29 September 2026
Aldar has generated more than AED 5 billion in sales from two September villa launches in Abu Dhabi: Talay, the first residential community in Marsa Al Saadiyat with 351 standalone villas, and Yas Riva Reserve, a gated waterfront community of 292 villas on Yas Island. Expatriate residents and overseas buyers accounted for 69% of sales, UAE nationals made up 31% of buyers, and 54% of buyers were buying from Aldar for the first time. The developer reported the result on 29 September 2026 in a statement to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, without saying how many villas were sold in each project.
What Aldar reported
The number covers two launches that went on sale within days of each other. Talay was announced on 17 September and opened for sales on 23 September 2026. Yas Riva Reserve was announced on 18 September and opened for sales on 26 September 2026. Aldar published the combined result on Tuesday, 29 September, as Abu Dhabi hosts the first edition of LIVEX, the Liveability and Investment Exhibition.
The statement gives one combined figure, more than AED 5 billion, and a detailed profile of who bought. It does not say how many of the 643 villas across the two launches have been sold, how the total splits between Talay and Yas Riva Reserve, or what the average price per villa was.
Jonathan Emery, Chief Executive Officer of Aldar Development, tied the result to demand “from UAE nationals, residents, and international buyers”, which he said “reflects confidence in the emirate and underscores momentum as we convene for LIVEX 2026”.
Who bought: the buyer profile in figures
| Buyer metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Expatriate residents and overseas buyers | 69% of sales |
| UAE nationals | 31% of buyers |
| First-time Aldar customers | 54% of buyers |
| Female and male buyers | 30% and 70% of sales |
| Buyers under the age of 45 | 55% of all buyers |
| Leading nationalities by sales volume | UAE, United Kingdom, Russia, Jordan, India |
| Combined sales, both launches | more than AED 5 billion |
Three points in that profile carry practical weight. More than half of the buyers had never bought from Aldar before, so the result did not rest on repeat business from existing owners. Foreign buyers, both UAE residents and buyers from abroad, carried more than two thirds of sales. And 55% of all buyers were under 45, in a release where Yas Riva Reserve villas start from AED 8.5 million.
Aldar did not publish the order of the leading nationalities or the share of any single one, so the list shows who was among the largest buyers, not how the money divided between them.
The two launches behind the number
| Item | Talay | Yas Riva Reserve |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Marsa Al Saadiyat, Saadiyat Island | northeast waterfront, Yas Island |
| Homes | 351 standalone villas | 292 villas, four to six bedrooms |
| Announced | 17 September 2026 | 18 September 2026 |
| Sales opened | 23 September 2026 | 26 September 2026 |
| Starting price | not stated in the launch release | AED 8.5 million |
| Distinctive feature | first homes in the AED 100 billion Marsa Al Saadiyat masterplan | 45 homes on the waterway with an option for a private pontoon |
Talay is the first residential community inside Marsa Al Saadiyat, the AED 100 billion waterfront destination that opens the final phase of the Saadiyat Island masterplan and is planned for more than 58,000 residents. We covered the launch itself in our report on Talay, 351 standalone villas at Marsa Al Saadiyat.
Yas Riva Reserve sits to the northeast of Yas Island, directly opposite Yas Riva, and will connect to the rest of the island through a new bridge that also creates an additional entry point onto Yas. The launch release Aldar filed with the exchange confirms the starting price of AED 8.5 million. Details are in our piece on Yas Riva Reserve, 292 waterfront villas on Yas Island.
The earlier project it faces sets the benchmark. Yas Riva, launched in September 2024 with 151 villas, sold out on launch day and generated more than AED 1.4 billion, according to Aldar.
The market backdrop
The result lands in a strong year for Abu Dhabi housing. Residential sales in the emirate reached AED 86.3 billion by mid-August 2026, according to Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre figures reported by AGBI, about AED 3 billion more than the total for the whole of 2025.
In the second quarter of 2026 the company reported net profit of AED 2.16 billion, up 10% year on year, and revenue with rental income of AED 8.1 billion, up 5%. Its group development backlog stood at AED 71.6 billion at the end of June, including AED 59.9 billion in the UAE, which Aldar expects to turn into revenue over the next two to three years. The September sales come on top of that end of June figure.
What this means for foreign buyers and for companies
Both islands are designated investment zones in Abu Dhabi. Since Abu Dhabi Law No. 13 of 2019 amended Law No. 19 of 2005, foreign nationals can own property in these zones on a freehold basis. That is the legal reason a 69% share for expatriate and overseas buyers is possible at all in these projects.
For a buyer or a company looking at the next Aldar release, the practical points are narrow:
- Launch windows are short. Talay and Yas Riva Reserve went from announcement to open sales in six to eight days, so funds and documents have to be ready before the release, not after it.
- A property investment of AED 2 million or more is the entry point for the ten year renewable UAE Golden Visa. Yas Riva Reserve prices start above that threshold; eligibility is confirmed by the authorities on each application.
- Mortgage terms differ sharply between residents and non residents, and the difference matters most at villa price points. Our guide to mortgages in the UAE for residents and non residents sets out the rules.
- Buying through a UAE company rather than personally changes the paperwork, the banking route and the exit, and the structure has to exist before the booking form is signed.
- Aldar has not published unit counts or the split between the projects, so a claim that a project is sold out should be checked with the developer.
How Atlant Capital can help
We work on the corporate side of a purchase, not on brokerage. When a buyer intends to hold a villa on Saadiyat or Yas through a UAE structure, the company has to be registered and bankable before the sales date, and that sequence is where timelines usually slip. We handle company formation in the UAE with activities suited to holding and leasing property, and we run corporate bank account opening so that funds can move on the day a release opens.
Where a purchase is meant to support residency, we align the property route with the visa route. Where a client is comparing Abu Dhabi with Dubai on the same budget, we set out ownership rules, corporate options and running costs for both before any deposit moves.
Bottom line
Aldar’s September villa launches on Saadiyat and Yas generated more than AED 5 billion in sales within days of opening. Expatriate residents and overseas buyers made up 69% of sales and first-time Aldar customers 54% of buyers. The statement gives no unit count, no split between the projects and no average price.
Source: Emirates 24|7.
FAQ
How much did Aldar sell at Talay and Yas Riva Reserve?
Aldar reported more than AED 5 billion in combined sales across the two launches in a statement to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange on 29 September 2026. Talay opened for sales on 23 September and Yas Riva Reserve on 26 September. The company did not disclose the number of villas sold or how the total splits between the two projects.
Who bought villas at Talay and Yas Riva Reserve?
Expatriate residents and overseas buyers accounted for 69% of sales, and UAE nationals made up 31% of buyers. First-time Aldar customers were 54% of buyers, women accounted for 30% of sales, and 55% of all buyers were under 45. The UAE, the United Kingdom, Russia, Jordan and India were among the leading nationalities by sales volume.
Can foreigners buy property on Saadiyat Island and Yas Island?
Yes. Saadiyat Island and Yas Island are designated investment zones in Abu Dhabi, where foreign nationals can own property on a freehold basis. This was opened by Abu Dhabi Law No. 13 of 2019, which amended Law No. 19 of 2005; before that amendment freehold in the emirate was limited to UAE and GCC nationals.
What are Talay and Yas Riva Reserve?
Talay is the first residential community in Marsa Al Saadiyat, an AED 100 billion waterfront masterplan on Saadiyat Island, with 351 standalone villas. Yas Riva Reserve is a gated community of 292 villas with four to six bedrooms on the northeast waterfront of Yas Island, including 45 homes on the waterway, with prices from AED 8.5 million.
