Danube Group, a Dubai headquartered diversified conglomerate with strong interests in real estate development , building materials and interiors, is a leading name in the UAE property market . Through its real estate arm, Danube Properties, the group has played a key role in making home ownership accessible to a wider segment of buyers through innovative payment plans, timely project delivery and lifestyle-focused developments. The group stands out for combining scale, affordability and execution excellence in Dubai’s competitive real estate market.

In this leadership interaction , Danube Group Chairman & Founder , Rizwan Sajan and Managing Director, Adel Sajan , speak about Dubai real estate and its attractiveness, group’s association with Bollywood celebrities, their success mantra, outlook for Dubai property market and their plans to enter India. Excerpts

Vinod Behl  

On the attractiveness of Dubai market and the  real estate scenario  in  2025?

Rizwan Sajan: 

Property buyers and investors see Dubai market as a long-term wealth creation destination  due to stable high returns, ease of ownership and favourable tax regime. Dubai offers 7-8% rental returns and an ROI of 10%-12% which is quite attractive, compared to other international locations . As property prices remain more affordable in Dubai compared to global markets of the US, Canada, London, Singapore and even  Mumbai, we are seeing continued ,healthy demand for Dubai properties in 2025.

Adel Sajan :

Dubai’s affordability, property reforms, speedy transactions  , predictable returns  and easy connectivity make it an attractive property market. For Indians, ease of travel, cultural affinity and hedge against currency and geography-related risks serve as additional drivers.

On Buyers/ Investors Profile 

Rizwan Sajan :

Along with other expats, Indians  are a key driver of home sales .In 2025 also, they will have a major (about 23% ) share of home sales. Moreover, because of our easy payment plan, 80% of our buyers are end-users. Flippers are simply not there. 

Adel Sajan :

Expats are the backbone of Dubai’s residential real estate market.  With longer residency visas, career stability , many of the expats are wanting home ownership to rent

On synergy between Danube’s building material and real estate business and how it helps in achieving price efficiency of Danube’s real estate projects?.

Rizwan Sajan  

We have immense advantage of our building material vertical as we source all the construction material for our projects in-house. It helps in 15-20% cost reduction and  this cost efficiency leads to better pricing of our products along with superior quality and timely delivery., thereby providing us the competitive edge over other Dubai developers.

Adel Sajan :

Having in-house building material supply ,helps in faster procurement , better quality control and hedge against cost-inflation, compared to other developers who source construction material from outside suppliers. As a result of this, we are able to not just give on-time project delivery but also provide better value for money to our buyers. 

On spurt in luxury residential sales in India  and its impact on investment by Indians in Dubai property ? 

Rizwan Sajan :

There is not really any impact  on property sales in Dubai. The markets in India and Dubai serve different purposes for property buyers/ investors. Indians are investing in luxury homes in India largely for lifestyle aspirations . Their investment in Dubai is  because of superior rental yields , high capital appreciation and liquidity that this global market offers.

Adel Sajan 

Investments in Indian and Dubai real estate  markets are done for different reasons. Many Indian  investors buy  property in India for end-use purposes, besides legacy reasons. But they invest in Dubai for transparent deals, speedy ownership and  faster exit, besides investment efficiency.

On Danube going for Bollywood brand ambassadors

Rizwan Sajan

Danube’s Bollywood connection  has been there from the beginning ever since we had the franchise rights of Filmfare Middle-East. It helped us in establishing a strong connection with Indian film celebrities .We go for Bollywood celebrities as our brand ambassadors  because they have widespread appeal in India and the Middle-East and help us reach aspirational buyers more effectively, though they directly do not boost sales. People do not simply buy because of brand  ambassadors appeal . Sales are driven by good product quality,  right pricing and easy payment plans, besides the track record of the developer in delivering projects on time.

In the past we had Sanjay Dutt, Kartik Aryan, among others as our brand ambassadors  In our recently launched project- Shahrukhz by Danube, we have gone beyond the concept of  brand ambassador & celebrity endorsement .For the first time in the world ,we have named our commercial  tower after a celebrity-  iconic Indian filmstar Shahrukh Khan. Our strategy has paid rich dividends as we were able to sell the entire one million sq ft premium tower worth  INR 5000 crore on the first day of the launch . 

Adel Sajan  

The idea behind associating with Bollywood stars is that they resonate deeply with our core audience . Enjoying mass appeal and credibility, they help the company in communicating trust, aspiration and brand familiarity in India and the Middle-East. As real estate is a trust-driven business, we ensure that our brand ambassadors align with our values and long-term vision. Our new project -Shahrukhz by Danube , a high-end  commercial  tower was fully sold out on the very first day as besides Shahrukh’s magical appeal, there is a huge demand for  quality commercial spaces amidst scarcity of Grade A offices in Dubai .  

On Secret of Success 

Rizwan Sajan

Hardwork, dedication and passion  coupled with under commitment and over-performance is our success mantra. While doing a project, I never calculate profit, rather I calculate loss to know if I can sustain the project. Our innovative ideas have also contributed to our success. We were the first to give fully furnished apartments. Then we came up with this offbeat 1% payment plan that not just boosted our sales but also made it easier for prospective buyers to own a house. Adding to all this,  I entered Dubai real estate market at the right time and I found everything in right place. 

Adel Sajan

Passion for work has certainly helped us , particularly in coming out stronger from turbulences. My father has been a living role model for me. Even after working for 40 years, he has the same passion at the age of 62. My father also taught me dignity of labour and value of money. He made me work hard and in a systematic manner. When we entered real estate, 85-90% of expat population in Dubai was living in rented houses. So, as a strategy, instead of competing with real estate giants,  we focused on tapping this large expat population by developing  and offering homes to them with easy payment plan. We worked hard to create seamless experience for stakeholders- be it design philosophy, processes or technology. .All this worked well for us.

On Outlook for Dubai Property Market  

Rizwan Sajan

The way billionaires are shifting to Dubai, creating work opportunities, the outlook for Dubai property market is quite bright. Dubai remains an attractive   investment destination,as properties  here are cheaper  than London, Singapore or for that matter even Mumbai and Gurgaon .Due to lower entry points, prospects of property appreciation  here are quite high.  Properties close to Business Bay, a prominent business and mixed-use district will see high appreciation, especially as 93% of waterfront facing properties are already sold out. . Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), having an  International Academic City and a tech-centric integrated community , will also have high potential for price appreciation. Going forward, an investment of 50-60 million AED in Palm Jumeriah , has the potential to grow 5-6 times in the coming years. And with Dubai South master-planned city under construction and a casino coming up in Ras- Al- Khaimah , we will witness further spurt in tourism, leading to rental boom. 

On Plans to Enter India

Rizwan Sajan

I do want to enter Indian property market which has a high potential, but Dubai is keeping me busy and I don’t want to overstretch. Right now there is so much of opportunity in Dubai market which is set to expand exponentially. When UAE market will slowdown, then  I may well  plan to enter Indian market . But at this point , in Dubai,there is too much on my plate and I don’t want to lose my focus on this market.