Dubai’s DIFC record growth strengthened by insurance-related firms

The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the global financial centre in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA), has announced its best-ever performance for the first half of a year, with the insurance sector taking a prominent lead.

DIFC saw a record 1,081 new active registered companies join the Centre during the first six months of 2025 bringing the total number of active registered companies to 7,700.

Gross Written Premiums from insurance-related firms surged to USD 3.5 billion in 2024, a substantial increase from USD 2.6 billion the previous year.

This growth solidifies the Centre’s position as a vital hub for the global insurance industry, now hosting 135 insurance-related firms, DIFC stated.

In total, 7,700 companies are registered with the DIFC, expanding its professional workforce to 47,901.

Beyond insurance, DIFC’s financial services sector demonstrated a broad growth, with total financial services authorisations rising by 28% year-on-year to 78 in H1 2025.

DIFC’s banking and capital markets cluster now consists of 289 companies, up from 247 a year ago. The number of firms in the wealth and asset management sector increased to 440, up from 370 in H1 2024.

It grew 19 % year-on-year, with 85 hedge funds, including 69 billion-dollar funds. Over 10,000 funds are now managed or marketed from DIFC.

The FinTech and Innovation sector also experienced substantial growth, with the number of companies surging by 28% to 1,388 from 1,081 in H1 2024.

Additionally, 1,035 entities associated with family businesses now operate from the Centre, up from 600 a year ago. The number of foundations in DIFC also rapidly increased, reaching 842 from 548 in the first half of 2024.

Total active non-financial entities increased to 6,335, up from 4,935 a year earlier.

H.E. Essa Kazim, Governor of DIFC, commented: “DIFC remains the driving force behind Dubai’s economic growth, as a key enabler of the financial services sector’s expansion and diversification.

“Our consistent performance across all sectors and rising global standing strengthen our commitment to supporting innovation, attracting global capital, and reinforcing Dubai’s status as one of the world’s most competitive and diversified economies.”

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