Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) logged its strongest-ever first half in 2025, with a 25% y-o-y jump in active companies to 7.7k, according to Dubai Media Office. The number of professionals working in DIFC rose to nearly 48k, up 9% y-o-y, while regulated entities under the Dubai Financial Services Authority climbed 17% to 980.

Banking and capital markets took the top spot: The segment grew 17% y-o-y to 289 firms, while DIFC’s wealth and asset management cluster expanded to 440 firms, up 19% y-o-y.

The center is now home to more than 85 hedge funds, including 69 managing over USD 1 bn each, with total funds managed or marketed from DIFC now exceeding 10k. Meanwhile, ins. and reins. continued to expand, with 135 active firms and a 35% y-o-y uptick in gross written premiums to USD 3.5 bn in 2024. At the end of the period, 1.4k fintechs were operating in the DIFC — up 28% y-o-y.

Who joined? Among the biggest new entrants in 1H: Pimco, Cambridge Associates, Bluecrest Capital, ABK Capital, National Bank of Kuwait, and China International Capital Corporation.

Family office activity surged: The number of entities linked to family businesses rose 73% y-o-y to 1k, while foundations in DIFC grew 54% to 842. This comes as an increasing number of family offices are looking to set up shop in the UAE.

SEPARATELY, IN THE CAPITAL-

Activity also reached record highs in ADGM in 2024, with a record 272 authorized financial services providers operating in the center — up 30% y-o-y, according to the Financial Services Regulatory Authority ’s (FSRA) annual report (pdf). The FRSA issued 77 new market authorizations and 91 in-principle approvals over the year — marking the highest y-o-y increase on record.

Firms in the asset and wealth management sector continued to dominate, growing to 120 firms from 98 in 2023, followed by financial advisors and arrangers which climbed to 72 from 47.

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