Dubai emerges as top hub for billionaires as wealth trends shift, DIFC finds

Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) on Tuesday released the first report in its 2026 Future of Finance series, highlighting how high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) are reshaping global investment trends.

Titled Global Wealth Outlook: Rethinking Growth in a Changing World, the report examines how wealth is being influenced by market volatility, demographic shifts, and changing capital flows.

According to Emirites News Agency (WAM), nearly 23 million HNWIs collectively hold close to $87 trillion in wealth, underscoring their influence on global markets. The report highlights Dubai’s growing appeal as a destination for HNWIs, family offices, and private investors seeking diversification, flexibility, and resilience in their portfolios, WAM reported.

Rethinking wealth management

The report identifies a structural realignment in global wealth management. Persistent market volatility, geopolitical uncertainty, and uneven returns are prompting wealthy families to rethink both how and where they deploy capital. Geography is increasingly considered alongside asset allocation, with jurisdictional risk becoming central to long-term wealth preservation.

A key driver is the projected $124 trillion intergenerational wealth transfer expected by 2048. Younger heirs are influencing strategies toward private markets, artificial intelligence, sustainability, and impact, alongside traditional return objectives, according to WAM.

Next-generation wealth holders now prioritize multi-dimensional prosperity: financial gains, resilience against drawdowns and inflation, portfolio flexibility for unexpected events, family unity, environmental and social impact, and maintaining a strong family reputation.

The rise of women in wealth

Women now represent over 10% of ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs) and are expected to capture 95% of $54 trillion in inter-spousal wealth transfers. Female heirs often prioritize investments aligned with ethics and social impact, such as sustainable, philanthropic, or innovative projects, WAM noted.

Following AI, renewable energy is projected to grow fastest, with sustainable investments increasingly featured in UHNWI portfolios. The report shows that the ultra-wealthy are backing sustainability with significant financial commitments.

Advisers must adapt

Wealth advisers face higher expectations. Beyond valuations and portfolio construction, they must master private deal structures, identify credible venture and growth-stage partners, and integrate data-driven analytics.

Despite technology, wealth management remains people-centered, requiring advisers to build trust, navigate family dynamics, and understand individual goals, WAM reported.

Arif Amiri, CEO of DIFC Authority, said, “The global wealth landscape is undergoing a structural shift.

In an environment of volatility, regulatory divergence, and generational change, families are thinking about risk, resilience, and long-term growth. Increasingly, geographical allocation is becoming as important as how wealth is invested.

Dubai, and in particular DIFC, has anticipated this shift and offers a stable, globally connected environment with regulatory clarity where families and private investors can make long-term decisions with confidence,” WAM reported.

Dubai as a global wealth hub

The report underscores Dubai’s position as a leading center for private and family wealth, combining institutional depth with agility, stability, and tax efficiency sought by globally mobile investors.

Henley & Partners estimates the UAE added about 9,800 new millionaires in 2025, most in Dubai, the highest net inflow worldwide amid shifts in tax and policy in traditional financial centers, according to WAM.

With more than 1,289 family-related entities—the UAE’s largest family wealth ecosystem—DIFC underpins Dubai’s rise as a magnet for private wealth. Backed by private banking, wealth and asset management, legal, and advisory services, this growth aligns with the UAE’s 2026 designation as the Year of Family, emphasizing families’ role in global wealth stewardship.

Professionalizing family offices

The report also highlights the rapid professionalization of family offices and wealth managers, as clients demand deeper private market access, AI-enabled analytics, and advanced governance.

DIFC continues expanding its infrastructure, particularly through the DIFC Family Wealth Centre, a world-first initiative supporting multi-generational families, WAM reported.

The center offers thought leadership, networking, and next-generation engagement, reinforcing DIFC’s role as a long-term partner to families.

The Global Wealth Outlook report illustrates how Dubai is not just responding to global wealth shifts but actively shaping an environment where private and family capital can thrive, WAM noted.