The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts today released details of its activity for 2024, recording cases with AED 7.7 billion in claims value.
The courts recorded 1,056 claims across its five divisions, with a total value exceeding AED 7.7 billion. The average value of claims was AED 12.4 million.
The five divisions include the civil & commercial division; technology & construction; arbitration division; digital economy court; and the small claims tribunal.
The workload of the main Court of First Instance (CFI) and its divisions recorded 114 claims, with an average value of AED 103.3 million.
Claims brought before the CFI divisions covered a range of sectors including banking & finance, retail, manufacturing, crypto, and real estate, and involved disputes related to breach of contract, insolvency, arbitration agreements, and employment.
Claims related to the arbitration division recorded the most substantial values in 2024; the total value of claims was AED 6.8 billion, with the average case value of AED 356.1 million. There were 28 claims in the arbitration division last year which saw a strong uptake of interim measures and injunctive relief mechanisms, according to a statement.
The civil & commercial division recorded 82 claims in 2024, with a total claim value of AED 854.1 million and an average claim value of AED 16.4 million.
There were two registered claims with the technology & construction division in 2024, with a total value of claims of AED 14.2 million and an average case value of AED 7.1 million.
The digital economy court division recorded two cases in 2024, with a total claim value of AED 10.2 million.
The small claims tribunal recorded 592 claims in 2024, with a total value of AED 57.9 million. The average claim value recorded at the SCT for 2024 was AED 106,000. Claims were driven primarily by disputes related to breach of contract, banking & finance, and employment.
His Excellency Wayne Martin, chief justice, DIFC Courts, said: “In 2024, the DIFC Courts recorded strong uptake of core dispute resolution services as well as our ancillary services. It is a testament to our operations that after twenty years since inception, court users still view our jurisdiction as their preferred choice. Further reinforcements to our bench with the appointment of three international judges in 2024, as well as the launch of new mediation and notary services, demonstrate our mission to continuously evolve and upgrade our value proposition for court users.”
In 2024, the DIFC Courts issued 1,942 digital orders and 174 digital judgments and conducted 99% of hearings via its digital hearing platforms.
The total number of registered law firms in 2024 was 208, an 11% increase from 2023, while the number of registered practitioners was 1,072, a 19% year-on-year increase.
Established in 2004, the DIFC Courts are English language courts that apply with exclusive jurisdiction in the DIFC, an economic free zone in Dubai. They are independent from, but complementary to, the UAE’s Arabic language civil law system.
