Perspective

A World on Edge:
Why Entrepreneurs Are Rethinking Their Future and Why Some Look to Dubai

Protests in Europe, pressure on costs and a lot of uncertainty about what comes next. Why some founders are rethinking where to build, and what Dubai can and cannot offer.

By Imran Mirza·Founder & CEO, XILLION Group UAE
19 October 2026
7 min read
Imran Mirza, Founder & CEO of XILLION Group UAE, beside the headline "A World on Edge. Dubai in focus."

The mayor of Paris wrote this month that his city must remain a place where people can work and run a business safely. In most years nobody would feel the need to say it. The sentence points at what many business owners are weighing right now: not whether to carry on, but where it makes sense to build.

I was born and raised in the UAE, and I have 18+ years of working life here, including nearly seven years at Barclays and ADCB working with business clients and account opening, and 12 years in business setup. In my career I have supported 300+ companies. I will stick to what I can verify, and say where the limits are.

What October looked like in Europe

None of these describes a whole country.

In France, nationwide protests on 17 October over living costs and conditions in schools turned violent in several cities. The Associated Press reported at least 1,800 arrests, hundreds of businesses looted and the City Hall in Limoges set on fire. Authorities counted about 550,000 people on the marches, and the AP noted that violence at the edges of otherwise peaceful French marches is common.

In Belgium, the two largest unions called a national strike on 9 October against budget cuts. Police said the march of about 30,000 people passed off peacefully. Later, groups near Brussels Central Station threw bottles, bricks, stones and fireworks at police and set fires, and 21 people were detained, 13 of them minors. The strike also disrupted public transport and air travel.

In Tirana on 14 October, riots lasted more than eight hours after months of anti-government rallies. At least four ministry buildings were damaged and 35 people were detained.

Reuters described the Belgian strike as part of a wave of protests across Europe, including student marches in France and Italy and housing protests in Spain.

Slower pressures

The UK's Office for National Statistics estimates that 246,000 British nationals left the country long term in 2025, about 4% fewer than the year before. The ONS does not say why. A Censuswide poll of 500 UK business owners with turnover of £5m or more, run for S&W in April and May 2025, found 39% considering moving their business abroad because they did not see the UK as supportive of entrepreneurs.

In Turkey, annual inflation was 29.73% in September, down from 31.51% in August and the lowest since November 2021, according to TurkStat data published by the central bank. It is falling, but it is still hard for anyone setting prices and wages.

UBS, in a report published on 11 March 2026, surveyed 215 entrepreneurs, mostly its clients, between 29 October and 10 December 2025. Some 45% said they were looking to relocate or expand to another country or location (51% in Europe), and 64% of them named access to new customers. Mostly ambition, from a small, selected sample.

What this does to a business

This is my view, not a statistic. Disruption rarely closes a company on its own. It shortens everyone's horizon. Staff cannot reach the office and suppliers delay. Customers hold off on commitments, and owners start to wonder whether the next five years can be planned at all. Relocation tends to follow when the doubt lasts months rather than days.

No place is free of risk

No jurisdiction is free of risk, and Dubai is no exception. Anyone weighing a move should look at global economic and geopolitical uncertainty, regulatory change and market conditions, in the UAE as much as anywhere else, and take professional advice before deciding. I would also be wary of anyone who presents a move as a guarantee of anything.

What Dubai still offers

The practical case is about rules and access. Dubai International connects to 217 destinations in 99 countries, according to Dubai Airports.

Mainland companies can be 100% foreign owned for most activities, and free zone companies can be fully foreign owned. Some activities stay restricted, including banks, exchange, financing and insurance, telecommunications, and security and defence, so check your activity and licence before you plan around ownership.

For investors and founders there are residency routes. The Dubai Land Department and GDRFA Dubai describe 10-year renewable permits for qualifying investors, while the federal portal lists 5 or 10 years depending on the category. For its property route, the Dubai Land Department states a purchase value of AED 2 million or more at the time of purchase. All of it is subject to authority approval.

On safety, Gallup's 2024 survey, published in September 2025, placed the Gulf states including the UAE among the countries where people feel safest walking alone at night. That measures perception, not crime figures, and it says nothing about any one person's experience.

