Arada Capital and Alya Target AED 6 Billion in UAE Homes

The proposed partnership covers premium housing and mixed-use development in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Two residential developments are the initial focus, with plot details, funding and launch dates still to be disclosed.

Ghar.ae | 13 November 2026

Arada Capital and Alya signed a memorandum of understanding on 12 November 2026 to explore co-investment in premium residential and mixed-use developments in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The initial focus is two residential developments with a combined estimated gross development value (GDV) of about AED 6 billion. Downtown Dubai and Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, are among the locations under review. The opportunities remain subject to due diligence, a commercial agreement and the necessary approvals. Source: Arada announcement

What the Arada Capital–Alya MoU establishes

Item	Status as of 13 November 2026
Agreement	MoU signed on 12 November to pursue development and co-investment
Initial scope	Two residential developments with an estimated combined GDV of approximately AED 6 billion
Locations under review	Downtown Dubai and Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Specific plots and a project-by-project allocation remain undisclosed
Wider remit	Premium residential and mixed-use opportunities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. The MoU announcement names no Saudi site
Capital and delivery	Equity commitments, construction financing, unit counts, sales launches and handover dates remain undisclosed

Source for the deal terms: Arada announcement

What does AED 6 billion in gross development value mean?

Gross development value estimates what the completed developments could be worth. For housing intended for sale, it broadly reflects what all the finished homes could sell for under the developer’s assumptions. GDV is a gross figure before land, construction, finance and selling costs. The MoU leaves the equity contributions, borrowing and cost of delivery open, so the headline figure cannot tell investors how much capital either partner will put at risk. Buyers new to this stage of a project can read our ultimate guide to investing in off-plan property in Dubai to see how pre-launch figures translate into buyer risk. Source: Arada announcement

Who are Arada Capital and Alya?

Arada Capital is Arada Group’s proposed fund manager. It announced its incorporation in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) on 29 October 2026. Alya is a Gulf-focused premium residential development platform backed by Brookfield and Abu Dhabi-based Lunate. It announced its regional headquarters in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) on 3 November. Arada says the proposed partnership would combine access to its development pipeline with Alya’s development and governance expertise. The commercial agreement will be the place to look for who provides the land, who controls the budget and who is responsible for handover. Sources: Arada Capital incorporation announcement; DIFC announcement

Premium launches like this draw global capital, and Dubai already ranks among the top global realty destinations for the super-rich.

Downtown Dubai and Yas Island call for different comparisons

Downtown Dubai

The plot and building specification would determine which sales offer a fair benchmark. A buyer comparing a future launch with completed apartments should match floor area, floor level, view and building services, then compare the price per square foot and service charges. Dubai Land Department publishes transaction data by area and project, and our explainer on the DLD realty index for tracking market performance shows how that data supports transparency. Source: Dubai Land Department data

Yas Island, Abu Dhabi

The Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre reported AED 13.4 billion in real estate transactions on Yas Island in the first nine months of 2026. That district-wide figure measures recorded activity across transaction categories. Once a site and housing mix are disclosed, a more useful benchmark will be registered sales of comparable homes on the island, with off-plan and completed sales assessed separately. Sources: ADREC market release; ADREC market data

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia sits within the wider mandate. Arada separately announced a SAR 14 billion residential master plan in northeast Riyadh through Arada KSA in October. The November MoU does not identify that development as part of the Alya partnership. Sources: Arada KSA announcement; Arada–Alya MoU

What would move the proposal toward a launch?

The next reporting milestone is a definitive agreement that identifies the sites, the development responsibilities and the capital commitments. Three disclosures would show how far the proposal has progressed.

Site and product. Which plots have been selected, how will the partners secure the land, and what type and number of homes can each site support?
Construction funding. How much equity will each partner commit, what role will construction debt or presales play, and who will cover cost overruns?
Delivery and sales. Which entity will be the developer of record, and when will buyers be able to verify registration, sales terms and target handover dates?

If a project proceeds to registration, buyers can look up the Dubai development through Dubai Land Department’s Project Status Enquiry and the Abu Dhabi development through the ADREC project directory. The project number and registered developer give buyers a way to match a sales offer to the official record. For Dubai purchases, our guide to the Dubai Real Estate Self Transaction platform (REST) explains how registration works, and buyers who want guidance can consult our comprehensive list of real estate brokers in Dubai. Sources: Dubai project status; Abu Dhabi project directory

Frequently asked questions

Has Arada Capital or Alya launched homes under the AED 6 billion MoU?

The 12 November announcement disclosed a proposed development and co-investment partnership. It gave no project names, prices, booking dates or handover schedules.

Is one development confirmed in Downtown Dubai and the other on Yas Island?

The announcement names Downtown Dubai and Yas Island among the locations under review. It does not identify specific plots or confirm a one-project-per-location allocation.

Are Brookfield and Lunate funding the AED 6 billion pipeline?

Brookfield and Lunate back Alya. The announcement does not disclose project-level commitments from either firm. AED 6 billion is the estimated combined gross development value of the initial opportunities.

Arada Capital and Alya Target AED 6 Billion in Homes, Eye Downtown Dubai and Yas Island