ArbitrateAD: Building A Digital-First International Arbitration Centre In Abu Dhabi (Podcast)

In this episode of Arbitration Acumen, host J.P. Duffy, a partner in Bracewell’s international arbitration practice, sits down with Maria Mazzawi, registrar of the Abu Dhabi International Arbitration Centre (arbitrateAD), to explore how the institution has built one of the Middle East’s most modern arbitration frameworks from the ground up.

Maria shares insights into arbitrateAD’s caseload growth, digital-first case management platform (docketAD), and procedural innovations, including emergency arbitration, expedited proceedings and early dismissal tools. The conversation also covers arbitrateAD’s expanding international caseload, its positioning within the UAE’s evolving dispute resolution landscape and its recent expansion into mediation and dispute avoidance services.

[4:57] ArbitrateAD’s Impressive Early Momentum: Maria explains that ArbitrateAD administered 61 matters in 2025, up from 44 in 2024, reflecting 38 percent caseload growth. The institution has also gained significant international recognition, including a 2025 GAR Award and a 2026 GAR nomination for sustainable arbitration practices.

[6:11] International Users and Diverse Industry Disputes: Approximately 18 percent of ArbitrateAD’s matters are international, with the United States ranking as the top international user, followed by jurisdictions including Germany, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and India. Construction and real estate account for more fifty percent of the caseload, while commercial, professional services, insurance, energy, oil and gas, and intellectual property disputes reflect a growing diversity of matters.

[12:03] Digital-First Arbitration and docketAD: ArbitrateAD’s rules make digital communication and platform-based case workflows the default. Through docketAD, each arbitration receives a secure case site where submissions, exhibits, tribunal communications and case management materials are stored with role-based access, time-stamped audit trails and enterprise-level security protections.

[22:12] Emergency Arbitration, Expedited Proceedings and Early Dismissal Tools: Maria highlights several tools designed to keep proceedings efficient and proportionate. ArbitrateAD’s rules allow tribunals to dismiss claims or defenses that are manifestly without legal merit, inadmissible or outside jurisdiction. They also provide for emergency arbitrator appointments within 24 hours, emergency decisions within 10 days and expedited proceedings for lower-value disputes.

[30:29] Award Scrutiny and Broader Dispute Resolution Services: Maria discusses ArbitrateAD’s court-level award scrutiny process, which is designed to identify potential enforcement issues while preserving the tribunal’s substantive decision-making authority. She also outlines the center’s new mediation and adjudicator appointment rules, which expand ArbitrateAD’s role beyond arbitration and into dispute avoidance.

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