dubai, Dubai Creek Harbour, Dubai Hills Estate, Emaar Beachfront and Emaar South. Five are at an earlier stage: The Valley, The Oasis, Rashid Yachts & Marina, Grand Polo Club & Resort and The Heights Country Club & Wellness. Outside the UAE its main markets are Egypt and India, which produced under 5% of group revenue in the first half of 2026.

The company says it has delivered more than 130,900 homes since 2002. It also owns a large income-producing portfolio of malls and hotels, which gave it about 31% of group EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) in the first half of 2026. That recurring income is the main structural difference between Emaar and most private Dubai developers, which depend on off-plan sales alone.

2026 was a harder year for Dubai, yet Emaar kept selling. Group property sales were AED 26.6 billion in the first half, and the revenue backlog (sold homes not yet recognised as revenue) stood at AED 164.9 billion on 30 June 2026. Management said launches were calibrated to the regional environment, and still made 11 residential launches in six months. In June 2026 it announced a new AED 200 billion master plan in central Dubai intended to house nearly 150,000 residents. Its nine-month results, as shown on its website, put the backlog at AED 158.8 billion.

Emaar publishes payment terms project by project, and we have not found a single standard plan in its public material. Check the payment schedule on the sales offer for each launch, and see each development page on this site for the plan we have verified.