Dubai Rising as a Global Hub for Family Offices

Dubai is rapidly emerging as one of the world’s most attractive destinations for family offices. In the past year, over 200 new family offices are thought to have been established in the emirate’s financial ecosystem, underscoring its rise as an alternative to more traditional wealth-management centres such as Switzerland, the U.K. and Singapore. 

Global private wealth has reached a record $471 trillion, expanding eight times faster than public wealth since 1995. Private markets are simultaneously on track to exceed $30 trillion in assets by 2030. As such, especially in the post-pandemic world, family offices have become increasingly mobile, shifting to newer jurisdictions that offer stability, scale and access to global growth markets. Dubai ticks all these boxes. 

A combination of regulatory, fiscal and lifestyle incentives lies at the heart of the city’s appeal. From long-term residency via the über-popular Golden Visa programme to no personal income or capital gains tax, the emirate is a safe haven amid current global turmoil. 100% foreign ownership, robust common-law financial structures and an exceptionally convenient location as the main link between India, Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia reinforce this. It means that the city is attractive for families seeking to preserve generational wealth without the tax or disclosure requirements that are increasingly common in markets across Europe and Asia. This is a trend that has been supercharged by a tightening of restrictions on global wealth, most famously symbolised by the U.K.’s changes to its “non-dom” laws. 

At the heart of this transformation is the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). Recent data shows that DIFC is home to over 120 family offices that collectively manage assets in excess of $1 trillion. The centre also recently hosted the highly successful DIFC Family Wealth Centre Summit, which reinforced its status as a global destination for family wealth. Relatedly, DIFC’s broader ecosystem includes over 470 wealth and asset management firms, as well as over 100 registered hedge fund managers, making it a top-five hedge-fund hub worldwide. 

Dubai’s appeal is also reinforced by targeted institutional innovation. DIFC’s Global Family Business and Private Wealth Centre, launched in 2022, was the first of its kind globally, offering licensing, concierge services and inter-generational transition planning. Complementing this, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) recently launched its own Wealth Hub designed to support family offices and private investors. Together, these initiatives provide governance, succession and investment solutions via a single, well-regulated platform. 

Dubai remains the epicentre of family wealth, with 2026 bringing with it events such as the highly anticipated Annual Private Wealth Middle East Forum at the landmark Atlantis The Royal. However, the U.A.E.’s broader wealth landscape is also deepening. Abu Dhabi, through the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), has attracted prominent global family offices and asset managers, supported by a rapidly expanding financial ecosystem and vast sovereign capital. Meanwhile, Ras Al Khaimah is emerging as a complementary private wealth hub, leveraging modern structuring tools, cost efficiency and growing lifestyle appeal buoyed by the upcoming Wynn resort to attract families focused on asset protection and succession planning.