7% of the entities operating in the financial services sector are American

The CEO of the Dubai International Financial Center Authority, Arif Amiri, confirmed that American companies have chosen the center as a preferred location since its establishment in 2004, as they now constitute about 7% of the entities operating in the financial services sector there.

He said in a statement to the Emirates News Agency, WAM, yesterday, after the conclusion of the visit of the Dubai Chambers delegation to the United States of America, in the presence of a number of representatives of government and private agencies, which witnessed the holding of the “Dubai-US Business Forum”, in addition to a group of visits and meetings, that Dubai and the Dubai International Financial Center provide a gateway for American companies and investments to reach the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region, which includes 77 countries with a population of about 3.8 billion people, and an estimated gross domestic product. By about 11.2 trillion dollars.

He added that the center, as the largest financial centers in the region, provides an unparalleled platform to connect international companies with promising growth markets, and Dubai’s position as a global center for talent and innovation makes it the first destination for American companies seeking to achieve regional growth.

He pointed out that “Dubai has established its position as a unique global center for alternative investments, as it provides American hedge funds with a combination of regulatory transparency and a safe legal environment that characterizes advanced financial centers, in addition to direct access to emerging markets with high growth rates.”

He pointed out that nearly two-thirds of the hedge funds located in the Dubai International Financial Center came from the United States and the United Kingdom, including some of the largest hedge funds in the world, as prestigious international companies such as Cambridge Associates, Pimco, Lighthouse Partners, Blue Owl Capital, and Wall Eye Capital established their operations in the center, along with major American banks such as Citibank and J.P. Morgan. Private Bank and Morgan Stanley, which provides investment banking and wealth management services.

He added that the Dubai International Financial Center, thanks to its advanced infrastructure, strong legal and regulatory framework, and dynamic system, places Dubai at the forefront of opportunities in the field of alternative investments, by providing a reliable platform that connects global capital with emerging market opportunities.

The center includes more than 470 wealth and asset management companies, including 85 hedge funds, of which 69 funds manage assets worth more than one billion dollars. This system constitutes the largest gathering of alternative investment and asset management companies in the region.

In response to a question about the current cooperation with American institutions, the CEO of the Dubai International Financial Center Authority explained that the Center recently announced a partnership with the Institute of International Finance (IIF) to organize the inaugural session of the Dubai Week for the Future of the Financial Sector in May 2026, as this cooperation combines the Center’s vision to advance the future of the financial sector and the global expertise of the Institute of International Finance. Arif Amiri pointed out that assets managed in the Dubai International Financial Center rose to $700 billion in 2024, an increase of 58% compared to 2023, with more than 10,000 funds managed and marketed through the center.

Dubai is home to the highest concentration of private wealth among cities in the Middle East, according to a recent report issued by Henley & Partners.