Dubai- DIFC's issued commercial licenses up 41% in H1 

(MENAFN) Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Authority's Board of Directors' Chairman, Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, stated that during the first 6 months of the year, the number of licenses issued by the center surged by 41 percent, reported Emirates 24/7.

Al Ghurair said that the financial and business hub linking the region's emerging markets with the markets of Europe, Asia and the Americas issued 90 commercial licenses during the first half of the year, up from 64 in last year's same period.

He added that occupancy of DIFC-owned commercial offices in the Gate District grew to 98 percent of the leasable space, whereas occupancy in DIFC-owned retail space stayed steady at 96 percent.

Moreover, of the total regulated member firms, around 36 percent come from Europe, 26 percent from the Middle East, 16 percent from North America, 11 percent from Asia, and 11 percent from the rest of the world.

It is worth noting that the DIFC has nearly 13,000 working staff, whereas the number of active registered companies is 899, of which 329 are regulated, 465 non-regulated, and 105 retailers.