The financial landscape of the Gulf has undergone a structural transformation over the past decade. Sovereign wealth funds have become global allocators of capital. Family offices have professionalised at speed. And a new generation of independent investment firms has emerged to serve the region’s growing appetite for sophisticated financial products.
Sarah Chen, COO of Emirates FinTech Hub, sits at the intersection of this change. “The Gulf is not just adopting global financial models. It is creating new ones,” she observes. “The regulatory environments in DIFC and ADGM have become among the most sophisticated in the world. That attracts talent and capital that would otherwise go to London or New York.”
The data supports this thesis. DIFC registered its highest ever number of new financial firms in 2025, with assets under management across UAE-domiciled funds surpassing $1.3 trillion. Family offices are relocating from Switzerland, Singapore, and London at an accelerating pace, drawn by favorable tax treatment, geopolitical stability, and proximity to growth markets across Asia, Africa, and Europe.
