Emaar Development, the UAE’s largest listed property developer, has reported first-quarter 2026 results showing record sales of 7,200 residential units across its Dubai and international projects — an 18 percent increase on Q1 2025. Total revenue reached AED 12.4 billion for the quarter, with net profit of AED 2.9 billion, representing a 22 percent year-on-year increase.
Dubai Property Market Remains Resilient
Emaar’s Dubai pipeline delivered 4,400 of the 7,200 units sold in Q1 2026, with flagship communities including Dubai Hills Estate, Dubai Creek Harbour, and The Valley accounting for the majority of transactions. The average selling price across Dubai projects was AED 2,180 per square foot, up from AED 1,940 per square foot in Q1 2025 — a 12 percent appreciation that reflects sustained demand from end-users and international investors.
International investors — defined as buyers without UAE residency — represented 47 percent of Emaar’s Dubai unit buyers in Q1 2026, up from 39 percent in the same quarter of 2025. The top source markets by transaction value were India, the United Kingdom, Russia, and China, consistent with the trends reported by the Dubai Land Department across the broader Dubai market.
New Project Launches and Landbank
Emaar launched four new projects in Q1 2026 with a combined gross development value (GDV) of AED 18.3 billion. The headline launch was Address Residences Dubai Creek Harbour, a super-luxury tower offering branded residences priced from AED 4.8 million. All 340 units sold out within 72 hours of the launch event, generating AED 2.1 billion in sales — Emaar’s fastest single-tower sellout on record.
Emaar’s total landbank stands at 240 million square feet across the UAE, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, India, and Pakistan, providing 15 to 18 years of development pipeline at current launch rates. The company has indicated that it will accelerate Saudi Arabia activity in 2026, with two major community launches planned in Riyadh and the Red Sea coast.
Backlog and Cash Collection
Emaar’s unrecognised sales backlog — projects sold but not yet revenue-recognised — reached AED 89 billion at the end of Q1 2026, up from AED 71 billion a year earlier. This backlog provides exceptional revenue visibility for the next three to four years and underpins the company’s ability to fund ongoing construction without recourse to external borrowing.
Cash collection from existing buyers remained strong, with AED 9.8 billion collected during Q1 2026 against a collection target of AED 9.2 billion. Emaar’s balance sheet shows net cash (cash minus debt) of AED 16.4 billion — one of the strongest financial positions in the global real estate sector.
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