Dubai is home to more than 200 real-estate developers bringing new projects to market each year. We tracked how often developers were mentioned across leading UAE outlets over the past year and compiled a TOP-12 of the most frequently cited, ranging from global heavyweights to ambitious players whose recent launches kept them in the headlines.
Samana has built a steady media profile on the back of a fast launch cadence in mid-market communities, pairing lifestyle amenities with accessible payment plans. Recent pipeline highlights include Samana Barari Views—marketed with private-pool apartments—and the upcoming Barari Heights in Majan/Dubailand. Together they reflect a wellness-first brief and an emphasis on amenity density that editors like to cover.
On its own channels, the company frames itself as one of the UAE’s fastest-growing private developers, leaning on investor-friendly structures and repeatable product in Dubailand and JVC. That combination—predictable roll-outs, clear positioning, and a value-led price point—keeps Samana visible in mainstream real-estate coverage without relying on mega-projects.
A newer entrant carving a niche in branded living, Mira Developments outlines partnerships across fashion and design. Its flagship Mira Coral Bay is presented as a joint venture with Marjan in Ras Al Khaimah, while in Dubai the company markets Trussardi Residences in Al Furjan and Mira Villas designed by Bentley Home. The official narrative focuses on fully furnished, ready-to-move concepts and resort-style amenities.
Despite its smaller scale, Mira’s brand-driven approach makes for frequent headlines. Designer tie-ins (e.g., Bentley Home) offer a clear editorial angle and speak to how branded residences are evolving in the region. That, coupled with a pipeline of curated services and hospitality-like operations, helps the developer punch above its weight in the news cycle.
Select Group’s sustained coverage is tied to execution at Peninsula in Business Bay and a long track record on waterfront plots. Corporate materials put the delivered and under-development portfolio at 20+ million sq ft across Dubai and abroad, positioning the firm as a scale player with a clear specialism in water-adjacent sites and placemaking.
The co-developed, brand-residence Jumeirah Living Business Bay has also kept Select Group in the spotlight. Between the multi-phase Peninsula roll-out and high-end partnerships, the company generates a steady stream of official updates—construction milestones, new releases, and handovers—that business desks pick up with regularity.
Danube stays in mainstream headlines by pairing high-volume launches with quick sell-through claims in the mid-market segment. The developer continues to expand in Dubai Maritime City via Oceanz, while growing its JVC footprint through the Elitz series. Both lines are clearly documented on Danube’s channels, with frequent progress notes and release dates.
Beyond individual launches, Danube’s communications lean on handover momentum and amenity-rich designs—features that resonate with mass-market readers and keep the company visible across general business pages. That reliable flow of updates, rather than any single mega-site, explains its consistent media frequency through the cycle.
Ellington’s design-led positioning sustains regular attention across business and lifestyle desks. In 2024–2025 the developer spotlighted One River Point in Business Bay and Mercer House in Uptown/JLT, each framed around architecture, interiors, and community amenities. The company’s materials foreground quiet luxury over spectacle, which aligns well with editorial interest in design quality.
Ellington also advanced The Sanctuary, a boutique villa master community at District 11, outlining lagoon-front clusters and landscaping as core differentiators. Without relying on mega-scale, the brand’s consistent roll-outs and strong creative direction give editors a steady stream of angles—launches, design features, and neighborhood stories.
OMNIYAT’s ultra-luxury brief and capital-markets activity make it a fixture in the news. In April–May 2025 the group priced and listed a USD 500m green sukuk, marking its debut in international debt markets and signaling institutional confidence in its development pipeline. That financing story, unusual for a private developer, drew attention beyond the real-estate beat.
On the ground, OMNIYAT continues to reshape the Marasi Bay waterfront in the Burj Khalifa District and introduced LUMENA, a 260-metre commercial tower positioned as a new workplace benchmark. Clear project pages, regular construction updates, and a tightly defined ultra-prime focus give editors plenty to track from announcement to delivery.
