The number of Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA)-regulated financial entities grew to 590 with 89 financial service firms authorised in 2022.
This is up from 51 authorised in 2021.
Some firms joining the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) in 2022 included Nomura, Octogone Group, Continental Group International, Habib Bank, Alpadis Group and Finsbury Wealth.
In September, the DIFC reported that 537 entities registered to operate in the UAE-based hub during the first half of 2022.
Overall, the DIFC saw the number of active registered companies rising 20% to 4,377 in 2022 from 3,644 in 202.
New companies registered in DIFC in 2022 surpassed the annual milestone of 1,000 for the first time in the centre’s history with 2022 seeing a total of 1,084 additional firms.
Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, president of the DIFC, said: “DIFC’s exceptional performance in 2022 demonstrates Dubai’s growing role as a major driver of innovation, entrepreneurship and next-generation technologies in the region’s financial sector.
“The centre’s performance to transform Dubai into one of the world’s biggest global financial hubs, reflects its ability to keep pace with global economic shifts and the rapid evolution of the world’s financial landscape, and provide a platform for financial companies to tap new opportunities.
“The Dubai International Financial Centre’s 2022 results also reflect the growing demand for a supportive ecosystem from global businesses looking to scale into emerging economies with high-growth financial services markets. With financial technology becoming a vital growth catalyst across sectors, the UAE’s ambitious initiatives to drive the future of finance will create immense opportunities and new economic growth not only in our region but also across the globe.”
