Mohamed Alabbar: 'We live in an incredible country, with great leadership. The future looks much better'

In the presence of Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), Founder & Managing Director of Emaar Properties Mohamed Alabbar revealed that Emaar’s sales backlog — the value of property sales yet to be recognised as revenue — stood at around Dhs180 billion, while indicating its collection rate reached 98% like last year, recovering from a temporary decline during the regional tension. Speaking at the ninth Sharjah Investment Forum (SIF 2026) on Thursday, he cited the figures as evidence of sustained customer confidence in the UAE, crediting the country’s stability and leadership for its resilience.

Providing an insight into Emaar’s performance, Alabbar said the developer typically sells around 4,000 units monthly, with approximately 600 cancellations. Although cancellations temporarily doubled to around 1,200 amid the changing regional situation, they have since declined to fewer than 600. Collections remained at 98% throughout the period, while millions of shoppers on his e-commerce platform, noon, continued purchasing without hesitation. He also reported that hospitality activity was running more than 60% above previous levels.

“We are still collecting exactly like before. That shows you customer confidence,” Alabbar said during a fireside chat titled ‘The CEO’s Playbook: Leading Through Constant Change’, moderated by radio host and entrepreneur Kris Fade.

“We live in an incredible country, with great substance and great leadership. The future looks much better.”

Alabbar, who also chairs Eagle Hills, identified the UAE’s stability, leadership and quality of life as critical advantages at a time of growing global uncertainty.

He argued that investors and families are increasingly prioritising personal security, education and long-term stability over traditional financial incentives when deciding where to establish businesses and build their lives.

“Forget about tax. People are moving to countries where life and education are safe,” he said.

Placing these decisions in a wider global context, Alabbar pointed to the United States’ approximately Dhs 146.9 trillion debt burden and the economic implications of instability in major markets.

The 69-year-old entrepreneur also reflected on the increasing frequency of major disruptions and the importance of maintaining confidence through uncertainty.

“History shows a major disaster such as war, famine, earthquake, flood or disease roughly every two years and four months. Earlier Covid was a big surprise, and then the air war was shocking. None of us had gone through this before,” he said. “We are in an unstable world, but that should not stop us.”

Turning to business leadership, Alabbar urged entrepreneurs and executives to abandon rigid long-term planning in favor of more frequent strategic reviews, arguing that technological advances and changing market conditions demand greater agility.

“You need to adjust every three months. Five-year budgets should be indicative,” he said.

He also identified artificial intelligence as a competitive necessity, encouraging business leaders to develop practical familiarity with the technology rather than treating it as a distant priority.