Dubai unveils plan for new financial centre in DMCC

31/10/2025 06:29 AST

Dubai is preparing to take a major step that could reshape its financial and trade architecture for the decade ahead.

DMCC, the world's largest free zone and international business district, has announced plans to launch a new financial centre that will serve as the financial engine of its fast-growing business ecosystem.

The move signals a new phase in Dubai's evolution - from a global gateway hub to a city where trade, finance, technology, and capital converge seamlessly.

The announcement was made during DMCC's latest Made For Trade Live roadshow in Vietnam, where more than 550 Vietnamese business leaders explored Dubai as a platform for international expansion. While the roadshow highlighted booming UAE-Vietnam economic ties under the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, it was the unveiling of the Financial Centre that captured the attention of global markets and industry observers.

DMCC's upcoming Financial Centre will cluster banks, fintech innovation labs, digital asset platforms, venture capital and private equity firms, wealth offices, accelerators and specialised financial service providers in one integrated district. The goal is to create a financial backbone that supports the city's trade flows, entrepreneurial growth, commodity and logistics networks, and digital economic sectors.

Companies within DMCC's 26,000-strong community will gain direct access to capital, structured finance, risk solutions, cross-border settlement frameworks, advisory services, investment partnerships and market infrastructure that previously required multiple platforms or jurisdictions.

Ahmed bin Sulayem, DMCC's executive chairman and CEO, described the development as transformative, noting that it will "connect our member companies more directly to the global financial system" and will anchor "trade finance, fintech innovation and digital-asset solutions across Dubai and beyond." He said the new district advances the UAE's ambition to position Dubai among the world's most influential global finance hubs.

DMCC's new financial centre is expected to complement Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), widely recognised as one of the leading financial centres for banking, insurance, asset management and professional services across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. The upcoming financial centre will be focusing on the financial arteries of global trade - including commodity finance, invoice and supply-chain financing, structured trade facilities, blockchain-enabled settlement systems, and SME-focused capital access.

Where DIFC provides a sophisticated regulatory and legal platform for large global financial institutions, DMCC aims to embed financial services directly where trade, commodity flows, logistics operations and digital enterprise networks are concentrated. Together, the two ecosystems deepen Dubai's competitive advantage: DIFC as a global headquarters hub for finance, and DMCC as the capital-and-commerce gateway linking real-economy trade to liquidity.

The announcement arrives at a moment when global economic flows are rebalancing toward cities with strong connectivity, policy stability and capital mobility. Independent research points to Dubai as one of the fastest-growing wealth hubs in the world. Henley & Partners projects the UAE will attract 9,800 high-net-worth individuals in 2025, the largest net inflow globally. Boston Consulting Group estimates private wealth in the country will grow by more than 6 per cent annually through 2028. Dubai's economic strategy, long-term residency programmes, zero income tax regime and business-friendly regulations continue to expand its appeal among investors, entrepreneurs, corporations and family offices.

The timing of the Financial Centre also coincides with rapid growth in trade connectivity between the UAE and Southeast Asia. The UAE-Vietnam Cepa, enacted last year, has already pushed bilateral non-oil trade to $7 billion in the first half of 2025, up nearly 17 per cent year-on-year, with projections indicating trade could approach $20 billion in the near future. More than 670 Southeast Asian companies - including a rising share from Vietnam - are already established in DMCC, leveraging Dubai as a launchpad for global scale.

The new Financial Centre will make this expansion faster, cheaper and capital-efficient.

This development also aligns with DMCC's expanding role in digital asset markets, following its collaboration with Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), and with the success of the DMCC Wealth Hub, which supports private capital structuring and investment deployment. In parallel, Dubai International Financial Centre continues to attract global banks, sovereign capital, fintech unicorns and hedge funds, making Dubai one of the rare global cities where both institutional finance and innovation-driven capital ecosystems co-exist at scale.

By embedding finance directly into the heart of trade activity, DMCC is reinforcing Dubai's position not simply as a crossroads for global commerce, but as a command centre where global capital meets global trade.

Financial analysists insist that the new Financial Centre underscores a clear narrative: Dubai is no longer just connecting markets - it is shaping how the next generation of trade and financial systems operate.

Khaleej Times