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The UAE collection Dubai, November 9–13, 2026

The biggest UAE disputes

Litigations and arbitrations that involve the United Arab Emirates: cases before the DIFC and ADGM Courts, Emirati companies and sovereign investors in London, New York and Hong Kong, and treaty claims by UAE investors. Ranked by the TopDisputes Score. 4 cases are also on the main index, and the other 21 are counted separately, outside its 100 cases.

Explore the casesThe main indexSuggest a UAE case

UAE cases
25
In dispute
$68.2B
Jurisdictions
27
Latest event
Oct 13, 2026

Latest and next

Latest ruling Techteryx v. Aria CommoditiesOct 2 Western Australian court grants Techteryx pre-action discovery against Aria AAAX Latest development Trafigura v. GuptaOct 13 DIFC court corrects the scope of Trafigura’s enforcement undertaking Next up Techteryx v. Aria CommoditiesOct 26 DIFC court hears committal application against Aria DMCC and Brittain

Where the cases stand

From filing to enforcement. In arbitrations the steps read hearing, award and review. Select a step to filter the cases.

The Dubai cases

All 25 cases

No. Case Counsel Court Stage At stake Score AI forecast? Latest event
1 Aircraft Lessors v. Insurers (Russia)Insurers appeal ruling that war-risks cover pays for jets stranded in RussiaIndex No. 52 Pl.Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer +2Def.Holman Fenwick Willan +3 English Court of AppealCL-2022-000294 AppealEnglish Court of Appeal ~$4.5B 56.0 42%War-risks insurers’ appeal fails Oct 5
2 Iraq Telecom v. Korek TelecomAgility-Orange venture enforces a $1.65B award against Korek and its chairman Cl.White & Case +2Resp.Boies Schiller Flexner +1 DIFC Courts25194/AYZ/ELU EnforcementDIFC Courts $1.65B award 46.3 55%Court orders bank to produce documents Oct 9
3 Axis International v. GuineaEmirati miner alleges Guinea unlawfully revoked its Boffa bauxite permit Cl.Volterra FiettaResp.DLA Piper ICSIDARB/26/3 Pre-hearingICSID $28.9B claimed 46.2 43%Tribunal refuses to bifurcate Sep 25
4 Wintershall Dea v. Russia (II)Wintershall Dea claims Russia seized its Siberian gas stakes without adequate compensationIndex No. 85 Cl.Aurelius CottaResp.General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation Arbitral tribunal administered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration2024-42 Pre-hearingArbitral tribunal administered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration €7.5B penalty 43.4 48%Wintershall wins liability award Jun 4
5 Techteryx v. Aria CommoditiesTrueUSD issuer alleges $456M of stablecoin reserves went to Aria in Dubai Pl.Al Tamimi & CompanyDef.Rosenblatt Law DIFC CourtsDEC 001/2025 Pre-trialDIFC Courts $456M frozen 42.4 57%Court finds Aria or Brittain in contempt Oct 2Next Oct 26
6 MFS v. RajaAdministrators allege MFS founder Paresh Raja diverted lender money before the firm collapsed Pl.Kirkland & EllisDef.Mishcon de Reya English High Court FiledEnglish High Court £1.3B frozen 42.1 55%Court combines some claims against Raja Oct 2026
7 Trafigura v. GuptaTrafigura chases Gupta family assets in Dubai after its London nickel fraud judgment Pl.Stephenson HarwoodDef.Not recorded English High CourtCL-2023-000054 EnforcementEnglish High Court ~$700M 37.1 82%DIFC extends Ginni Gupta freeze Oct 13
8 Al Habtoor v. LebanonDubai’s Al Habtoor Group alleges Lebanon failed to protect its hotels and deposits Cl.White & CaseResp.Not recorded ICSIDARB/26/22 FiledICSID $1.7B+ alleged losses 37.0 Insufficient evidence Oct 6
9 Bybit v. North KoreaBybit sues North Korea, which it blames for a $1.5B crypto theft Pl.Cooley +1Def.Not recorded D.D.C.1:26-cv-02173-JDB FiledD.D.C. $1.5B stolen 36.0 45%Default judgment against North Korea Aug 25
10 Crescent Petroleum v. NIOCCrescent pursues assets of Iran’s state oil company to enforce a $2.75B awardIndex No. 96 Cl.McDermott Will & Emery UK +1Resp.Eversheds Sutherland UK Supreme Court[2023] EWCA Civ 826 EnforcementUK Supreme Court $2.75B 35.6 48%NIOC’s Supreme Court appeal fails Aug 2026
