Leading financial centers in the Middle East and Africa 2024

In 2024, Dubai was the most attractive financial center in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region with a Global Financial Centres Index score of 724 points. The private institute Z/Yen has constructed an index for financial center rating, in which a multitude of factors are integrated. Important areas of competitiveness are, among others, business environment, human capital, taxation, and infrastructure. Finance industry in MENAThe financial technology (FinTech) industry in the MENA region has been booming recently, especially with the increased smartphone and internet penetration rates. Fintech helps businesses by allowing them to manage their financial operations efficiently using specialized software. The acceleration of fintech adoption can be attributed to the large share of the young population who were adapting to change and high rates of new technology adoption. Fintech had the highest share of startup deals in the region at 16 percent in 2020 compared to other industries. The number of fintech companies in the Middle East region was forecast to reach 465 firms by 2022, though this value will likely be exceeded. Fintech in the UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was a leader in adopting fintech technology in the MENA region. The number of fintech startups in the UAE was 400 in 2020. There were 15 Islamic fintech firms in the country in the same year. The free zones ADGM and DIFC in the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively were proactively embracing fintech. The country’s regulatory authority boosted the blockchain sector in 2020 and 2021. Local authorities implemented regulatory laws and legalized the crypto-asset activities. The Dubai Financial Services Authority announced a crypto framework, while the Securities and Commodities Authority legitimized crypto-asset activities and introduced a crypto framework.

至2024年，迪拜已成为中东及北非（MENA）地区最具吸引力的金融中心，其全球金融中心指数得分为724分。私人研究机构Z/Yen构建了该金融中心评级指数，其中融合了众多因素。竞争力的重要领域包括商业环境、人力资本、税收和基础设施等。在中东地区，金融科技（FinTech）行业近年来蓬勃发展，尤其是在智能手机和互联网普及率提升的背景下。金融科技通过提供专业软件，帮助企业在高效管理其财务运营方面发挥重要作用。金融科技的快速采纳可归因于大量年轻人口适应变革并高比例采用新技术。与其它行业相比，2020年金融科技在区域初创企业交易中占据了16%的最高份额。预计到2022年，中东地区的金融科技公司数量将达到465家，这一数字预计将有所超越。在阿联酋，金融科技在采用金融科技技术方面处于中东地区的领先地位。2020年，阿联酋的金融科技初创企业数量达到400家。同年，该国共有15家伊斯兰金融科技公司。阿布扎比和迪拜的阿联酋自由区ADGM和DIFC分别积极拥抱金融科技。2020年和2021年，该国监管机构推动了区块链行业的发展，并实施监管法律，合法化了加密资产活动。迪拜金融服务局宣布了加密资产框架，而证券商品管理局则合法化了加密资产活动，并引入了加密资产框架。