Dubai Says More Than 10,000 Emiratis Joined the Finance Sector in Four Years

Speaking at the Dubai FinTech Summit 2026, Badri said Dubai has no shortage of local talent and that Emiratis are learning from overseas professionals working in the city. The government's job now, he said, is to make sure "those Emiratis in financial services are getting exposure to revenue owned roles, to international exposure." DEDC is the economic development arm of Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism.

Badri named artificial intelligence as the next major engine of Dubai's growth. "I think the area of AI is really going to, in the UAE - specifically in Dubai, have a game-changing effect because we have the ingredients to allow for that," he said. He added that AI will help raise productivity, which he said will account for about 60 percent of the D33 economic agenda.

He described Dubai as the "bank of the region" and said finance is central to D33. He listed trade finance, more growth capital from private equity and venture capital, and more bank lending to small businesses as priorities. Badri said the government works as a matchmaker so that large companies can tap into startups and scale-ups.

The summit, organised by the Dubai International Financial Centre as the flagship event of Dubai Future Finance Week, covers AI in finance, digital assets, payments, wealth technology and sustainability. Earlier at the same week, Dubai's financial regulator said 70 percent of DIFC firms now use AI. Badri's figures point to Emiratisation in financial services keeping pace with the AI push, though the government's stated priority is moving Emirati staff into senior, revenue-earning roles.