DUBAI, UAE, Dec. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — DIFC, the leading global financial centre in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region, has registered its 100th hedge fund, reflecting its dominance in the sector and successful journey to becoming a top five global hub for the industry.
The number of hedge fund managers doubled from 50 at the start of 2024.81 are billion-dollar AUM managers.
Baron Capital Management, BlueCrest Capital, Naya Capital Management, Nine Masts Capital, North Rock Capital, Oak Hill Advisors, Pearl Diver Capital, Select Equity Group, Strategic Investment Group, Silver Point Capital, Squarepoint Capital, and Welwing Capital Group are all new companies that will be joining in 2025.
They are now part of the largest group of industry veterans in the area, which includes Balyasny, BlackRock, Blue Owl, Brevan Howard, Dymon Asia, Exodus Point, Hudson Bay, Millennium, Qube Research and Technologies (QRT), and Verition.
Managers are still joining DIFC at a record pace because they can trade in Asian, European, and American markets, find the best staff in the region, and get money from ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and sovereign wealth funds.
Your Excellency Arif Amiri, the CEO of DIFC Authority, said, “Becoming a leading hedge funds center shows how mature the DIFC platform is and how much trust its users have in it.” Our emphasis on our clients and partnerships with other businesses generate product innovation, which keeps our expansion going. The size and diversity of our alternative investments community make us the only financial center that works on a large scale in all industries. This means that DIFC and our clients can have an impact on the global financial landscape from Dubai.
The DIFC Funds Centre is an example of DIFC’s innovation. It is the first of its type asset management co-working space and is home to some of the greatest names in the sector, as well as mid-sized enterprises, spinouts, and startups. More than 85% of hedge fund managers based in the DIFC can raise and manage private and government money from the Center.
DIFC’s recent report on the future of alternative investments said that technological advances, changes in regulations, and easier access for more investors are all speeding up the flow of money into alternatives, which are now becoming important parts of diversified portfolios.
The DIFC’s wealth and asset management sector is still growing quickly, and it presently has more than 470 companies. Managers benefit from being able to tap from the Middle East’s biggest concentration of private wealth, which includes more than 1,250 family-owned businesses situated in the Center.