Under Dubai Holding Real Estate, Meraas has kept a steady rhythm of community updates. The company launched The Acres, a villa neighborhood in Dubailand, and continues new phases within Nad Al Sheba Gardens—including a AED 690m construction award for Phase 4 in May 2025. The messaging is consistent: family-oriented master planning with strong public-realm investment.
At the top end, Jumeirah Residences – Emirates Towers adds branded apartments with Jumeirah services in the Trade Centre area. The portfolio’s breadth—suburban villas, central luxury addresses, and mixed-use precincts—means Meraas shows up in multiple sections of the news cycle, from city planning to hospitality-adjacent real estate.
Two headline magnets drive Azizi’s visibility. First, the Azizi Venice master community in Dubai South, which the developer positions around waterfront living, future public-transport links, and large-format retail and leisure components. Second, Burj Azizi, announced as a 725-metre landmark on Sheikh Zayed Road. Both narratives come with detailed official hubs and frequent updates.
Scale and ambition are the through-line. Azizi’s materials emphasize connectivity (including planned metro/rail interfaces for Venice) and placemaking at district level. Those factors push the developer’s news beyond trade press and into general-interest business coverage, where big numbers and skyline-shaping propositions carry weight.
Sobha’s mix of financing milestones and delivery keeps it high in the mentions league. The developer issued a USD 300m sukuk in 2023 (later tapped), with official statements detailing structure and use of proceeds—an event that drew attention from financial media as well as property reporters. It reinforced the company’s image as a disciplined, growth-minded private player.
Operationally, Sobha is expanding Sobha Hartland II, described as an ~8-million-sq-ft gated community with lagoons and green corridors. The emphasis on landscape, privacy, and controlled phasing provides a steady stream of updates—from launches to handovers—that keeps the brand present in regular news cycles.
DAMAC’s name cycles through headlines thanks to a blend of large master plans and high-profile brand tie-ups. The official community page for DAMAC Islands lays out a seafront district with leisure-led programming and hospitality anchors, while Chelsea Residences in Dubai Maritime City formalises a branded-living partnership that appeals to lifestyle desks as much as business pages.
That dual narrative—district-scale seafront planning plus marquee collaborations—gives DAMAC durable editorial traction. Corporate communications on both fronts are comprehensive, so reporters have clear source material at each stage of the roll-out, from early releases to construction progress and sales milestones.
The revival of Palm Jebel Ali is a top-tier story driver, and Nakheel’s press room has documented a cadence of contract awards and design reveals. In June 2025 the developer disclosed over AED 750m in infrastructure contracts for Palm Jebel Ali, with completion targeted for Q4 2026, underscoring momentum at the mega-development and giving newsrooms hard updates to cover.
Beyond Palm Jebel Ali, Nakheel’s archive captures villa releases, utilities partnerships, and awards across its waterfront and suburban portfolio. The transparent update cycle on signature assets—and the sheer brand recognition of the “Palm” name—keeps Nakheel consistently near the top of UAE real-estate coverage.
As Dubai’s largest developer, Emaar anchors the news cycle through destination investments and market-moving results. Official communications confirm a AED 1.5bn expansion of Dubai Mall, adding 240 luxury retail and dining options, while the masterplan The Oasis extends Emaar’s footprint in villa communities. Those two pillars alone generate recurring regional and global attention.
Financially, Emaar’s H1 2025 update reported a ~46% year-on-year jump in property sales (≈AED 46bn), and shareholders approved a 100% dividend (AED 8.8bn) for 2024. Combined with an active launch calendar and a deep land bank, that performance explains why Emaar remains the most-referenced Dubai developer across mainstream business media.
The United Arab Emirates is the world's strategically located business hub, with business-friendly free zones, developed IT sector and the second-largest economy in the Arab world. Numerous ventures from various industries emerge here every year, enjoying good economical climate, developed ecosystem, low taxes, and many other advantages of UAE. During its continuous growth, UAE's economy helped many local companies to grow with it, becoming globally-recognized brands. On Comingsoon.ae, we created a list of these brands, with our short reviews about their success stories.
