Dubai Future Finance Week day four: events chart the path for the future of family wealth and tokenised finance

• Dubai Family Wealth Summit advances succession, governance and responsible stewardship, marking the UAE’s Year of Family
• DIFC announces 2027 NextGen Internship programme to equip future family-enterprise leaders with practical industry experience
• Future Tokenisation Forum considers how tokenised finance can move beyond fragmented use cases towards trusted, scalable market infrastructure
• DIFC Courts and DFSA tokenisation publications identify foundations required to support trusted, scalable and internationally connected tokenised market
• Investment Leaders Exchange convenes sovereign wealth funds, institutional leaders, and family office principals to align long-term asset allocation across traditional and digital assets

Dubai, UAE; 5 November 2026: Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the leading global financial centre in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, focused on two connected but distinct shifts shaping long-term capital on day four of the inaugural Dubai Future Finance Week.

Held under the directives and patronage of His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the UAE, and President of DIFC, day four explored how family wealth and enterprises are preserved across generations, and how trusted infrastructure can support the issuance, ownership, settlement and distribution of tokenised assets.

The future of family wealth

The Dubai Family Wealth Summit addressed priorities for family businesses, family offices, ultra-high-net-worth principals and next-generation stewards. The focus of the event included governance and succession; wealth structuring and investment amid regulatory and geoeconomic change; technology and future assets; and responsible capital, philanthropy, impact and resilience. The Summit reflected a broader view of family wealth: continuity is not solely centred on asset management, but also depends on leadership, family unity, jurisdictional resilience and the future of family enterprises. The event underscored the growing importance of structured succession, effective governance and responsible capital stewardship.

Key speakers included Hussain Sajwani, Chairman, DAMAC Group; Halima Dangote, GED Family Office & International Offices, Dangote Industries Limited; Maurice Gravier, Group Chief Investment Officer for Wealth Management, Emirates NBD; Shehab Gargash, Founder, Gargash Prime; and Osama Ibrahim Seddiqi, Vice Chairman, Seddiqi Holding.

As part of the Summit, DIFC announced a 2027 internship programme for the next-generation of leaders preparing to take on roles in family businesses. Building on the success of this year’s inaugural NextGen leadership programme, the internships will place participants in DIFC firms, providing practical experience across financial services, auditing, consultancy, law, support services, and AI, FinTech and innovation. The 2027 NextGen Internship Programme responds to an estimated USD 18.3trn in wealth estimated to be transferred globally by 2030 and sets out how Dubai is preparing the next generation to govern, invest and transfer family wealth.

A tokenised future

The Future Tokenisation Forum was opened by Mark Steward, Chief Executive of the DFSA and the event brought together regulators, financial institutions, investors and technology providers to consider how tokenised finance can move beyond fragmented use cases towards trusted, scalable market infrastructure.

Sessions examined digital settlement mechanisms, programmable infrastructure, institutional custody, regulatory compliance, legal certainty, and cross-border interoperability. The discussions also examined how traditional finance, digital assets and Web3 infrastructure can work together, and what is needed for institutional adoption at scale.

At the forum, the DFSA shared insights from their upcoming publications on tokenisation, highlighting the regulatory, legal and operational considerations shaping the evolution of digital finance. The report explored the foundations required to support trusted, scalable and internationally connected tokenised markets, while addressing key opportunities and challenges associated with wider adoption.

Mark Steward, Chief Executive of the DFSA, said: “Our new DFSA report, Scaling Tokenisation: The Road Ahead, brings together perspectives and insights from leading market practitioners across the financial services ecosystem. As tokenisation moves into live use across financial products, payments, and market infrastructure, important questions about what is needed for tokenised markets to thrive and achieve scale responsibly need to be addressed. We hope this white paper will stimulate further discussion among industry, investors, regulators, and policymakers about the road ahead.”

The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) published its new report, Scaling Tokenisation: The Road Ahead, bringing together perspectives from leading practitioners across the financial services ecosystem, including BlackRock, Ripple, Robinhood, Soter Insure and Standard Chartered. The paper examines how tokenisation may develop as it moves from experimentation towards practical use across financial products, payments, and market infrastructure, and considers the conditions that may support its responsible development at scale.

