The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) has published its 2025 Annual Report, revealing a third consecutive year of double-digit growth at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and cementing Dubai's position as one of the world's premier financial hubs.
The regulator licensed and registered 182 new firms during the year, bringing the total number of regulated entities to 1,050, a 16 percent increase on 2024. The milestone spans banking, capital markets, wealth and asset management, insurance, and fintech. Since the close of the reporting period, Dubai advanced to seventh place globally in the Global Financial Centres Index, its highest-ever ranking.
Financial activity across the centre saw significant expansion. The consolidated balance sheet of DIFC banks reached US$251 billion, up 19 percent year-on-year, while the fund management sector grew to 121 authorised firms managing US$176 billion in assets. DIFC also ranked among the world's top five hubs for hedge funds, with 87 registered in the centre.
Capital markets activity remained strong, with new debenture listings totalling US$30.6 billion and outstanding sukuk listings reaching US$107.9 billion. The OTC market recorded US$13 trillion in transactions in Q4 2025 alone.
On the regulatory front, the DFSA progressed 17 investigations and resolved 81 percent of the 322 complaints received within 28 days. Consumer alerts rose 69 percent from the previous year.
Digital adoption accelerated across the ecosystem, with 52 percent of DIFC firms actively using AI in 2025, up from 33 percent the year prior. The DFSA's Tokenisation Regulatory Sandbox, launched in March 2025, attracted 96 expressions of interest across six jurisdictions.
By year-end, the DFSA had signed 120 bilateral Memoranda of Understanding and eight innovation agreements, reinforcing its regulatory reach across global markets.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
