- What
- 100% foreign ownership in a dedicated free zone; not a funding programme.
- Cost
- No equity — service or permission
- Status
- Active
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; 9% on non-qualifying income and on mainland-sourced business. 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 · 100% foreign ownership
- Services
- DFSA regulation
- Common law courts
- DIFC Innovation Hub
- Status
- Active
Closing soon on the map
Cultural Development Fund (CDF)
Grant · Saudi Arabia
Up to SAR 500,000 non-repayable per project, capped at 20 projects total.
No equity — grant
29 Sep 2026closes
Finspire
Accelerator · Saudi Arabia
SAR 100,000 development funding, earmarked rather than paid as cash.
Equity via SAFE, capped at 5%
4 Oct 2026closes
QSTP Incubation
Accelerator · Qatar
In-kind support: Doha workspace and housing for a four-week Sprint, talent and investor access.
Equity — 1.5% deferred SAFE-style stake
1 Nov 2026closes
More government programmes in the UAE
ADGM
Government · UAE
A RegLab regulatory sandbox; not a funding programme.
No equity — service or permission
—
ADIO
Government · UAE
Project-dependent incentive packages plus regulatory fast-tracking.
No equity — service or permission
—
CBUAE FinTech Sandbox
Government · UAE
Regulatory permission to test fintech and digital-banking products.
No equity — service or permission
—
Dubai Future Foundation
Government · UAE
Programme support and co-creation opportunities.
—
More programmes that take no equity →
Sources
Primary source · difc.com · LinkedIn · linkedin.com/company/difc