Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) continues to gain momentum, with US companies deepening their presence in the region as assets under management climbed to $700bn in 2024, marking a 58 per cent rise from 2023.
DIFC Authority CEO Arif Amiri said US firms now account for around 7 per cent of all financial services companies operating in the centre since its establishment in 2004, underscoring Dubai’s strengthened appeal to American investors.
US finance firms in Dubai
Amiri made the comments following a Dubai Chambers delegation visit to the United States, which included the Dubai Business Forum – USA and a series of meetings with public- and private-sector stakeholders.
He said Dubai and the DIFC Authority offer American businesses and investors an entry point into the MEASA region — a market of 77 countries, about 3.8bn people, and an estimated $11.2 trillion in GDP.
Amiri highlighted the DIFC, the region’s largest financial centre, as an “unparalleled platform” that connects global businesses with high-growth markets.
Dubai’s position as a hub for talent and innovation further strengthens its appeal among US companies pursuing regional expansion, he said.
He added that Dubai has also established itself as a global centre for alternative investments, providing US hedge funds with a combination of regulatory transparency, a secure legal environment, and direct access to emerging markets.
DIFC popular with US firms
Global firms such as Cambridge Associates, PIMCO, Lighthouse Partners, Blue Owl Capital, and Walleye Capital operate from the centre, alongside major US banks including Citibank, J.P. Morgan Private Bank, and Morgan Stanley, which offer investment banking and wealth management services.
According to Amiri, the DIFC ecosystem now includes more than 470 wealth and asset management firms, comprising 85 hedge funds — 69 of which manage assets exceeding $1bn.
This represents the region’s largest concentration of alternative investment and asset management companies.
As part of efforts to deepen financial sector collaboration with the United States, the DIFC partnered with the Institute of International Finance (IIF) to host the inaugural Dubai Future Finance Week in May 2026.
The centre also worked with the IIF to host a workshop for 50 American and global companies focused on the future of non-bank financial intermediation and private credit — an asset class of rising importance in the MEASA region.
$700bn asset portfolio
Amiri said assets under management in the DIFC rose to $700bn in 2024, with more than 10,000 funds domiciled or marketed through the centre.
He noted that US institutions can leverage the DIFC’s expanding ecosystem to serve a growing population of high-net-worth individuals and family offices, with Dubai hosting the highest concentration of private wealth among Middle Eastern cities, according to a recent Henley & Partners report.
