Haykel Haykel

Haykel Hajjaji advises global corporations, sovereign investors, and financial institutions on complex cross-border transactions, regulatory strategy, and market entry across the Middle East. His practice spans corporate, M&A, and commercial advisory matters, with a focus on strategic expansions into the Gulf region.

Haykel has a particular expertise in supporting clients operating at the intersection of innovation, regulation, and geopolitics, advising on sectors including AI, data centers, life sciences, defense, supply chain and infrastructure.

Drawing on more than two decades of experience, Haykel combines deep legal insight with commercial pragmatism. He regularly counsels clients on developing market entry strategies, structuring transactions, navigating foreign investment regimes, and managing legal risk in sensitive environments.

He is a member of the AI Task Force of the US-UAE Business Council and teaches at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, New York University Abu Dhabi and ESCP Business School. He frequently speaks on governance, deal making, and market trends in the Gulf, and contributes to policy discussions on investment and corporate reform in the region.

Haykel is regularly quoted in the international business press, including the Financial Times on AI and data centers, and the legal press, including the American Bar Association Law Practice Today on doing business in the Middle East.

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The UAE’s New Merger Control Framework: What the 2026 Executive Regulations Mean for Dealmakers

By James Marshall, Haykel Haykel & Mélanie Perez on May 20, 2026

Posted in Antitrust, Middle East

On 30 April, the UAE adopted Cabinet Decision No. (59) of 2026 (“the 2026 Executive Regulations”), setting out the executive regulations for Federal Decree-Law No. (36) of 2023 on the Regulation of Competition. The 2026 Executive Regulations replace the previous implementing regulations adopted in 2014 under the former…

The UAE’s New Merger Control Framework: What the 2026 Executive Regulations Mean for Dealmakers

By James Marshall, Haykel Haykel & Mélanie Perez on May 15, 2026

Posted in Competition

On 30 April, the UAE adopted Cabinet Decision No. (59) of 2026 (“the 2026 Executive Regulations”), setting out the executive regulations for Federal Decree-Law No. (36) of 2023 on the Regulation of Competition. The 2026 Executive Regulations replace the previous implementing regulations adopted in 2014 under the former UAE competition law. They are expected to enter into force on 30 July 2026.

Taken together, the adoption of Federal Decree-Law 36 on Regulating Competition of 2023, Cabinet Resolution No. (3) of 2025 establishing the new filing thresholds, and the subsequent adoption of the 2026 Executive Regulations complete a long-anticipated overhaul of the UAE merger control framework. These measures mark a decisive shift towards a fully operational and modern merger control regime. The 2026 Executive Regulations significantly streamline the notification process, introduce enhanced timing certainty, and create a clear pathway for third parties to engage with the Competition Department of the Ministry of Economy & Tourism (“Competition Department”) to influence the outcome of merger reviews.

More broadly, the 2026 Executive Regulations introduce important changes to various aspects of UAE’s competition law framework, including measures relating to behavioural competition enforcement and procedures. In combination with other recent competition policy and enforcement actions, the 2026 Executive Regulations signal the UAE’s ambition to bring its competition and merger control framework in line with international best practice.

This article focuses on the main revisions to the UAE merger control framework, before briefly outlining the wider changes introduced to the UAE’s behavioural competition regime by the 2026 Executive Regulations.