In an exclusive interview with Arabian Business, Saeed Mohammed Al Qatami emphasized the critical role of public listings in creating a mature and stable real estate market. As one of the early pioneers of public listing in Dubai, having listed on the Dubai Financial Market in 2007, Deyaar has firsthand experience of the transformative power of corporate transparency.
The Benefits of Public Listing
Al Qatami noted that public companies must adopt a different organizational culture, characterized by rigorous governance and careful decision-making processes. “When you are a public listed company, you must adapt to a different culture, with a lot of governance and processes that ensure decisions are made carefully,” he explained.
The Deyaar CEO highlighted that this approach minimizes mistakes and promotes long-term stability. His company’s financial performance in 2025 seems to validate this strategy: Deyaar reported a 24% rise in net profit to AED406.4 million, with revenue increasing 39% to AED1.45 billion.
Government’s Vision and Market Development
The recent surge in listings and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) reflects the UAE government’s active efforts to broaden market participation and diversify the economy. The success of recent public offerings, such as the Dubai Residential REIT which was 26 times oversubscribed, underscores investor confidence.
“The government’s vision has been very active in the last two years, encouraging more companies to become listed,” Al Qatami said. “It is good for the economy overall to have more companies traded on the market.”
Regional data supports his perspective. A recent EY report highlighted that the Gulf region saw 11 IPOs in the third quarter of 2025, raising approximately $700 million, indicating strong market sentiment across the GCC.
A Mature and Stable Market
For Deyaar, going public has been a journey of continuous improvement. “If you adopt proper governance and make sure the company is managed with the right procedures, it gives long-term stability,” Al Qatami stressed.
As Dubai continues to position itself as a global investment destination, the trend of real estate developers going public seems set to accelerate, promising greater transparency and investor confidence in the market.
Read more about Dubai’s record-breaking real estate sales in 2025.
