UAE Ranked Top Emerging Destination for Family Offices

Date Posted:Tue, 20th Oct 2026

The UAE has topped the global ranking of emerging destinations for family offices, according to the Best Global Destinations for Family Offices report by Global Citizen Solutions. It scored the maximum 100 out of 100 for regulation and taxation, and 78 for its financial ecosystem, the highest among emerging markets. Qatar, India, Malaysia and Italy followed.

Growth at DIFC reflects the trend. By the end of June 2026, 1,408 family-related structures were registered at the centre, up 36% on a year earlier. Dedicated frameworks are in place for them, including DIFC’s family wealth regulations and comparable arrangements at ADGM in Abu Dhabi. Combined with the absence of personal income tax, this makes the UAE an attractive base for families. According to UBS, 88% of family offices hold assets in two or more countries, and Dubai increasingly features among them. Dubai also ranks seventh in the 2026 Z/Yen Global Financial Centres Index.

As more families diversify their residency as well as their capital, demand is growing for the services and spaces that support them, including high-quality commercial real estate. This is the market Circle Group has worked in for 20 years.

How Circle Group works with investors

Circle Group builds and manages office portfolios in US dollars for investors. It buys undervalued offices, renovates them fully with a fresh, modern design and lets them to vetted tenants on long leases. Eight in ten clients reinvest with the company.

Offices to buy or lease in JLT

For businesses and private buyers, Circle Group offers one of the widest choices of offices to buy or lease in Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT), within the DMCC Free Zone. Every office is premium, fully renovated and well designed, so companies can move straight into a space that is ready to use and reflects their brand. JLT is the company’s core district, and the team knows its buildings inside out.

"After 20 years working only in Dubai offices, we see family capital as a good match for stable, income-producing commercial real estate,” said Viktor Kolesnikov, Founder of Circle Group. “Families who already operate from Dubai know the market and value discretion, quality and long-term thinking.”

Circle Group looks forward to meeting fellow Chamber members and is happy to talk to any family office, investor or business considering offices in Dubai.

About Circle Group

Circle Group is a Dubai commercial real estate investment company, run as a family office and a member of the British Chamber Dubai. It has worked exclusively in Dubai for 20 years, in a single asset class: premium, freshly renovated offices with modern design. It builds and manages US dollar office portfolios for investors, and its JLT portfolio offers businesses modern offices that are ready to use, all within the DMCC Free Zone.

Contact: Zarina Tolegen | +971 52 180 4373 | [email protected]