In his state-of-the-nation address at the opening of parliament – delivered as protesting opposition lawmakers heckled, blew whistles and called for his resignation – President Muizzu announced plans for state-owned companies to develop 10 resorts over the next three years and offer Maldivian citizens shareholding opportunities, with projected annual dividends of around US$ 400 per person beginning in 2030. He also assured that the government would not take on loans with interest rates above nine percent to repay the US$ 500 million sukuk due in April, and pledged to introduce a new social housing category to allow individuals to apply for land plots even if their spouses own housing. Muizzu promised to hold a one-hour press briefing every Monday starting in March.
After President Muizzu rejected the maritime boundary drawn by ITLOS between the Maldives and Chagos, declaring that the country's exclusive economic zone extends to the full 200 nautical miles south – including waters the tribunal allocated to Mauritius in 2023 – the defence ministry announced the deployment of the Coast Guard ship Dharumavantha and military drones to patrol the disputed area, and the military subsequently seized two Sri Lankan fishing boats operating in the waters. Later the same day, Donald Trump reversed his opposition to the UK-Mauritius deal on Chagos, calling it "the best deal available right now" – an apparent blow to Muizzu, who had pitched the US on transferring sovereignty to the Maldives instead. "Let it be known that I will never allow our presence on a base as important as this to ever be undermined or threatened by fake claims or environmental nonsense," Trump posted on Truth Social.
Maldives Ports Limited signed an agreement with China Harbour Engineering Company for the first phase of relocating Malé's commercial port to Thilafushi, a project President Muizzu announced in his presidential address. The "Local Harbour Relief Project" covers a 125-metre quay, a docking area for atoll cargo vessels, container storage and crane installation on a 20-hectare site. MPL said CHEC will deliver the phase within five months. The company said unloading a vessel currently takes five to six days but should take 48 hours once the first phase is complete, with a target date of November 2027 for the full relocation.
Following the departures of the Maldives Pension Administration Office's CEO, CFO and chairman of the board, the private sector representative on the board, Maadhin Latheef, became the fourth board member to resign over the purchase of an MVR 2.4 billion (US$ 155.5 million) treasury bonds with financing from the central bank, a transaction that critics say clears the path for the central bank printing money and risking runaway inflation.
The Maldives Islamic Bank posted a net profit of MVR 100 million for the fourth quarter of 2025, up from MVR 92 million in the previous quarter. Total assets grew to MVR 16.4 billion with total deposits of MVR 13.6 billion.
