The resilience and the strong leadership of the UAE is proven every day by numbers.
The latest results from DIFC, Dubai International Financial Centre, under the leadership of its CEO Arif Amiri show a 108% increase in family foundations, with 158 established in just the first quarter of 2026 alone. In March alone, that growth accelerated even further, up 186% year-on-year.
That’s not just a statistic. It’s families making long-term decisions about where their wealth will be structured, governed and passed on.
Across the UAE, family businesses already account for the majority of private sector activity and a significant share of GDP. Many of them are now transitioning into second and third generations, where structure, governance, and clarity become critical. This is typically the point where informal arrangements no longer hold, and formal structures begin to take shape.
At the same time, Dubai continues to attract global private wealth at scale, with high-net-worth families relocating and establishing a long-term presence in the market. That shift naturally brings a greater focus on formal structures such as foundations and family offices, not just for protection, but for continuity.
From an auditor’s perspective, that’s not just growth. It’s confidence in governance, regulation, and stability.
Because family wealth does not move quickly. And it does not structure itself in places it does not fully trust. It looks for environments where rules are clear, consistently applied, and built to support long-term planning.
DIFC is becoming a legacy hub where wealth is not just placed. It is structured, governed, and prepared for transition across generations.
And once it is structured, it tends to stay and it has already proven that!