11 Dow v. NOVA ChemicalsNOVA Chemicals appeals judgments for running a shared Alberta ethylene plant below capacity Pl.Bennett JonesDef.Not recorded Court of Appeal of Alberta2501-0128AC AppealCourt of Appeal of Alberta $1.2B judgment 35.6 47%Court dismisses NOVA’s appeals Mar 3Next Nov 12
12 Falcon Energy Materials v. GuineaGraphite developer alleges Guinea unlawfully expropriated its Lola project by revoking its license Cl.LALIVEResp.ASAFO & Co. ICSIDARB/26/13 Pre-hearingICSID $100M claimed 33.9 Insufficient evidence Oct 6
13 Mozambique v. PrivinvestMozambique pursues Privinvest and the Safa estate over tuna bonds briberyIndex No. 99 Pl.Peters & PetersDef.Forsters English Court of Appeal[2024] EWHC 1957 EnforcementEnglish Court of Appeal ~$2.3B 32.6 57%Court of Appeal upholds widow’s joinder Aug 2026
14 Byju’s Alpha v. RaveendranByju’s Alpha pursues Byju’s founders and a former director over a $533M transfer Pl.Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & SullivanDef.Not recorded Bankr. D. Del.24-10140 EnforcementBankr. D. Del. $540.6M judgment 31.8 45%Delhi court lets execution proceed Sep 25Next Nov 23
15 Al Sadeq and Quzmar v. UAETwo Jordanian lawyers bring treaty claims against the UAE, alleging mistreatment in detention Cl.Stokoe Partnership Solicitors +1Resp.A&O Shearman ICSIDARB/26/23 FiledICSID Undisclosed 31.4 Insufficient evidence May 29
16 NMC Healthcare v. ShettyAdministrators allege NMC’s founder and former chief executive hid billions in debt Pl.Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & SullivanDef.Farrer & Co +1 ADGM CourtsADGMCFI-2022-299 DecisionADGM Courts $5.4B claimed 30.7 52%Shetty and Manghat both found liable Jul 3
17 SKAT v. Sanjay ShahDenmark’s tax agency appeals its London loss over $1.8B in refunds Pl.Pinsent MasonsDef.Meaby & Co English Court of Appeal[2025] EWHC 2364 AppealEnglish Court of Appeal $1.8B claimed 28.0 46%Court of Appeal dismisses SKAT’s appeal Aug 13Next Mar 9, 2027
18 Mubadala v. SignaMubadala seeks to recover a €700M award from Signa Holding and Benko foundations Cl.Gaillard Banifatemi Shelbaya Disputes +1Resp.Zeiler Partners Rechtsanwälte GmbH +2 ICC EnforcementICC €700M award 26.1 50%Laura recognizes €100M+ of Mubadala claims May 18
19 Abraaj v. KPMGAbraaj liquidators allege KPMG’s negligent audits let losses and regulatory fines mount Pl.Simmons & SimmonsDef.Not recorded DIFC CourtsCFI 041/2021 Pre-trialDIFC Courts $600M claimed 22.6 45%Liquidators settle with KPMG Jan 29
20 Alhathloul v. DarkMatterSaudi activist alleges Emirati cyber firm and former U.S. operatives hacked her iPhone Pl.Electronic Frontier Foundation +3Def.Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld +1 D. Or.3:21-cv-01787-IM Pre-trialD. Or. Unquantified 22.6 32%Alhathloul settles or drops the suit Oct 1, 2025
21 KHNP v. KEPCOKHNP claims $1.1B from parent KEPCO for extra costs at UAE’s Barakah plant Cl.Not recordedResp.Clifford Chance KCABKCAB/IA No. 26112-0010 FiledKCAB $1.1B claimed 22.4 48%KHNP and KEPCO settle the claim Jun 22
22 DP World v. DjiboutiDP World tries to collect awards over Djibouti’s 2018 seizure of the Doraleh terminal Cl.Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & SullivanResp.Not recorded LCIA183886 EnforcementLCIA $685M unpaid awards 20.4 76%Soprim’s charging order stands Jul 24
23 RAKIA v. IndiaRas Al Khaimah fund and India dispute tribunal’s jurisdiction over $273M treaty claim Cl.Jones DayResp.Dentons English Court of AppealCA-2025-002567 ReviewEnglish Court of Appeal $273M claimed 16.8 47%Court of Appeal dismisses India’s appeal May 14
24 Getir Founders v. MubadalaGetir’s founders allege Mubadala withheld assets promised to them in a 2024 restructuring Pl.Not recordedDef.Not recorded English High Court FiledEnglish High Court $700M claimed 16.7 Insufficient evidence Feb 13
25 Emirates NBD v. AlmakhawiEmirates NBD alleges a guarantor moved assets to his children to defeat judgments Pl.Not recordedDef.Not recorded DIFC CourtsCFI 039/2025 Pre-trialDIFC Courts $90M claimed 13.7 45%Bank wins judgment against a defendant Jul 2

