"Economy and tourism" Emphasizes the necessity of private joint stock companies committing to hold their general assemblies before June 30, 2026

Abu Dhabi, June 8, 2026 – The Ministry of Economy and Tourism stressed the importance of private joint-stock companies’ commitment to holding their annual general assemblies within the specified legal dates, and no later than June 30, 2026, for companies whose fiscal year ended on December 31, 2025, in order to ensure compliance with the provisions of the regulating legislation and to enhance the principles of governance and transparency, and to avoid the application of administrative penalties against them.

The Ministry explained that holding the General Assembly within this time frame represents a fundamental legal obligation that entails approving the audited financial statements, discussing the governance report, and making strategic decisions, in accordance with the provisions of Federal Decree Law No. 32 of 2021 regarding commercial companies, and supports the objectives of the law in regulating companies and protecting shareholders’ rights.

As part of the government’s move towards eliminating bureaucracy, the Ministry announced that services for renewing registration and approving holding the annual general assembly meeting have become completely instant services through its official website, in the absence of special decisions that require additional review, and this reflects the advanced digital transformation in the economic services provided by the Ministry and enhances the efficiency of government services, and thus enables companies to complete their procedures without delay.

His Excellency Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, stressed that the UAE, thanks to the vision and directives of its wise leadership, was keen to provide a modern legislative and regulatory environment and integrated and advanced economic services for the business sector, driven by the trend towards technology, digital transformation and innovation, enabling companies to carry out their economic and investment activities in the country in accordance with best practices, and in line with the country’s economic model, based on knowledge and development of the new economy, in line with the determinants of the “We Are the Emirates 2031” vision.

He added that the commitment of private joint-stock companies to hold general assemblies on their legal dates, and to submit governance reports and financial statements via digital systems, reflects the maturity of the business environment in the country, its high competitiveness, and its adherence to the best advanced governance standards. He pointed out that the Ministry has worked to transform services into immediate digital services in line with the vision of the UAE government to enhance efficiency and transparency, protect the rights of investors and partners, enhance investor confidence, and support companies’ direction towards listing and growth.

In this context, the Ministry of Economy and Tourism stressed that failure to adhere to the specified deadlines is considered a violation that requires the application of administrative penalties according to the principle of gradualism, starting with a warning and granting a period for correction, all the way to fines that may reach 10 million dirhams and other strict measures in the event of repetition, in accordance with the provisions of the Decree-Law regarding commercial companies, and Cabinet Resolution No. “102” of 2022 regarding the relevant administrative sanctions list.

The Ministry indicated that adherence to the association contract represents a basic condition for the continuity of the company’s legal registration, in accordance with the Minister of Economy’s Resolution No. (137) of 2024, which linked the renewal of companies’ registration in the register to the submission of minutes of annual general assemblies and audited financial statements.

The Ministry stresses the importance of enhancing the representation of women on corporate boards of directors, as it is one of the basic pillars of good governance and institutional diversity, and in line with the state’s trends in supporting women’s participation in decision-making positions, and in line with the Minister of Economy’s Resolution No. (137) of 2024, which required women’s representation on boards of directors to enhance balance, improve the quality of decisions, and raise institutional performance.

In the context of developing the investment environment, the Ministry confirmed that the recent amendments to the Commercial Companies Law have provided broader opportunities for private joint stock companies to transform into listed companies and offer their shares for private subscription, thus contributing to the development of financial markets and opening new horizons for investment.

The Ministry explained that it attaches great importance to the role of general assemblies as the highest legal framework for making fundamental decisions in companies, and that the meetings of general assemblies and boards of directors must form a lively environment that allows partners and shareholders the freedom to exchange opinions and discuss directions in all transparency, with the importance of accommodating differences and accepting pluralism in investment and legal viewpoints under the umbrella of the provisions of the Companies Law, and in the interest of the company and developing its financial and competitive performance.

She added that she monitors companies’ compliance with the provisions of the law through advanced supervisory systems, and pays special attention to the quality of governance reports and adherence to regulatory controls and financial disclosure, and adopts a supervisory approach based on a balance between facilitation and compliance, as procedures have been simplified to a minimum, in exchange for applying clear penalties for cases of non-compliance, in a way that achieves institutional discipline and protects shareholders’ rights, noting that the measures stipulated in the list of administrative penalties will be taken against companies that are late in submitting their reports or holding their assemblies within the periods. specified.

The Ministry called for taking advantage of immediate and developed digital services and ensuring that its assemblies are held within the legally specified time frame, as the Ministry provided, through electronic services on its official website, a unified and easy-to-use platform to receive requests to hold annual general assemblies and submit the required reports and documents. The service became immediate without any delay, and virtual attendance and electronic voting techniques were activated in accordance with the highest standards of governance.

To access the Ministry’s electronic services, you can visit the link:

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