In its yearly report, the DIFC stated that 1,039 companies were registered at 31 December 2013 including the Bank of London and the Middle East (BLME), Wells Fargo, Napier Park Global Capital, Carnegie Asset Management and Samena Capital.
This bring the total number of financial services sector firms at the DIFC to 327.
The combined workforce of all companies at the DIFC grew by 11% year on year to approximately 15,600, representing over 131 nationalities.
The geographical mix comprised 34% from Europe, 29% from the Middle East, 15% from North America, 12% from Asia, and 10% from the rest of the world.
Many of DIFC’s current clients, including Emirates Retakaful, China Construction Bank (Dubai) Limited, and International Finance Corporation, opted to grow their physical presence within the Centre by expanding their current office space, the report also said.
Essa Kazim, governor of DIFC and chairman of the DIFC Authority, said : “2013 was a year of significant growth and development for Dubai as a whole, with the UAE being awarded the Expo 2020 bid win, the initiative to move towards an Islamic economy, and the MSCI upgrade of the UAE to ’emerging market’ status. These trends were also reflected within DIFC and in its sustained efforts towards becoming a global financial hub for the region.”
