Dubai, UAE; 5 January 2026: Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the leading global financial centre in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, has reaffirmed its commitment to family-related entities by establishing a Strategic Advisory Committee for the DIFC Family Wealth Centre.
The commitment coincides with the UAE’s official designation of 2026 as the ‘Year of the Family’ and the National Family Growth Agenda 2031 that recognises the vital role of families and forms a strategic, comprehensive framework to ensure their stability and prosperity.
As the UAE’s largest family ecosystem, DIFC has more than 1250 family-related entities. They receive support from over 600 partners including private banks, wealth and asset management firms, law firms, and advisory companies. Collectively, the top 120 families operating out of DIFC manage above USD 1.2trn in assets globally, making a significant contribution to the UAE economy. Family businesses in the UAE form a bedrock drive around 60 per cent of GDP and employ 80 per cent of the national workforce.
His Excellency, Arif Amiri, Chief Executive Officer of DIFC Authority, commented: “DIFC continues to be at 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 landscape.”
Supporting these entities, the Strategic Advisory Committee’s purpose is to guide the Centre by promoting best practices in family governance, succession planning, and wealth preservation, providing access to top-tier experts, advisors, and service providers, delivering training solutions for educational programme, and offering high-quality frameworks for wealth and family business structures with strong privacy standards. Such guidance will strengthen DIFC’s position as a leading hub for private wealth and family business advisory.
Serving in advisory capacity, DIFC is introducing a Committee to offer strategic guidance to help shape the DIFC Family Wealth Centre’s direction and priorities, provide expert, unbiased insights to enhance DIFC’s family wealth offerings, contribute thought leadership on trends affecting family wealth globally, and offer more support including facilitating outreach, knowledge-sharing, networking, collaboration and education.
The activation of the Strategic Advisory Committee follows several landmark initiatives and partnerships launched at the recently held DIFC Family Wealth Centre Summit to reinforce Dubai’s position as the MEASA region’s premier destination for family wealth, next-generation leadership and succession planning.
Many family offices seek a certain degree of collaboration with external partners to reach investment goals especially when it comes to private markets or to equip themselves on new technologies and innovation, according to a whitepaper by Black Rock. Another study by BNY Wealth suggests family offices are frequently at the cutting edge of new investment trends, such as moving into private markets and digital assets. In 2025, members of the DIFC Family Wealth Centre benefitted from over 30 exclusive events, workshops, roundtables and publications. Delivered in association with DIFC partners, these initiatives covered themes including family office structuring, succession planning, understanding alternative investment strategies, AI frameworks, philanthropy, global taxation and governance.
Such initiatives strengthen Dubai’s position as a leading jurisdiction for wealth, governance, and succession by providing families with access to structured governance support, regulatory clarity, Golden Visa and licensing facilitation, curated education, and high-level networking within DIFC. Through its partnerships, events, and expanding member community, the DIFC Family Wealth Centre enables families to formalise their legacy, build tailored structures, dip into a relevant talent acquisition pool and confidently grow across generations while contributing to Dubai’s global competitiveness.
DIFC’s commitment to families is longstanding, providing support since the Centre established in 2004 foundations, holding companies, managing offices, private trust companies and proprietary investments entities, The introduction of the DIFC Family Arrangements Regulations 2023 affirmed Dubai’s dedication to facilitating the efficient management and governance of family wealth addressing their specific needs, enhancing transparency, stability, and trust within the family office ecosystem.
In May 2026, the DIFC Family Wealth Centre will be expanding their annual Summit which will take place during Dubai Future Finance Week.
Ends