Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) has marked a major milestone by registering its 100th hedge fund, cementing its status as a top-five global hub for the sector.
The number of hedge fund managers at DIFC has doubled since the start of 2024, with 81 managing assets exceeding a billion dollars.
Throughout 2025, notable new entrants include Baron Capital Management, BlueCrest Capital, Naya Capital Management, and Squarepoint Capital, joining established players such as BlackRock, Brevan Howard, Millennium, and Qube Research and Technologies.
DIFC’s appeal lies in its ability to provide managers with access to Asian, European, and American markets, a deep talent pool, and capital from ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and sovereign wealth funds. Arif Amiri, CEO of DIFC Authority, emphasized that the centre’s growth reflects both its maturity and the confidence of its participants, noting that DIFC’s client-focused approach drives innovation across alternative investments.
A key innovation supporting this growth is the DIFC Funds Centre, a co-working space that allows hedge fund managers to establish operations quickly, operate cost-effectively, and scale efficiently. Over 85 percent of DIFC-based managers can raise and manage private and sovereign capital from within the centre.
The broader wealth and asset-management sector in DIFC continues to expand, now exceeding 470 firms. High-net-worth individuals and family offices have doubled their allocation to alternative investments since 2008, with allocations reaching roughly 15 percent of portfolios. Dubai’s position as a leading destination for wealth migration, with nearly 9,800 millionaires projected to relocate to the UAE by the end of 2025, further strengthens DIFC’s ecosystem.
The milestone underscores DIFC’s role as a global influencer in financial markets, offering unparalleled infrastructure, regulatory support, and access to capital that attract hedge fund managers from around the world.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
