With over ten active arbitral institutions in its territory, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) boasts of a rich history of institutional arbitration. Nevertheless, leading international arbitration surveys from the last decade reveal that arbitral institutions in the UAE are yet to receive global recognition and ranking. Recent developments, such as the adoption of the Federal Arbitration Law (FAL), 2018 and the amendments to the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC) Rules, 2022 aim to place the UAE on the global map for institutional arbitration. The purpose of this article is to evaluate the factors that have inhibited global success for arbitral institutions in the UAE and to discuss whether the current reforms may bring hope for the future.