Dubai International Financial Centre
Financial services free zone off Sheikh Zayed Road with its own common-law legal system, courts and regulator.
- Authority
- DIFC Authority (regulator: DFSA)
- Founded
- 2004
- Focus
- Financial services
- Reported
- Estimated
- Not published
Companies10KH1 2026
Workforce50.2K2025
Setup costAED 5.9K2026
Setup time5d2026
RevenueAED 2.1bn2025
Site area0.4 km²2026
Benchmark
Companies vs peers
Workforce vs peers
Top signals
- Active companies grew 28% organically in 2025 to 8,844; net profit reached AED 1.48bn.DIFC press release
- 1,052 regulated firms, including 500+ wealth and asset managers, of which 102 are hedge funds.DIFC press release
- 1,677 AI, FinTech and innovation entities at end-2025.DIFC press release
- Operates its own civil and commercial legal system (common law), courts and independent regulator (DFSA).DIFC
- 2,318 new firms joined in H1 2026; regulated firms up 16% to 1,134 and AI & FinTech entities up 39% to 1,933.Gulf News — DIFC H1 2026 results
FY2025 composition
DIFC’s value is the mix of firms regulated inside it, not the headline company count — DIFC results, the DFSA annual report and the DIFC Courts caseload.
Regulated firms1,052FY2025
Banks & capital markets290+FY2025 · regional HQs
Bank balance sheetsUSD 251bnFY2025 · +19% YoY
Wealth & asset managers500+FY2025 · +22% YoY
Assets under managementUSD 176bnFY2025 · +4% YoY
Hedge funds102FY2025
AI, FinTech & innovation entities1,677FY2025 · +35% YoY
DIFC Courts claim valueAED 18.6bnFY2025
All 20 figures
Regulated
- Regulated firms · FY20251,052
- Banks & capital markets · FY2025 · regional HQs290+
- Insurance & reinsurance · FY2025135
- Brokerages · FY202570
- Bank balance sheets · FY2025 · +19% YoYUSD 251bn
- Reinsurer premiums · FY2025 · gross writtenUSD 4.24bn
Wealth
- Wealth & asset managers · FY2025 · +22% YoY500+
- Hedge funds · FY2025102
- Assets under management · FY2025 · +4% YoYUSD 176bn
- Assets under advisory · FY2025 · +22% YoYUSD 220bn
- Family-related entities · FY20251,289
- Family foundations · FY2025 · +66% YoY1,115
Innovation
- AI, FinTech & innovation entities · FY2025 · +35% YoY1,677
- Firms actively using AI · FY2025 · 33% in 202452%
- Workforce · FY2025 · +9% YoY50,200
- New jobs created · FY20254,122
Legal
- DIFC Courts cases · FY2025 · +43% YoY1,509
- DIFC Courts claim value · FY2025AED 18.6bn
- Opt-in claims · FY2025 · of Court of First Instance claims31%
- Enforcement claims · FY2025 · AED 10.9bn341
Companies
2019 → 2025Workforce
2019 → 2025Revenue
2020 → 2025Net new companies
2019 → 2025- Active companies grew 28% organically in 2025 to 8,844; net profit reached AED 1.48bn.DIFC press release
- 1,052 regulated firms, including 500+ wealth and asset managers, of which 102 are hedge funds.DIFC press release
- 1,677 AI, FinTech and innovation entities at end-2025.DIFC press release
- Operates its own civil and commercial legal system (common law), courts and independent regulator (DFSA).DIFC
- 2,318 new firms joined in H1 2026; regulated firms up 16% to 1,134 and AI & FinTech entities up 39% to 1,933.Gulf News — DIFC H1 2026 results
- Created 4,122 new jobs in 2025; net profit up 28% to AED 1.48bn from AED 1.16bn in 2024.DIFC press release — 2025 annual results
- Dubai’s 2025 free-zone-to-mainland regime (Executive Council Resolution 11/2025) does not apply to DIFC-licensed financial establishments.Dubai Legislation Portal — Executive Council Resolution No. (11) of 2025
All sources retrieved 27–28 Aug 2026.