Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the leading global financial hub in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA), today launched the latest edition of its flagship Future of Finance report series.
Titled ‘Shift to Private Capital’, the report highlights how the rapid growth and globalisation of private wealth is reshaping financial markets and advancing Dubai’s position as a destination of choice for high-net-worth individuals, family offices and private capital investors.
The report outlines how the balance of global finance is tilting toward private markets. Forecasts suggest private market assets will exceed $30 trillion by 2030 as investors look for more reliable, higher-yielding opportunities. In parallel, global private wealth has reached a record $471 trillion, having grown by more than $340 trillion since 1995, a rate eight times faster than the expansion of public wealth over the same period.
A defining feature of this new era is the $124 trillion intergenerational wealth transfer set to take place in the next two decades. Younger heirs are increasingly prioritising technology, sustainability and impact, and this is accelerating demand for personalised wealth solutions and sophisticated private capital platforms.
Dubai has emerged as the region’s leading global hub for private wealth by offering the institutional strength of established markets with the dynamism of emerging ones. In 2025, the city climbed to 12th place in the Global Financial Centres Index, recognised alongside London, New York and Paris for its broad and deep financial capabilities.
DIFC is central to this growth. As of H1 2025, it is home to 7,700 active companies – a 25% year-on-year increase. The ecosystem now includes over 440 wealth and asset managers, 85 hedge funds, a strong cluster of private equity and venture capital firms and 1,035 family-related businesses.
The Centre is home to a significant portfolio of companies who have chosen DIFC and Dubai as their regional home to support the growth of private markets. These include Alarabi Investments, Baron Capital, BECO Capital, Cambridge Associates, CdR Capital Levent Capital, Hayfin, Middle East Venture Partners, Morningstar, Naya Capital, Pearl Diver Capital, PIMCO, Squarepoint Capital, Silver Point Capital and TVM Capital.
Contributions to the report come from senior voices in global finance, including Mark Oshida (Cambridge Associates), Philippe Amarante (Henley & Partners) and Antoine Colson, CEO of the International Private Equity Market (IPEM).
Reflecting Dubai’s growing influence in global finance, IPEM, the world’s leading private capital marketplace, will host its first Middle East preview at DIFC in December 2025, followed by a landmark edition during Dubai Future Finance Week in May 2026.
Antoine Colson, CEO of IPEM, said: “Dubai’s alignment of long-term capital with long-term vision, combined with both its strong regulatory framework and thriving family office community, make it the natural home for IPEM’s expansion. We look forward to working with DIFC to connect global investors with the opportunities emerging from this dynamic hub.”
The ‘Future of Finance: Shift to Private Capital’ report underlines how Dubai is not only keeping pace with the transformation of global markets but actively shaping them.
