How globally mobile families are positioning for what’s next in the UAE
Introduction
The headlines have been hard to ignore over the past few months. Families reassessing and timelines shifting. A general sense that something has changed. If you read only the press, the conclusion appears already written.
Much of the narrative points to an exit. The reality is more measured - a pause. This distinction matters.
Grant Thornton UAE works directly with globally mobile families who have capital, operating businesses, and long horizons. I have been in conversations with this group over the last few weeks, and the picture on the ground is more nuanced than what current headlines imply.
This article is not a defence or an assessment of the UAE. It is an assessment of the risks and opportunities that exist within the UAE for families with serious capital. In this article, I will be clear about where risk exists. But I will also be clear about what the data shows, how future-focused families typically respond in periods of uncertainty, and why I believe that for families with a genuine long-term horizon, this is a compelling time to establish a meaningful presence in the UAE.
For globally mobile families assessing their position in the UAE, the question is not whether conditions are shifting, but how those shifts are interpreted against long-term fundamentals rather than short-term headlines.
From headline narrative to ground-level reality
In March 2026, 2,7091 new businesses were registered in Dubai. In Q1, Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) recorded 61% year-on-year2 growth in new registrations. Real estate transactions rebounded and global hedge funds are continuing to establish a presence. Notably, Citadel3 – one of the world’s largest alternative investment managers, with $67 billion under management – established operations in DIFC in April 2026, joining a hundred other global multi-strategy funds building a footprint in the UAE.
All this unfolded against a backdrop of heightened geopolitical tension and uncertainty. The signal is clear: operating businesses are not relocating at scale, and long-term structures are not being unwound. Instead, we are observing a measured pause in certain new decisions including market entries, first-time real estate purchases and fresh structural commitments. This is story of recalibration rather than exit.
How families with long horizons make decisions
Ultra-high-net-worth families with multigenerational capital do not restructure their lives around short term events. Their decision framework is anchored in fundamentals. The decision-making parameters are consistent across every family we work with:
1. Personal safety and operating environment: Can the family live freely, move safely, and operate without exposure to external conflict? This is a baseline consideration for every family. Throughout this period, the UAE has placed a clear emphasis on the safety and wellbeing of citizens and residents. Overall stability in day-to-day life has been maintained with minimal disruption and the country’s own security infrastructure has held.
2. Institutional stability and decisiveness: Can the system hold under pressure? When crisis hits, does decision making slow down? Do things get stuck or does the system move, adjust and come back stronger? The UAE has navigated the 2008 financial crisis, the oil cycle and COVID, and each time, it has demonstrated an ability to respond decisively and emerge with strengthened institutional capacity. than it went in with.
3. Legal framework and enforceability: Is there clarity, consistency and credibility of the legal environment? It is critical that structures are recognised, rules are clear and applied consistently and dispute resolution mechanisms are independent and trusted. DIFC and ADGM have become two of the most sophisticated jurisdictions globally for intergenerational wealth planning, reflected in continued growth in foundation registrations. Registrations in DIFC alone more than doubled4 in Q1 2026 compared to the same period a year earlier. Families are not leaving. They are structuring.
4. Tax efficiency and fiscal predictability: This is not just about minimal tax rates, but confidence that the rules will not shift dramatically and suddenly. For families that operate across multiple jurisdictions, this predictability is as important as the rate of tax itself. As on date, the UAE's tax framework continues to offer a stable and predictable environment for families operating across multiple jurisdictions..
5. Access to opportunity and capital ecosystems.: Families want to know whether the jurisdiction gives them genuine proximity to capital and opportunity - not just as a place to hold wealth, but as a place where wealth grows. The depth of deal flow, co-investment networks, and operating businesses in the UAE has strengthened significantly in the past two years, positioning the UAE as an increasingly active capital hub.
Across each of the above parameters, the UAE’s position remains fundamentally unchanged than it was a few months ago.
There is no better time than the present
What is being built in the UAE today – amid uncertainty and despite certain narratives – is exactly what families with long horizons should be paying attention to. The case for being here has not weakened, it has become even more compelling. Here is why:
The fundamentals remain intact.
Core pillars of the UAE’s economic model continue to hold - sovereign capital, established financial centers, and a banking system that remains liquid and operationally resilient. Even during these uncertain times, liquidity has not tightened in a way that disrupts clients.
The infrastructure being built here is generational.
Billions committed to AI and compute infrastructure - Stargate5, the largest AI data center outside the United States is being delivered with significant backing from international technology leaders, including OpenAI, NVIDIA, Oracle, Cisco, SoftBank and AWS. The infrastructure is being built now, during the disruption, and it will be the foundation for the next wave of wealth creation. Families who are present while it is being built will benefit from proximity and access to that ecosystem – an advantage that will become difficult to replicate over time.
