DMCC Records 7.7% Growth in British Companies as London Roadshow Spotlights Opportunities in Tech, Capital and Services

• DMCC records 7.7% growth in British companies over the past 12 months, taking its UK business community to over 2,250 companies
• British companies account for approximately 8.5% of DMCC’s business community
• London roadshow highlights opportunities for British companies to access high-growth markets through Dubai as UK-GCC free trade agreement moves towards implementation
• UK-UAE trade in goods and services reached GBP 25 billion in 2025, up 3.7% year on year

DMCC, the leading international business district that drives the flow of global trade through Dubai, has recorded 7.7% growth in British companies over the past 12 months, taking its UK business community to over 2,250 companies as it concluded its latest Made For Trade Live roadshow in London.

The UK remains one of DMCC’s largest international markets, with British companies accounting for approximately 8.5% of its 26,000+ member companies. The community spans professional services, technology, finance and wealth, alongside businesses in media, commodities, shipping and logistics.

The growth comes against a strengthening UK-UAE commercial backdrop. Bilateral trade in goods and services exceeded GBP 25 billion in 2025, up 3.7% year on year. In May, the UK and Gulf Cooperation Council concluded negotiations on a free trade agreement, making the UK the first G7 country to agree a trade deal with the GCC. The UK Government estimates that, once in force, the agreement could add GBP 3.7 billion a year to UK GDP in the long run compared with 2040 projections.

DMCC returned to London for the second time this year to engage British business leaders on how Dubai can support international expansion into the Gulf and other high-growth markets. The Made For Trade Live event discussed key opportunities across trade, technology, finance and other areas of growing UK-UAE commercial cooperation.

Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC, said: "The UK is one of DMCC's most important markets. We now have 2,258 British companies in our business district, up 7.7% over the past 12 months, with strong representation across professional services, technology, energy, and finance. As UK-UAE commercial ties deepen, we are strengthening the platform these companies use to expand internationally from Dubai, connecting them with almost 27,000 companies and the capital, customers, and markets shaping growth across the world's most active trade corridors.

"Finance and private wealth are increasingly central to that offering. Through DMCC FinX and the DMCC Wealth Hub, we are bringing finance, investment, technology, and global trade closer together. Our new Foundations Regulations build on the SPV and Holding Company structures introduced last year, giving families, entrepreneurs, and investors a more comprehensive framework to structure, preserve, and deploy capital from Dubai over the long term. With the UK-GCC Free Trade Agreement opening a new chapter in the commercial relationship, there is a clear opportunity to bring more of London's world-class financial and professional expertise into this ecosystem and deepen the flow of capital, investment, and business between the UK and UAE."

The roadshow follows the global launch of DMCC’s Future of Trade 2026 report in London in June. The report finds that South-South trade now accounts for around 35% of global trade, compared with approximately 25% for traditional North-North flows, underscoring the growing importance of commercial corridors linking the Gulf, Africa, Asia and other high-growth economies.

DMCC’s British business community reflects areas of established UK expertise. More than 520 British professional services companies are registered with DMCC, alongside more than 200 companies in technology and more than 200 in energy. Across DMCC as a whole, its technology community now comprises more than 4,000 companies spanning AI, cybersecurity, crypto and gaming.

DMCC’s wider platform brings together commodities, capital and technologies through specialist ecosystems and business services designed to help companies establish and scale from Dubai. This includes DMCC FinX, connecting finance and technology with DMCC’s strengths in commodities and global trade; DMCC Wealth Hub for family offices, private investors and wealth management businesses; and DMCC Tech, which brings together its technology-focused communities.