To establish 1,000 digital companies in the Dubai Future District (DFD) over the next five years, Dubai has recently launched a AED 1 billion fund ($272.3 million), called the Dubai Future District Fund, encouraging companies to list in the Dubai Financial Markets and stock exchange.

The fund is an initiative of the Dubai Securities and Exchange Higher Committee, and it reflects the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

“The Dubai Future District Fund supports national efforts and strategies aimed at enabling entrepreneurs to reach new horizons, realize Dubai’s aspirations for the new economy, and contribute to enhancing the emirate’s status as a preferred destination for investment environment and exceptional facilities,” stated Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed Deputy Ruler, Dubai Deputy Prime Minister Minister of Finance.

One half of the fund is dedicated to investments into venture capital funds with a local focus, while the other half is supposed to support startups directly or through Future District affiliated programs.

Also Read: Oracle Opens A New Cloud Region In Abu Dhabi

Digital companies that decide to base their operations in the Dubai Future District get to enjoy a number of benefits, including access to a large pool of entrepreneurial talent and hyper-connected infrastructure. Dubai has also very recently demonstrated its ability to quickly react to rapidly changing conditions when it became one of the first cities in the world to recover from the pandemic and reopen its economy.

All this makes it a very attractive place for startups and venture capital, and the UAE Centennial 2071 plan, whose goal is nothing less than to make the UAE the best country in the world by 2071, only reaffirms Dubai’s ongoing commitment to serve as a global hub for business.