The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts has reported a 38% increase in claims in the first six months of 2025.
From January until June 2025, 650 claims were filed across all divisions of the court, with a total value of AED 6.8 billion. There were 470 claims in the corresponding period last year.
The main Court of First Instance (CFI) and its specialised divisions recorded 61 claims, with a total value of AED 6.7 billion.
Claims originated from various sectors, including banking and finance, retail, manufacturing, crypto, and real estate. Their nature varied widely, from complex cross-border conflicts to simple employment contract disputes.
Over the first half of 2025, the Civil & Commercial Division (CCD) recorded an 85% year-on-year growth in claims—from 33 to 61—with a total value of AED 2.3 billion.
Strong demand for the courts’ Arbitration Division (ARB) continued as 23 claims were registered, an increase of 92% year-on-year, with a combined value of AED 4.5 billion.
The Small Claims Tribunal (SCT) dealt with 458 claims—a 73% year-on-year increase—representing an AED 43.2 million total value and an average claim value of AED 95,000.
The DIFC Courts wills service also recorded increased activity. In the first six months of 2025, 922 wills were registered—a 14% increase compared to the same period in 2024 —and 27 probate orders were issued. Since its inception, the service has registered over 13,400 wills.
The courts’ pro bono programme assisted more than 524 individuals, supported by 39 volunteer firms and 51 volunteer lawyers.
His Excellency Justice Omar Al Mheiri, director of the DIFC Courts, said:
“This period has seen continued uptake across all our services, from civil and commercial claims to ancillary services. The consistent increase in users choosing to bring their disputes to the DIFC Courts is a strong reflection of the value placed on our legal framework by businesses and individuals alike. Serving as the region’s leading common law commercial court for over 20 years, our continued growth is a testament to our mission to adapt, innovate, and expand access to justice through our core and ancillary court service offerings to the public.”
In March, a new law was issued which set out the areas where the court has jurisdiction and formalised its judicial and administrative procedures. The new law consolidated previous laws into one statute.
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.
