Dubai’s Bankers Stay Home as War Reshapes Ramadan

The lobby of the most prominent office tower in Dubai’s financial district is decorated for Ramadan with crescents and images of dates, but ICD Brookfield Place itself stands eerily quiet. There are no bankers clustered outside smoking, benches sit empty in the warm evening breeze and the Rolls-Royces typically lined up on the far side of the tower — where the ultra-rich head to high-end venues in the Dubai International Financial Centre — are nowhere to be seen.

After years as a somewhat sterile business hub, the DIFC now boasts pop-up cafes, rooftop restaurants and a growing nightlife scene. Just last month, bankers from JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Rothschild & Co. were flocking in, either to break their Ramadan fast or just have dinner. Now, almost a week into the US-Israeli war on Iran and more than two weeks into the Muslim holy month, the district is uncharacteristically empty even at sunset — a stark sign of how the conflict has slowed the rhythm of city life.