Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, and Chairman of the Higher Committee for the Development of the Economic and Financial Sector, chaired a meeting to review performance indicators across Dubai's economic and financial sectors, Gulf Today reported.
According to metrics presented at the meeting, Dubai ranked first globally in FinTech on the Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI) published in September 2026, rising from fifth place in March 2026. The emirate also advanced to second globally in Professional Services, up from fourth, and moved to sixth in reputation from eighth, while maintaining its leading position for the fourth consecutive edition as the financial hub expected to gain the most significance over the coming two to three years.
Indicators for the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) demonstrated sustained momentum, with market capitalisation reaching Dhs993.1 billion by the end of the third quarter of 2026. Average daily trading values rose 24.5%, with institutional investors accounting for 71% of total trading value. DFM registered 55,462 new investors during the first nine months of 2026, with international investors representing 72.1% of new entrants.
In the virtual assets sector, the number of licensed Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs) supervised by the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) reached 52, with assets under management totaling Dhs28 billion. In commodities, physical gold traded in the UAE reached approximately 2,750 tonnes, ranking the UAE second globally as a physical gold trading hub and channelling an estimated 13% to 15% of global physical gold trade toward demand markets including China and India.
Sources
- GulfToday · 2026-10-08
