Dubai has held first place worldwide for foreign direct investment (FDI) into cultural and creative industries (CCI) for the fourth consecutive year. According to fDi Markets (Financial Times Ltd.) data released on 25 August 2026, the city attracted 754 CCI FDI projects in 2025, brought in $3.756 billion of greenfield capital and generated 19,304 new jobs. Across 233 tracked cities Dubai ranked ahead of London, Singapore, Riyadh and Bengaluru — and the gap is not marginal.
What the fDi Markets 2025 data actually shows
fDi Markets is the Financial Times Ltd. industry database that tracks greenfield investments worldwide. Its 2025 report shows Dubai not only holding first place but widening the gap with its closest competitors: London — 227 CCI projects, Singapore — 197, Riyadh — 157, Bengaluru — 132. The gap with the #2 city (London) is more than three-fold by project count.
The greenfield metric matters: it captures brand-new facilities, not mergers, acquisitions or revaluations of existing assets. That means the 754 projects are effectively new studios, editorial rooms, productions, R&D centres and tech teams that physically appeared in the city over the year. Behind them are 19,304 new jobs, which in turn drive demand for offices, housing, services and corporate support.
Who is investing: geography of capital
Top three investor countries, per fDi Markets:
- India — 21% of projects and 19% of invested capital. This reflects both the largest expat community in the UAE and the CEPA trade-and-investment agreement that lowers barriers for Indian companies.
- United States — 14% of projects and 17.5% of capital. American investors tend to arrive with more capital-intensive formats: studios, R&D centres and tech divisions.
- China — 13% of invested capital. Actively expanding into gaming, digital content and AI products.
That mix is a strong signal for anyone planning a Dubai launch: the market is diversified, and dependence on any single source of capital is minimal.
Where the focus is shifting: digital content, creative tech, AI
Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Culture, set the key trend: the priority is shifting toward digital content, creative technology and artificial intelligence. This is more than a slogan — it reflects a reallocation of capital inside creative industries, from classical advertising and print toward gaming, programming, AI-powered design and media production.
For founders this means Dubai's «creative sector» is no longer just an advertising-agency niche; it is becoming a broad tech-adjacent ecosystem where design, software development, data work and AI tooling converge.
Why Dubai holds the lead
Three factors investors consistently cite:
- Full foreign ownership. On the mainland and in free zones, Dubai allows a 100% foreign ownership structure without a mandatory local partner. For a creative business, where the core asset is IP and the team, that is critical: the founder retains full control over the project and its intellectual property.
- Talent-residency pathways. Golden Visa for specialists (10 years), Green Visa for freelancers and highly qualified workers (5 years), Freelancer Permit inside free zones. Together they remove the main barrier — relocating the team and retaining key staff in the jurisdiction.
- Specialised clusters. Dubai Media City, d3 (Dubai Design District), Dubai Studio City, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Production City — each zone is sector-specific, with licences for a defined activity, ready-made infrastructure and neighbours who are peers, partners or clients.
These fundamentals turn the record fDi Markets numbers into a sustainable trajectory rather than the effect of a single good year. The wider macro context — sustained GDP growth and economic diversification — is unpacked in our UAE economy outlook for 2026.
What it means for the investor, founder and SME
Three practical implications for different types of market participants.
For the real-estate investor. The inflow of CCI companies creates sustained demand for offices and housing around the specialised clusters — Business Bay, JLT, Al Quoz, d3. When planning a buy-to-let, look at the creative-cluster map rather than just at classic tourist zones.
For the creative-startup founder. Dubai is a transparent jurisdiction with a clear entry route: a sector-relevant free zone with a media / gaming / design licence, residency for the founder and key team, a UAE bank account. The main risk is not regulatory but operational: the speed of hiring and the cost of retaining a team in a high-cost city.
For the SME service provider. 754 new projects per year translate to 754 new clients for lawyers, accountants, banking agents, IT contractors, HR agencies and office-infrastructure providers. Whoever is well positioned should plan the CCI segment as a dedicated sales stream.
Practical checklist
A short plan for anyone considering entry into Dubai's creative sector over the next 6–12 months:
- Identify the right free zone for your activity — d3, Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City or Dubai Internet City. Each has its own licence set and tenant community.
- Budget for residency for the founder and 2–3 key staff: it is the critical resource for a fast launch and for keeping the IP team inside the jurisdiction.
- Check CEPA applicability — if your capital or key counterparties are based in India, it can meaningfully speed up and cheapen cross-border operations.
- Model the corporate tax exposure: base rate 9% on profits above AED 375,000, but qualifying free-zone income can access the 0% rate — structure this before applying for the licence, not after.
Based on WAM and the Gulf News article Gulf News of 25 August 2026; data by fDi Markets (Financial Times Ltd.).
