By Bill Anderson, Senior Valuation Advisor & RICS Associate, Assetica — 2026-06-11
What UAE businesses are typically worth by sector, from trading and F&B at 3x to 5x EBITDA to technology at 8x to 15x. The market reference ranges, what moves a business within its range, and how to read them honestly.
Expressed as multiples of normalised EBITDA for established profitable businesses: technology and SaaS 8x to 15x; financial services and fintech 6x to 12x; healthcare and pharma 6x to 10x; real estate services 5x to 9x; professional services 4x to 8x; manufacturing and logistics 4x to 7x; trading and distribution 3x to 6x; retail and F&B 3x to 5x. Early-stage businesses are valued on revenue multiples or funding evidence, and asset-heavy companies on net asset value.
The sector average is not your number. Five factors decide where a business sits within its range: whether revenue is recurring or re-won every year, whether the business runs without the owner, customer concentration, the state of the books, and believable growth. A specialist with contracted retainers can out-multiple a generic business in a higher-multiple sector.
Buyers and valuers apply the multiple to normalised EBITDA: profit adjusted for a market salary for the owner, one-off items, personal expenses and related-party costs. For typical owner-managed UAE SMEs the normalised figure is meaningfully lower than the headline profit, which changes the defensible value substantially.
Use them as a sanity check, not a price. Private UAE transaction prices are rarely disclosed, so precise claimed "average sold multiples" should be treated sceptically. For a sale, dispute, Golden Visa application, bank finance or UAE corporate tax, a defensible figure for the specific business prepared to recognised standards is required.
What EBITDA multiple do UAE businesses sell for?
Most established UAE businesses change hands at 3x to 8x normalised EBITDA. Technology and SaaS reach 8x to 15x, healthcare 6x to 10x, professional services 4x to 8x, and trading, retail and F&B 3x to 6x. Position within the range depends on recurring revenue, owner dependence, concentration, audit quality and growth.
Are published UAE valuation multiples based on real deal data?
Mostly no. Private UAE transaction prices are rarely disclosed, so credible figures are indicative ranges from valuation practice, comparable listed companies and observed engagement patterns, not verified deal databases. Treat precise "average sold price" claims sceptically.
Why is my business not worth the sector average multiple?
Because multiples apply to normalised earnings, not headline profit, and because position within the sector range depends on quality factors: recurring revenue, management depth, customer concentration, audited books and believable growth. The range within a sector is usually wider than the gap between sectors.