- What
- Financial free zone with its own regulator, courts and flexible structures; not a funder.
In detail
DIFC is a free zone in the UAE. Dubai International Financial Centre. 10,000+ active companies (H1 2026), common law courts, DFSA regulation. Home to the DIFC Innovation Hub. 0% corporate tax only as a Qualifying Free Zone Person on qualifying income. UAE corporate tax applies to financial years starting on or after 1 June 2023 (Federal Decree-Law No. 47 of 2022).
- Amount
- Free zone and regulator, not a funding programme
- Services
- DFSA regulation
- Common law courts
- DIFC Innovation Hub
- Status
- Active
What the source says
“Dubai International Financial Centre announces landmark annual results for 2025”
“Active registered companies exceeds 10,000 for the first time, up 30 per cent year-on-year, bringing the total number of active firms in DIFC to 10,018”
“A world-class judicial system based on English common law.”
“DFSA grants licenses and regulates activity”
“DIFC offers the largest innovation community in the region, supporting companies and generating new economic value.”
“This allows businesses operating in the DIFC Free Zone to benefit from a zero per cent corporate tax rate on qualifying income as specified by the relevant corporate tax cabinet and ministerial decisions.”
Closing soon on the map
No published deadline in the next 30 days · All published deadlines →
Compare government programmes in the UAE
| Cost | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| DIFCFinancial free zone with its own regulator, courts and flexible structures; not a funder. | not published | No equity | Active |
| Dubai Future FoundationProgramme support and co-creation opportunities. | not published | Not published | Closed |
| Masdar City Free Zone100% foreign ownership free-zone setup. | not published | No equity | Active |
| twofour54Licence-fee waivers and production-rebate access. | not published | No equity | Active |
| UAE Golden Visa — Entrepreneur5-year renewable residency for entrepreneurs with a qualifying project. | not published | No equity | Active |
| ADGMA RegLab regulatory sandbox; not a funding programme. | not published | No equity | Active |
| ADIOProject-dependent incentive packages. | not published | Equity possible | Active |
| Artificial Intelligence and Data Authority (UAE)National data, AI and digital-government body; not a funder. | not published | Not published | Active |
| CBUAE FinTech SandboxRegulatory permission to test fintech products. | not published | No equity | Active |
| DisruptAD (ADQ)ADQ venture platform managing the AED 535M Ventures Fund (Ghadan 21). | not published | Equity | Active |
No programmes match these filters.
Highest amount in each programme’s own “What” line. Other currencies converted for sorting only (Gulf pegs; KWD, EUR, GBP approximate).
More programmes that take no equity →
Questions founders ask
What does DIFC offer?
Financial free zone with its own regulator, courts and flexible structures; not a funder.
Does DIFC take equity?
No equity — service or permission.
How do I apply?
No application form is published. Its website is the way in.
Sources
Primary source · difc.com · LinkedIn · linkedin.com/company/difc