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Aldar Properties executed Abu Dhabi’s inaugural off-plan mortgage registration under the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre’s freshly launched framework, with Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank acting as the financing institution for the initial deals. The arrangement permits a buyer who has paid half the purchase price to obtain a mortgage on the unit still under construction, allowing the bank to fund remaining instalments and the final handover payment. According to the developer, the step aligns with UAE Central Bank regulations that set the 50 per cent threshold for off-plan financing eligibility. The Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre said the framework enables mortgage interests to be recorded in the Initial Real Estate Register, delivering a formal pre-handover record that benefits buyers, developers and lenders alike.
Faisal Falaknaz, chief financial and sustainability officer at Aldar, described the framework as an important step toward greater transparency and accessibility in the market. In remarks carried by multiple outlets, Falaknaz added that the company was proud to have collaborated with the regulator and the bank to translate the new rules into practical financing flexibility for customers. The mortgages are offered fee-free through Home Finance by Aldar, the developer’s in-house advisory service that links clients to more than six participating banks including conventional and Islamic institutions. ADREC’s executive director of the real estate transaction sector, Ghazi Saeed Alateibi, stated that recording mortgage interests in the initial register strengthens protection across all parties involved.
Abu Dhabi residential property sales reached AED70.4 billion in the first half of 2026, a 178 per cent increase from the same period a year earlier, with off-plan transactions accounting for 89 per cent of sales value according to ADREC figures. The off-plan segment generated nearly AED63 billion during those six months, more than double the prior year’s first-half total, as demand concentrated on projects from the ten leading developers that captured 90 per cent of primary sales. Cavendish Maxwell’s market assessment found apartment repeat-sales prices rose 20 per cent year on year while villa prices climbed 12 per cent, underscoring sustained buyer interest even as new supply comes online. Foreign and expatriate buyers together represented 70 per cent of residential sales value in the period.
The new mortgage option arrives as the emirate’s off-plan market continues to expand, with buyers seeking earlier certainty on borrowing costs rather than waiting until completion to arrange finance. Under the ADREC system, the bank is formally noted on the mortgage certificate ahead of handover, reducing liquidity pressure on purchasers during the construction phase. Eligible Aldar projects now allow customers who meet the 50 per cent payment milestone to access this route, with the advisory service helping compare terms across partner lenders such as Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Emirates NBD and First Abu Dhabi Bank. The framework is open to other qualified institutions that satisfy regulatory criteria set by the centre.
Aldar, Abu Dhabi’s largest listed developer, maintains a substantial pipeline of off-plan residential projects on Saadiyat Island, Yas Island and other districts where the majority of recent sales activity has clustered. Data from the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre shows ten individual projects alone delivered AED30 billion in sales during the first half, highlighting the concentration of buyer appetite in master-planned communities. The mortgage innovation is expected to support continued transaction momentum by addressing a longstanding friction point for off-plan purchasers who previously had to manage construction payments entirely in cash before securing bank finance at handover. ADREC has positioned the service as part of broader efforts to professionalise real estate financing and enhance market confidence.
