2026-08-20
Sharjah-based developer Arada Group announced on 2026-08-20 that it will build a twin-tower residential project worth AED 5 billion (about $1.36 billion, or roughly AUD 2 billion) in Broadbeach on Australia’s Gold Coast, Queensland. The development will deliver close to 1,000 homes (952 apartments with one to three bedrooms) in two towers linked by a landscaped podium, with completion targeted before the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games. It is Arada’s first project outside New South Wales since it entered the Australian market in 2024, and it takes the company’s Australian pipeline to eight projects with more than 5,000 homes. Globally, Arada now reports a portfolio valued at AED 130 billion ($35.4 billion) across the UAE, the United Kingdom and Australia. For anyone watching UAE business, the announcement is a clear example of how Emirati private capital is being exported into mature overseas markets at scale.
The Broadbeach project in numbers
The site sits directly opposite the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, with immediate access to the Gold Coast light rail and within walking distance of The Star Gold Coast and the Pacific Fair shopping centre. Arada describes the scheme as a beachfront community that combines residential towers with established dining, retail, entertainment and transport infrastructure.
- Investment: AED 5 billion, equal to about $1.36 billion or roughly AUD 2 billion.
- Homes: close to 1,000 apartments (952 residences) with one, two and three bedrooms.
- Form: two towers connected by a landscaped podium.
- Amenities: gym, swimming pool, sauna and steam room, library, residents’ lounge and work-from-home spaces.
- Retail: about 1,200 square metres of retail and hospitality units at ground level.
- Architect: Plus Studio.
- Contractor: Roberts Co, the tier-one Australian builder owned by Arada.
- Timeline: completion before the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“Broadbeach is a world-class address that gives us the canvas to create a community of exceptional design and lifestyle quality,” said Ahmed Alkhoshaibi, Group Chief Executive of Arada, in the company’s statement.
Who Arada is
Arada was founded in Sharjah in 2017 as a joint venture between KBW Investments, controlled by Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed, and the Sharjah-based Basma Group. In the UAE it is best known for large master-planned communities in Sharjah, including Aljada and Masaar, and it has since added projects in Dubai. Within eight years it has grown into what it calls the fastest-growing destination developer in the UAE, with more than 55,000 homes in its combined portfolio.
The international expansion began in 2024. In Australia, Arada acquired Roberts Co, a tier-one construction contractor, which gives it in-house delivery capacity rather than dependence on third-party builders. In the United Kingdom it acquired the London developer Regal, renamed Arada London, and in June 2026 it launched a 172-apartment residential project in the British capital. Closer to home, the group also took a majority stake in Reem Hospital in Abu Dhabi, a sign that it is diversifying beyond pure residential development.
Why Arada is building in Australia
The Gold Coast is one of Australia’s fastest-growing regions and a major tourism destination, and the Brisbane 2032 Games are expected to drive infrastructure investment across South East Queensland over the next six years. For a developer that has already assembled a set of projects in New South Wales, Queensland is the logical next market: similar legal and planning environment, a deep pool of domestic buyers, and a currency and land market that are independent of the Gulf cycle.
Owning Roberts Co changes the economics of the move. Construction cost inflation and contractor insolvencies have been the main risks for apartment developers in Australia since 2022. By bringing delivery in-house, Arada controls its building programme and margin, and it can commit publicly to a 2032 completion date on a project of nearly 1,000 homes.
What this says about UAE capital abroad
The announcement fits a broader pattern in 2026. UAE sovereign funds have been active buyers of international assets for years, but the Arada project shows that private Emirati developers are now exporting the model they refined at home: large-scale, amenity-led, master-planned communities sold off-plan and delivered by in-house contractors. Within two years Arada has built an Australian pipeline of 5,000 homes and a UK platform, while keeping the bulk of its AED 130 billion portfolio in Sharjah and Dubai.
For the UAE economy the direction of capital matters. Outbound investment of this kind comes from profits generated in the domestic property market, where Dubai alone is approaching one million residential units (see our article on Dubai’s residential stock nearing one million homes). It also strengthens the commercial ties between the UAE and Australia at a time when the two countries have been deepening trade relations.
What it means for businesses working with the UAE
For companies and entrepreneurs based in the UAE or planning to set up here, the Arada story carries several practical lessons:
- UAE companies are credible international buyers. An Emirati developer has been accepted as a major investor in a mature, heavily regulated market. A UAE-registered holding or operating company is increasingly a normal counterparty for partners in Australia, the UK and Europe.
- Cross-border structures are in demand. Groups that invest abroad need holding companies, treasury and financing vehicles, and in many cases a UAE entity is the preferred base for such structures because of the 0% to 9% corporate tax regime and the absence of withholding tax.
- Construction and property services keep growing. Arada’s domestic pipeline, together with Dubai’s record completions, means sustained demand for engineering, design, fit-out, property management and proptech suppliers who hold a UAE licence.
- Talent moves with capital. Developers operating across three countries hire project managers, architects, financial controllers and sales teams in the UAE, with residency visas sponsored by the employer.
How Atlant Capital can help
Atlant Capital supports founders and companies that want to use the UAE as a base for regional or international business. We handle company setup in Dubai free zones and on the mainland, including holding and investment structures, and we arrange corporate bank account opening with UAE banks. For teams relocating to Dubai we process work visas and residency for shareholders, managers and employees. If your business is in construction, real estate services or investment, we can advise on which licence and jurisdiction best fit the activities you plan to run.
Conclusion
Arada’s AED 5 billion twin-tower project in Broadbeach is the largest single step so far in the company’s two-year expansion into Australia and brings its pipeline there to eight projects and more than 5,000 homes. With a global portfolio of AED 130 billion and a completion target ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, the announcement shows that UAE private developers now operate at international scale. For businesses connected to the UAE, that means a deeper market at home and a growing number of Emirati groups looking for partners, suppliers and structures abroad.
FAQ
What is Arada building on the Gold Coast?
Arada is developing a twin-tower residential project in Broadbeach, Queensland, with close to 1,000 homes (952 apartments with one to three bedrooms), about 1,200 square metres of retail and a landscaped podium with a gym, pool, sauna, library and coworking spaces. The project is valued at AED 5 billion, or about $1.36 billion, and is scheduled for completion before the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.
How large is Arada’s presence in Australia?
Arada entered Australia in 2024 and has since assembled a pipeline of eight projects comprising more than 5,000 homes. Until now all of its Australian projects were in New South Wales; Broadbeach is the first in Queensland. Construction is handled by Roberts Co, a tier-one Australian contractor that Arada owns.
How big is Arada’s global portfolio?
As of August 2026 Arada reports a portfolio valued at AED 130 billion (about $35.4 billion) with more than 55,000 homes across the UAE, the United Kingdom and Australia. The company was founded in Sharjah in 2017 by KBW Investments and Basma Group and is led by Group Chief Executive Ahmed Alkhoshaibi.
Why does a UAE developer investing in Australia matter for business in the UAE?
It shows that UAE private companies are accepted as major investors in mature markets and that capital generated in the UAE property sector is being deployed internationally. For businesses this means more cross-border holding and financing structures based in the UAE, continued demand for construction and property services at home, and employer-sponsored residency for specialists who work across these markets.