The report does not predict a single path for tokenisation or prescribe a particular technological, regulatory, or commercial outcome. Instead, it highlights areas of broad agreement and differing market views, and seeks to convene further discussion among industry, investors, regulators, policymakers, and international standard-setters. It also places that discussion in the context of DIFC’s internationally connected financial community and the development of trusted, connected, and scalable tokenised markets.

Contributing to the broader discussion on tokenisation, the DIFC Courts, in collaboration with the DIFC Innovation Hub, DECA4 Advisory and industry partners, published a white paper proposing a new global standard for resolving disputes in the on-chain economy. At its centre is the Dispute Resolution Oracle (DRO) — an opt-in connection between smart contracts built on the blockchain/Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) and a trusted court or other qualifying chosen forum. The proposal addresses a critical gap in digital markets: while legal authorities can determine who is entitled to an asset, they cannot currently make that decision effective directly on-chain. The standard would allow parties to choose their forum before transacting, preserve the disputed asset when a claim is raised and once a final decision is reached then it can be fully enforced on chain.

The initiative is designed as an open standard rather than a single jurisdiction solution. Human judges, arbitrators, mediators and experts would continue to decide cases off-chain, with safeguards including limited asset freezes, early review, reasoned decisions and appeal rights.

Speakers included Glen Fernandes, Senior Executive Officer, DIFC Branch, BNY Mellon; Paul Kayrouz, Chief Fintech Officer, Central Bank of the UAE; William Mason, Director General, Guernsey Financial Services Commission; Amna Al Owais, Deputy Director of DIFC Courts; Michail Fekkas, First Vice Chairman, Hellenic Capital Market Commission; His Excellency Senator Osita Izunaso, Chairman, Senate Committee on Capital Markets, Federal Republic of Nigeria;; and Ruben Bombardi, General Counsel and Head of Regulatory Enablement, and Paul Boots, Senior Director – Head of Sector Development, Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA).Also on day four, the Investment Leaders Exchange convened sovereign wealth funds, institutional capital allocators, and family office principals. The exchange facilitated strategic dialogues on asset allocation, cross-border risk management, and the integration of digital assets into multi-generational institutional portfolios.

Further details are available at https://dubaifuturefinanceweek.com/

About Dubai International Financial Centre

Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is the world’s most advanced financial centre, shaping the global financial landscape and cementing Dubai’s reputation as a leading business destination across the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA).

As the region’s only financial centre operating at scale across all sectors, DIFC is home to 10,018 active firms. These include 1,134 regulated firms, among them are 327 banks and capital markets firms, 71 brokerage entities, 165 insurance and (re)insurance companies and 592 Wealth and Asset Management firms (including over 100 hedge fund managers). Home to 1,933 AI, FinTech and innovation firms, DIFC sets the benchmark for financial innovation and is a top five ranked FinTech hub across the world.

Underpinned by a trusted, world-class legal and regulatory framework, including the region’s most utilised commercial courts, DIFC ensures efficient governance and reinforces Dubai’s leadership in the digital economy. Connecting 50,200 professionals, it offers the region’s deepest pool of financial talent, serving as the gateway to MEASA for all financial players.

Beyond business, DIFC provides the complete urban experience with world-class lifestyle amenities, establishing it as a highly sought-after destination. The 17.7mn sq. ft. DIFC Zabeel District expansion which provides capacity for over 42,000 companies and a workforce of more than 125,000, DIFC is solidifying Dubai’s position as a top four global financial centre. The new District will also include premium Grade A commercial office space, over 1mn sq. ft. allocated to future technologies including the world’s largest Innovation Hub and world’s first purpose-built AI Campus, an expanded academy, residential buildings, hotels, a conference centre, and a range of retail, dining, and cultural offerings, including the Museum of Digital Art, the region’s first museum dedicated to digital art and new technologies.

Anchored in integrity, DIFC is the platform for success, driving the future of finance.

For further information, please visit our website: difc.com, or follow us on LinkedIn and X @DIFC.

For media enquiries, please contact: 

Burson | DIFC@bursonglobal.com

Rasha Mezher | Dubai International Financial Centre Authority  

Manager, Marketing & Corporate Communications

+9714 3622451

rasha.mezher@difc.ae

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