Dubai and Abu Dhabi’s financial centers reported more managers, firms and funds in the first half of 2026, showing growth in their financial sectors while leaving overseas investment flows unmeasured.
Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) counted 1,134 regulated financial-services firms at midyear, up 16% from a year earlier. Active registered companies across all sectors rose 30% to 10,018. DIFC also listed 592 wealth and asset-management firms.
At Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), assets under management rose 54% year over year in the same period. Its manager count increased 23% to 190, while the number of funds managed from the center climbed 32% to 276.
ADGM said its workforce grew 34% to 49,027. The centers credit their legal and regulatory systems for attracting firms; ADGM also cites access to capital and the direct application of English common law.
At the end of 2025, wealth and asset managers in DIFC had $176 billion in assets under management, the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) reported. That was 4% above the previous year; assets under advisory reached $220 billion, up 22%.
Firms newly operating in ADGM during the first half managed more than $2.1 trillion in global assets, the center said. The amount covers those managers’ worldwide portfolios. It does not measure what they held in ADGM or invested abroad from Abu Dhabi.
ADGM also counted 13,974 active licenses at midyear.
In Gulf News partner content published Oct. 20, An Kelles, Jersey Finance’s director for the Gulf Cooperation Council, argued that the United Arab Emirates is becoming a base for managing investment across countries. The published figures document growth at the centers but do not quantify capital flows beyond the UAE.
