The DIFC is the world's fastest growing international financial centre. It aims to develop the same stature as New York, London and Hong Kong.
It primarily serves the vast region between Western Europe and East Asia.
Since it opened in September 2004, the DIFC has attracted high calibre firms from around the globe as well as its region. A world-class stock exchange, the Dubai International Financial Exchange (DIFX), opened in the DIFC in September 2005.
The DIFC is a 110-acre free zone. It is part of the larger vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, together with the Government of Dubai, to create an environment for progress and economic development in the UAE and the wider region.
Located at the crossroads of the major international capital markets of New York and London (in the West) and Hong Kong (in the East), Dubai is the complementary hub connecting the region with the 24 hour/7 days a week global financial network.
The Dubai International Financial Centre was conceived by the Government of Dubai for the benefit of the UAE and the wider region as a whole. Its remit is to create a regional capital market, offering investors and issuers of capital world-class regulations and standards. Its hallmarks are: integrity , transparency and efficiency .
As a new global jurisdiction for financial institutions, the DIFC offers its participants a highly attractive investment environment, including:
- 100 percent foreign ownership
- zero percent tax rate on income and profits
- wide network of double taxation treaties available to UAE incorporated entities
- no restrictions on foreign exchange or capital/profit repatriation
- dollar denominated environment
- transparent operating environment with high standards of rules and regulations
- strict supervision and enforcement of money laundering laws
- ultra modern office accommodation, state-of-the-art technology, sophisticated infrastructure, data protection/security, operational support and business continuity facilities of uncompromisingly high standards.
But unlike 'offshore' tax havens, the DIFC is a fully fledged 'onshore' capital market, comparable to Hong Kong, London and New York.
Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)
The Gate, Level 14
P.O. Box 74777, Dubai, UAE
Tel: +971 4 362 2222
Fax: +971 4 362 2333
Client Relations Centre
Tel: +971 4 362 1111
www.difc.ae