DIFC Prepares the Next Generation to Steward Family Wealth Through Global Programme

As an estimated USD 18.3 trillion in family wealth transfers globally by 2030, Dubai International Financial Centre launches an internship initiative to equip emerging leaders with the skills and experience to govern, invest and preserve enterprise legacies.

The stewardship of family wealth across generations requires more than financial acumen. It demands leadership, unity, governance and the resilience to navigate legal, regulatory and economic change. These principles formed the foundation of the Dubai Family Wealth Summit, held as part of day four of the inaugural Dubai Future Finance Week, under the directives of H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, and President of DIFC.

The centrepiece of the summit’s announcements was the 2027 NextGen Internship Programme, a strategic initiative responding to the unprecedented transfer of family capital projected across the global economy. The programme places participants within DIFC firms, offering practical experience across financial services, auditing, consultancy, law, artificial intelligence, financial technology and innovation. Building on the success of this year’s inaugural NextGen leadership programme, the initiative recognises that preparing the next generation of family enterprise leaders extends far beyond technical knowledge into the realms of governance, succession planning and long-term investment strategy.

The summit convened an impressive assembly of voices from the global financial and investment community. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade, delivered a keynote address emphasising the importance of international connectivity and collaboration as Dubai continues to strengthen its position as a global hub for trade, investment and financial services. Speakers included Hussain Sajwani, Chairman of DAMAC Group; Halima Dangote from Dangote Industries Limited; Maurice Gravier, Group Chief Investment Officer for Wealth Management at Emirates NBD; and Shehab Gargash, Founder of Gargash Prime, among others, offering perspectives on the governance and continuity of family enterprises across generations.

Complementing the focus on family wealth, the Future Tokenisation Forum advanced the dialogue on digital finance infrastructure. The Dubai Financial Services Authority published Scaling Tokenisation: The Road Ahead, a comprehensive examination of how tokenisation is maturing from experimentation towards practical deployment across financial products, payments and market infrastructure. The report draws on perspectives from leading institutions including BlackRock, Ripple, Robinhood, Soter Insure and Standard Chartered, exploring the regulatory, legal and operational considerations that shape the development of trusted, scalable and internationally connected tokenised markets.

Mark Steward, Chief Executive of the DFSA, observed that as tokenisation moves into live use, critical questions about the conditions for responsible scale require collective attention from industry, investors, regulators and policymakers. Rather than prescribing a single path, the report identifies areas of broad consensus alongside differing market perspectives, seeking to convene further discussion among stakeholders and international standard-setters.

Contributing to this broader conversation, the DIFC Courts, in collaboration with 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 lies the Dispute Resolution Oracle, an opt-in connection between smart contracts built on blockchain or Distributed Ledger Technology and a trusted court or qualifying chosen forum. The proposal allows parties to select their preferred dispute resolution venue before transacting and preserves disputed assets when a claim is raised, enabling final decisions to be enforced directly on-chain. Importantly, human judges, arbitrators, mediators and experts would continue to decide cases through traditional off-chain processes, with robust safeguards including limited asset freezes, early review, reasoned decisions and appeal rights. The initiative is designed as an open standard rather than a single jurisdiction solution, inviting global participation.

Sessions throughout the Future Tokenisation Forum examined digital settlement mechanisms, institutional custody, regulatory compliance, cross-border interoperability and how traditional finance, digital assets and Web3 infrastructure can converge to support institutional adoption at scale. The Investment Leaders Exchange separately convened sovereign wealth funds, institutional capital allocators and family office principals, facilitating strategic dialogues on long-term asset allocation, cross-border risk management and the integration of digital assets into institutional portfolios.

What it means for Abu Dhabi

These initiatives reflect DIFC’s positioning as a gateway for wealth preservation and financial innovation at a moment of profound generational transition. The NextGen Internship Programme directly addresses the emirate’s economic diversification strategy by developing the next cadre of family business leaders who will shape regional capital flows and investment decisions. With significant family enterprises headquartered in the UAE and broader Gulf region, the programme strengthens Abu Dhabi’s role as a centre for family wealth management and succession planning.

The advancement of tokenisation standards and dispute resolution mechanisms positions DIFC as a trusted infrastructure provider for the emerging on-chain economy. For Abu Dhabi’s financial ecosystem, these developments create frameworks that enable institutional capital, including sovereign wealth funds and family offices, to participate with confidence in digital finance markets. As institutions like Alya bring global investment capabilities to DIFC with backing from entities like Abu Dhabi-based Lunate, these infrastructure innovations become increasingly valuable to the emirate’s broader ambitions in cross-border finance and digital asset adoption.

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