Tax is simpler than people expect. There is no personal income tax. Corporate tax is 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% on taxable income above it. Taxable income starts from accounting net profit and is then adjusted under the Corporate Tax Law. A qualifying free zone company can pay 0% on qualifying income only. VAT is 5%. Large groups with revenue of EUR 750 million or more also fall under a domestic minimum top-up tax. Your home country may still tax you, so take advice there first.

Where I land

Side by side, most of this disruption is ordinary for most people: a strike day, a closed road, a bank slow to answer. What business owners are really measuring is whether they can plan. A founder can live with a high tax bill or a hard market if the rules hold still long enough to build around them. What wears people down is not knowing whether next year will look like this one.

That is why I would not sell Dubai as a refuge. The narrower case is the better one: ownership, residency and tax rules that are written down and published by the authorities. Rules can change, in the UAE as elsewhere, so read the current official pages and take advice. Many people will decide to stay where they are, and for plenty of them that is the right call. If you are weighing a move, test it against your own numbers and your own worst year, not the best one.

For entrepreneurs, stability is not a luxury. It is the foundation on which businesses, investments and families build their future.

If it would help to talk it through, including the reasons not to move, contact us. We are here. Approvals, visas and bank accounts are decided by the authorities and the banks, and nobody can promise them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are entrepreneurs moving to Dubai in 2026?
Some founders look at Dubai because it combines no personal income tax, 100% foreign ownership for most activities, residency routes for investors and founders, and strong air connectivity. It is not risk free, and no jurisdiction is. Anyone weighing a move should consider global economic and geopolitical uncertainty, regulatory change and market conditions, and take professional advice. European entrepreneurs moving to Dubai are weighing both sides.
What should I weigh before relocating a business to Dubai?
Start with your activity and licence, because some activities are restricted for foreign ownership. Check the corporate tax position: 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000, 9% above it, and 0% for a qualifying free zone company on qualifying income only. Check your residency route, which is subject to authority approval, and whether your home country will still tax you. Then weigh global economic and geopolitical uncertainty, regulatory change and market conditions, in the UAE as anywhere else, and take professional advice in both countries. Dubai business stability, like anywhere, is something to test against your own plan.
What tax does the UAE charge?
There is no personal income tax, but businesses are taxed. Corporate tax is 0% on taxable income up to AED 375,000 and 9% on taxable income above it. Taxable income starts from accounting net profit and is adjusted under the Corporate Tax Law. A qualifying free zone company can pay 0% on qualifying income only. VAT is 5%. Large groups with revenue of EUR 750 million or more also fall under a domestic minimum top-up tax. These are the UAE tax advantages and limits in brief.
Can a foreigner own 100% of a company in the UAE?
Yes, for most activities. The UAE government portal states that mainland companies can be 100% foreign owned for most activities, with restricted activities such as banks, exchange, financing and insurance, telecommunications, and security and defence. Free zone companies can be fully foreign owned. Rules differ by activity and licence and are subject to authority approval, so check before starting UAE company formation.
Can business owners get a UAE Golden Visa?
Some can, subject to authority approval. The Dubai Land Department and GDRFA Dubai describe 10-year renewable permits for qualifying investors, while the federal portal lists 5 or 10 years depending on the category. For its property route, the Dubai Land Department states a purchase value of AED 2 million or more at the time of purchase. Approval is never guaranteed, including for people investing in Dubai through property.
Does moving my company to Dubai end my home-country tax?
Not automatically. Your tax position depends on where you are resident, where the company is managed and the rules of the country you leave. Take professional advice in both countries before any Dubai business relocation.

Sources

All pages accessed 19 October 2026.

Events in Europe

Economic pressure and surveys

Connectivity and safety perception

Tax, ownership and residency (official)

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Related reading: UK and European founders leaving for Dubai · UAE Golden Visa guide · UAE corporate tax guide · mainland or free zone · what business setup costs · tax residency and days needed · Saudi Arabia versus UAE · corporate bank accounts · business setup in Dubai · Golden Visa services · UAE corporate tax · contact us

Imran Mirza, XILLION Group UAE
Imran Mirza
Imran Mirza is the Founder and CEO of XILLION Group UAE. He has 18+ years in the UAE, including nearly seven years at Barclays and ADCB working with business clients and account opening, and 12 years in business setup. He writes about company formation, Golden Visas, corporate tax and banking.
This article is for general information only and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visas and residency are subject to authority approval, and rules can change. Your tax position in your home country depends on its own laws, so speak to a qualified adviser there before you act.