Modon's Blueprint for Abu Dhabi's Integrated City

Abu Dhabi has found its signature developer in Modon. H.E. Jassem Mohamed Bu Ataba Al Zaabi chairs a group that no longer thinks in buildings but in complete destinations. Housing, hospitality, sport, entertainment, retail, education and public space are folded into a single proposition. The company calls it placemaking.

That philosophy is backed by numbers. Modon closed 2025 with revenue of AED 13.8 billion, more than double the previous year. Net profit hit AED 3.9 billion. Real estate sales reached a record AED 36.3 billion, and the revenue backlog stands at some AED 46 billion — one of the largest in the UAE. Group chief executive Bill O'Regan, in place since January 2024, described 2025 as "a year of delivery," with "a disciplined focus on delivery, value creation, and long-term growth."

a disciplined focus on delivery, value creation, and long-term growth.

Al Zaabi frames the results as a strategic shift. The platform now spans development, investment and asset management, with ADNEC Group generating billions of dirhams in economic impact over the past year. The portfolio runs from Bab Al Nojoum resorts and Circuit X to Marsana and 321 Sports, and includes national housing work in Riyadh. But Hudayriyat Island is the clearest expression of the model.

The island sits barely twenty minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi. Its masterplan weaves waterfront living, marinas, retail, beaches, cycling networks, sport, hospitality and education into one interconnected environment. Surf Abu Dhabi, one of the world's most advanced wave parks, is already operating there. Luxury hotels, schools, healthcare and mixed-use districts are planned.

July 2026 brought the strongest verdict yet. Hudayriyat Golf Estates generated more than AED 13 billion in sales within days — the highest publicly recorded figure for a single residential launch in UAE history. Some 1,700 golf mansions, villas and townhouses found buyers almost immediately. The Andalusian-inspired community wraps around a 95-hectare golf course and a 2.3-kilometre green spine linking a clubhouse, wellness facilities, retail, co-working spaces and a school. 81 per cent of buyers were new to Modon; about 15 per cent were based outside the UAE.

"This strong demand reflects growing global confidence in Abu Dhabi and the UAE," Al Zaabi said. O'Regan pointed to buyers seeking "quality homes with lifestyle, wellbeing and connectivity." Ibrahim Al Maghribi, real estate CEO, attributed the response to "thoughtfully planned homes."

The confidence sits on structural trends. Abu Dhabi's population is growing. Foreign-ownership reforms have widened international participation. Institutional investors are expanding into residential assets. High-net-worth individuals are treating the emirate as a secure long-term home. ADGM's rise has added a stream of international professionals seeking housing near work. Modon's communities are positioned to capture all of it.

Group managing director H.E. Abdulla Al Sahi called 2025 "a clear step" in the group's long-term strategy. Al Zaabi puts it in a wider frame: Modon "continues to ensure its strategy supports the emirate's broader economic development objectives." The market has responded with trust. With a AED 46 billion backlog, the company has runway to keep building. Hudayriyat, meanwhile, is no longer a plan. The golf estates are sold, the wave park is running, and the hotels, schools and clinics are next. The next chapter of Abu Dhabi's transformation will be written in how those districts come alive.