Attorney DR. Fahad Al-refaei at the Energy Sector Dispute Settlement Conference in Dubai

The Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration (SCCA) announces the opening of "SCCA Dubai" in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), a move consistent with its vision of being the preferred ADR choice in the region by 2030.

Building on SCCA's notable achievements since its inauguration in October of 2016 and supported by its strong relationships and interest in the Emirati ADR industry, SCCA Dubai will offer a comprehensive suite of ADR services to local and international businesses based in UAE and to companies and businesses operating in the Middle East.

SCCA is excited to open its first office outside of Saudi Arabia in the DIFC, one of the leading financial centers in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. The DIFC facilitates trade and investment flows and links the region’s markets to economies in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. SCCA has recently obtained its license to operate in the DIFC and has moved into a brand-new and spacious office in the heart of the DIFC: the Al Fattan Currency House. Following its official inauguration, SCCA will operate under the name “SCCA Dubai” and will offer integrated facilities, including a hall that can be used by the parties for arbitration and mediation proceedings.

Qualified technical SCCA staff have been assigned to the UAE, including Ms. Fatima Balfaqeeh, an Emirati citizen with a distinguished 20-year career, appointed as Director of SCCA Dubai. She is an arbitrator, mediator, legal adviser, a former vice chair of the CIArb branch in the UAE, and a committee member of ICC-UAE. SCCA Chief of ADR and General Counsel, Mr. Christian P. Alberti, will work out of the SCCA headquarters in Riyadh and SCCA Dubai. He will supervise all case management activities as well as technical and legal affairs from both locations, backed by another Saudi staff member also working from the UAE as part of SCCA ADR team.

SCCA added that this expansion is a natural progression based on the growth of its business, which is reflected in its growing caseload, as one of the fastest-growing among its counterparts around the world, and in the diversity of parties in its cases from more than 20 countries and 21 different business sectors. The volume of cases filed with SCCA show the confidence and trust Saudi, regional and international businesses have in its services.

Commenting on this occasion, SCCA Chairman Dr. Walid Bin Sulaiman Abanumay noted: “since its first day, SCCA set its sights on becoming the regional leader in offering ADR services to all business sectors. Today, it takes a monumental step on this path to establish a presence among businesses and investors in Dubai and the region.”

Dr. Abanumay added: “SCCA’s presence in the DIFC is an extension of its deep relationship with the arbitration and ADR industry there, exemplified by SCCA’s cooperation agreement with the DIFC courts signed in 2020 and the fact that 20% of the members of the recently announced SCCA Court are international arbitration figures who reside permanently in the UAE.”

SCCA CEO Dr. Hamed Bin Hassan Merah said: “This inauguration reflects SCCA’s deep understanding of the Gulf and regional markets and its awareness of the complexity and uniqueness of those markets. This is why SCCA is distinctive for the way it combines internationality and best practices in all its structures, work and activities while relying on professional Saudi, UAE, Arab, and foreign ADR staff.”

Dr. Merah added: “This combination of the international and the local gives us a superior ability to provide distinctive services that are tailored to the nature, culture, language, laws, and regulations of the region while applying international best practices. This results in greater trust among the judicial systems, predictability, effective enforcement of arbitral awards, and a maturity of practice. All strengthening confidence in the overall justice environment and the various jurisdictions of the region. It also attracts more direct foreign investment and facilitates business for all.”

For her part, Ms. Balfaqeeh said: “SCCA Dubai will offer ADR services to businesses in the UAE and the region in cooperation with the judicial system of the DIFC, Dubai and the UAE. SCCA will also continue its pioneering approach to development, training, capacity building, awareness, and education of national, Gulf and Arab personnel, as well as the regional professionals in general through its “SCCA Academy” with its unique training programs.”

Ms. Balfaqeeh added: “The SCCA Arbitration Rules have the advantage of not specifying a default seat of arbitration. This gives parties greater flexibility to stipulate, in an arbitration clause or arbitration submission agreement, that their disputes will be SCCA-administered and subject to the SCCA Arbitration Rules, while leaving open the possibility to agree that the seat of arbitration will be the DIFC and that the DIFC Courts will be the competent courts. This model could be ideal for many companies that operate in the UAE or have a regional headquarters, and for international companies operating in the Middle East and beyond.”