The Ministry of Economy has stepped up anti-money-laundering (AML) enforcement across designated non-financial businesses and professions (DNFBPs)—including real-estate brokers, precious-metals dealers and virtual-asset service providers—levying more than AED 130 million in fines since late 2022. A policy note released on 19 February 2026 underscores that inspections will intensify in the run-up to the UAE’s next Financial Action Task Force (FATF) mutual evaluation later this year.

The clamp-down is highly relevant to mobility and relocation stakeholders because property purchases are a common pathway to residency, and corporate-service providers often handle visa sponsorship for…