Index No. marks a case that is also on the main index, with its place there. The others are counted separately and take no place among the index’s 100 cases. Scores use the same method as the index.

Stakes Impact Impact not rated yet, counted at 50 Timeliness. Bars are drawn to the 100-point scale.

Latest event this week this month this quarter older.

AI forecasts are experimental: generated automatically from each case’s record, published without editorial review and scored publicly as cases resolve. How they are made.

Coming up From the case records

  1. Techteryx v. Aria CommoditiesDIFC court hears committal application against Aria DMCC and Brittain
  2. Dow v. NOVA ChemicalsCourt of Appeal of Alberta hears NOVA’s appeals of the 2025 decisions
  3. Byju’s Alpha v. RaveendranDelhi High Court hears Byju’s Alpha’s enforcement petition
  4. SKAT v. Sanjay ShahCourt of Appeal hears SKAT’s appeal

Latest developments Across the Dubai cases

  1. Oct 13Trafigura v. GuptaOrder DIFC court corrects the scope of Trafigura’s enforcement undertaking
  2. Oct 9Iraq Telecom v. Korek TelecomOrder Pennsylvania court grants Iraq Telecom’s fee motion
  3. Oct 7Iraq Telecom v. Korek TelecomOrder Iraq Telecom seeks New York order against Lebanese bank for documents
  4. Oct 6Falcon Energy Materials v. GuineaOrder ICSID tribunal is constituted
  5. Oct 6Falcon Energy Materials v. GuineaOrder Tribunal is constituted with Barton Legum as president
  6. Oct 6Al Habtoor v. LebanonOrder Arbitration tracker reports tribunal still being formed
  7. Oct 5Aircraft Lessors v. Insurers (Russia)Hearing Operator Policy claims trial opens in Commercial Court
  8. Oct 2Techteryx v. Aria CommoditiesJudgment Western Australian court grants Techteryx pre-action discovery against Aria AAAX
  9. Oct 2026MFS v. RajaOrder Raja asks the High Court to combine claims against him
  10. Sep 25Byju’s Alpha v. RaveendranEnforcement Delhi High Court issues notice on Byju’s Alpha’s enforcement petition

Law firms Points across these cases

  1. 1Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan4.53 cases · biggest: NMC Healthcare v. Shetty
  2. 2Clifford Chance3.52 cases · biggest: Aircraft Lessors v. Insurers (Russia)
  3. 3Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld3.32 cases · biggest: Iraq Telecom v. Korek Telecom
  4. 4White & Case3.22 cases · biggest: Iraq Telecom v. Korek Telecom
  5. 5Al Tamimi & Company3.12 cases · biggest: Techteryx v. Aria Commodities
  6. 6Aurelius Cotta2.01 case · biggest: Wintershall Dea v. Russia (II)
  7. 7Clyde & Co2.01 case · biggest: Aircraft Lessors v. Insurers (Russia)
  8. 8Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer2.01 case · biggest: Aircraft Lessors v. Insurers (Russia)

The firm ranking

About this page

TopDisputes put these cases together for Dubai Arbitration Week 2026, November 9–13, 2026. Each case is scored like the cases on the index: 30% stakes, 50% impact and 20% timeliness. The cases are checked against public sources: court registers, published judgments and awards, and reputable reporting. They are re-checked roughly weekly.

TopDisputes is independent. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Dubai International Arbitration Centre or Dubai Arbitration Week.

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