DIFC Strengthens Family Wealth Support with New Advisory Committee

The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is reinforcing its long-term focus on family businesses and private wealth with the formation of a Strategic Advisory Committee for the DIFC Family Wealth Centre. This move aligns perfectly with the UAE’s declaration of 2026 as the ‘Year of the Family’.

Additionally, the move supports the National Family Growth Agenda 2031, which highlights the economic and social significance of families while promoting policies aimed at enhancing their stability and long-term prosperity.

The UAE’s Largest Family Ecosystem

Presently, DIFC stands as the UAE’s largest hub of family-related entities. It hosts over 1,250 organisations supported by more than 600 partners, including private banks, asset and wealth managers, law firms, and advisory specialists. The top 120 families based in DIFC oversee more than $1.2 trillion in global assets, underlining their significant contribution to the national economy.

What’s more, DIFC family businesses account for around 60% of the UAE’s GDP and employ nearly 80% of the workforce. His Excellency, Arif Amiri, Chief Executive Officer of DIFC Authority, says:

“DIFC continues to be at the forefront of enabling families to contribute to our society, ensuring they succeed and prosper. Through the efforts of the DIFC Family Wealth Centre, sound guidance from partners and world-class structures that support growth, DIFC solidifies Dubai as the preeminent destination for second and third-generation families locally, regionally, and increasingly globally. The DIFC Family Wealth Centre is emerging as a cornerstone of the private wealth advisory landscape.”

Role of the Strategic Advisory Committee

The newly established DIFC Strategic Advisory Committee will provide direction on best practices in family governance, succession planning, and wealth preservation strategies. It will also connect families with leading experts, advisors, and service providers, whilst also supporting education and training programmes to help develop secure and efficient frameworks for managing family wealth and businesses.

In an advisory role, the committee will contribute independent and unbiased insights to enhance DIFC’s family wealth offerings and global thought leadership and strategic input to shape the Centre’s priorities. It will also encourage collaboration, networking, and knowledge exchange within the family wealth management in Dubai.

The committee’s launch follows a series of initiatives announced at the recent DIFC Family Wealth Centre Summit, aimed at reinforcing Dubai’s position as a regional hub for family wealth, next-generation leadership and succession planning. In 2025, members benefited from over 30 exclusive events, workshops, and publications addressing topics such as governance, alternative investments, artificial intelligence, philanthropy, and global taxation.

DIFC has supported family structures since its establishment in 2004, and the introduction of the DIFC Family Arrangements Regulations in 2023 affirmed Dubai's dedication to facilitating the efficient management and governance of family wealth. All in all, the DIFC Family Wealth Centre is set to expand its annual summit in May 2026, during the Dubai Future Finance Week.

For further insights and comprehensive real estate advisory services, please contact Driven | Forbes Global Properties at +971800374836.