Commitment to core sectors like energy
UAE continues to deploy capital with long-term intent across its core sectors, such as energy. ADNOC6 has committed $150 billion in a multi-year capital programme to reach a production capacity of 5 million barrels per day by 2027. This gives the country control over the timing and terms under which oil wealth is converted into sovereign wealth.
Operating businesses are being actively set up here
The UAE is not just a trading or logistics hub of the past. The government is actively creating conditions to promote the set-up and growth of operating businesses in the country.
The Make it in the Emirates7 summit in May 2026 drew more than 1,000 companies, 42% higher than the prior year, despite the external context. The Government launched a AED 1 billion National Industrial Resilience Fund8 to increase national industrial capacity and boost localisation of critical goods. The Emirates Development Bank9 allocated AED 30 billion to support priority industrial sectors under the UAE’s industrial strategy with financing solutions covering up to 80% of capital expenditure.
The country is building the infrastructure for businesses to grow, manufacture, export, and compete from here. For families with business interests in Gulf, India, Africa and further into Europe, UAE’s advantage is hard to replicate.
Institutional capital is creating new opportunities
There are more than 100 hedge funds now firmly established in DIFC – the number has doubled since 202410. With institutional capital concentrating here, the opportunity landscape is rapidly expanding for families operating in the region. The compounding effect of being in a maturing institutional ecosystem with better access to co-investment networks, better deal flows and transaction structures cannot be overlooked.
Taken together, the direction is clear. Capital is not retreating from the UAE; it is positioning for what comes next.
Respond intelligently, not reactively
The question is not whether risk exists – it does. The question is how you respond to it.
The current environment introduces more visible risks, and that should be factored into your decision making. But short-term developments should not dictate your long-term structural decisions. Families who navigate periods like this effectively are not those who wait for certainty, but those who use periods of pause to prepare with intent.
A few things worth doing right now:
· Build flexibility into your structures, but do not design everything around an exit. Structures built to keep a door open are usually not optimal. The goal should be to put the right structures in place today, with the ability to adjust over time if the conditions change.
· Avoid over-concentration in any one geography. The most effective strategies are not built by choosing one jurisdiction over another. They are designed as multi-jurisdictional footprints with clear purpose and coherence. A presence in the UAE does not mean concentrating everything here.
Revisit governance. Uncertainty surfaces questions families have been deferring in good times. How are decisions made in uncertain and difficult times? What will protect family and business continuity when things don’t go as planned? How is capital controlled? Geographic diversification helps mitigate risk, but adding jurisdictions without having clarity on governance introduces more complexity and therefore more risk.
Revisit governance. The moment to do that important work is now – when the pressure is real, but the house is not on fire.
The bottom line
For families taking a genuine 10 to 20 year view of capital, enterprise, and legacy, this is the moment to establish a meaningful position in the UAE.
The fundamentals remain steady. And the policy environment continues to favour capital that commits early and stays disciplined.
Some capital will step back in periods like this. It always does. That is rarely the capital that shapes the next phase of growth.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, financial, or investment advice. Readers should seek independent professional advice before making any decisions based on the content of this article. Grant Thornton UAE accepts no liability for any reliance placed on the information contained herein. Any forward-looking statements in this article are based on current expectations and assumptions, and actual outcomes may differ materially.
Sources
1 Dubai Chamber of Commerce, "Dubai Chamber Sees 2,709 New Member Companies in March 2026, Underscoring Dubai's Investment Appeal." March 2026.
2 Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Q1 2026 Growth and Registration Report, April 2026.
3 DIFC Authority / Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) press release, April 2026. Citadel received regulatory approval to commence operations within DIFC.
4 Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), “DIFC reports strong client growth during first quarter of 2026”, 29 April 2026
5 Stargate UAE announcement, May 2025. Partners: G42, OpenAI, Oracle, Nvidia, Cisco, SoftBank Group. 5GW UAE–US AI Campus in Abu Dhabi; first 300MW data centre phase operational 2026. Data Centre Magazine, January 2026; Khaleej Times, October 2025.
6 ADNOC capital expenditure programme; $150 billion committed toward 5 million barrels per day production capacity target by 2027. Reuters, April 2026; Enerdata, April 2026.
7 Make it in the Emirates Forum, Abu Dhabi, May 2026. Official summit communiqué and UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology press release.
8 UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology. AED 1 billion National Industrial Resilience Fund announced at Make it in the Emirates Forum, May 2026.
9 UAE Government (2024). Emirates Development Bank Strategy. Available at: https://u.ae (Accessed: June 2026)
10 DIFC, “DIFC becomes top five global hub for hedge fund managers – over 100 hedge funds now registered in the Centre,” 15 December 2025
Experts / Authors
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Jasleen Kaur Jasleen brings over 19 years of management consulting experience across the UK, India, and the Middle East, advising government agencies, multinational corporations, and high-growth businesses. She has a strong track record of delivering large and complex business strategy, operations improvement, digital transformation programmes across cross functional teams and geographies.View Profile