Member News

The Centre is experiencing an unprecedented period of growth, with the first half of 2025 seeing a 25 percent year-on-year rise in registered firms, bringing the total to more than 7,700 active companies. Increasingly, our clients are specifically requesting DIFC as their jurisdiction of choice, drawn to the confidence it provides through transparent governance and internationally recognised legal standards.

According to DIFC’s Future of Alternative Investments report, the Centre is strengthening its role as a gateway for international investors looking to access high-growth markets across Asia, Africa, and the wider Middle East. The momentum is unmistakable, and Sovereign PPG’s own experience mirrors it. Within our network, enquiries linked to Dubai rose by over 20% in 2025, while interest in DIFC itself surged by more than 170%. This remarkable increase demonstrates how companies and individuals alike are recognising DIFC as the jurisdiction of choice for growth, governance, and cross-border opportunity.

With residency movements continuing to rise through 2024 and 2025, and with 2026 designated as the “Year of the Family” in the UAE, we anticipate a further increase in demand for private client and family office services. Government initiatives that promote family unity and encourage long-term relocation are expected to attract more high-net-worth individuals and multigenerational families to establish deeper roots in the country.

We have already seen a strong uptick in Foundation and private wealth structures, with Foundations rising by 33 percent year-on-year in 2025 compared with 2024, and we expect this momentum to continue in the year ahead. This trend reflects the growing sophistication of client priorities in areas such as wealth preservation, succession planning, and asset protection, where DIFC’s Common Law framework and robust regulatory oversight offer exceptional clarity and confidence. The ability to register expat wills in the DIFC Courts provides an additional layer of reassurance, ensuring that inheritance and estate matters are governed by Common Law rather than default Sharia law, giving families and individuals greater certainty and long-term peace of mind.

DIFC also truly stand out, because of the diversity of its community. It is no longer solely a home for multinational banks and advisory firms. Today, we are supporting the establishment of everything from fitness studios and boutique consultancies to fintech start-ups building new platforms within the Innovation Hub. The Centre has become a living ecosystem that connects global capital with regional entrepreneurship, where legacy institutions and agile founders coexist and collaborate.

Dubai continues to reinforce its position as a strategic bridge linking Europe, Asia, and Africa, supported by strong governance, investor-friendly tax policies, and a modern infrastructure that makes it one of the easiest places in the world to do business. It is this combination of structure, opportunity, and global accessibility that makes DIFC so compelling and why Sovereign PPG is proud to be part of its story.

Our expansion into DIFC represents more than an operational step; it is a statement of alignment with the region’s trajectory. In other words, demand was driving this forward.

For those considering a presence in DIFC, the opportunity is clear. This is not just a place to establish an entity, it is a platform for global connectivity, stability, and sustainable growth.

For British Chamber of Commerce Dubai members, we are here to support you in DIFC and wider UAE. Contact jkelly@SovereignGroup.com to know more. 

Author: 

Jonathan Kelly – Business Development Manager at Sovereign PPG