The Dubai Government Media Office has launched the "International Media Briefings" series, a set of specialised sessions bringing together a select group of international media representatives with senior officials, decision-makers, and leaders from Dubai's vital sectors.

The series aims to create a space for direct dialogue with leading global media outlets on the visions, policies, and initiatives driving Dubai's development, shaping the emirate's future, and enabling international media to gain close insight into the strategic directions playing a central role in the emirate's progress.

Her Excellency Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Vice President and Managing Director of the Dubai Media Council and Director General of the Dubai Government Media Office, said: "The 'International Media Briefings' series stems from our commitment to building a quality media dialogue that keeps pace with the rapid transformations taking place in Dubai.

"It gives global media outlets a deeper understanding of the visions and strategies behind the emirate's sustained achievements. The series also aims to create direct channels of dialogue between leaders of vital sectors and international media, to foster understanding of Dubai's visions and strategies for the future."

She added: "The series provides a direct platform for engaging with decision-makers and sector leaders, enabling international media to access accurate information and gain a broader understanding of the policies driving Dubai's development and cementing its global leadership across various fields."

The first dialogue session of the series hosted Hamed Ali, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Financial Market and Nasdaq Dubai, who met with international media representatives in a direct discussion covering the transformations taking place in Dubai's financial markets and the strategies supporting the emirate's position as a global financial hub.

During the session, Hamed Ali reviewed the performance of both Dubai Financial Market — the emirate's main stock exchange — and Nasdaq Dubai, the international exchange specialising in international listings and fixed-income instruments, as two independent exchanges each serving a distinct segment of issuers.

Hamed Ali revealed exceptional growth in Dubai Financial Market's performance, with the market's capitalisation reaching the 1 trillion dirham milestone, recording extraordinary growth of 191% since 2020, supported by the market's general index rising 17.2% in 2025, amid strong liquidity levels with average daily trading value exceeding 1 billion dirhams.

Initial public offerings on Dubai Financial Market also raised 47 billion dirhams over the past four years through 12 IPOs, attracting investor subscriptions totalling 1.3 trillion dirhams. This appeal was reflected in 465,000 new investors joining Dubai Financial Market over the past four years.

To further strengthen the private investment environment and capital market, the CEO of Dubai Financial Market highlighted the market's "Arena" platform for capital raising, designed specifically to support small, medium, and fast-growing companies, and to provide liquidity to investors in private companies.

The platform also connects issuing companies with Dubai Financial Market's investor base of more than 1.2 million investors, supporting the growth of promising companies and creating an environment conducive to the emergence of future unicorn companies.

Regarding Nasdaq Dubai, Hamed Ali noted that the government sukuk programme for individual investors listed on the exchange recorded exceptional demand from retail investors, with subscription requests exceeding 9 times the issuance size to reach 445 million dirhams, prompting the final issuance size to be raised from 50 million dirhams to 100 million dirhams in response to strong demand.

Nasdaq Dubai also recorded 33 new listings of fixed-income instruments since the start of 2026, valued at $13.8 billion, with international issuances accounting for 40% of these listings.

The total current value of sukuk listed and outstanding on Nasdaq Dubai reached $98.6 billion, cementing Dubai's standing as a global capital of sukuk and debt instrument markets.

Hamed Ali, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Financial Market and Nasdaq Dubai, said: "We operate according to a clear vision aimed at building a more sophisticated, dynamic, and accessible capital market.

"Our focus is on delivering sustainable value by attracting quality issuers, diversifying our investor base, and enhancing confidence through transparency, innovation, and disciplined execution. We do not measure our success by momentary achievements, but by our ability to deliver sustainable value year after year."

For her part, Hind Fikri, Director of Strategic Media Relations at the Dubai Government Media Office, said: "This series reflects our commitment to strengthening constructive communication channels with international media institutions, and providing them with the opportunity to learn about Dubai's work priorities from primary sources, through information-rich dialogues with decision-makers and officials responsible for various vital sectors."

The "International Media Briefings" series is scheduled to continue throughout the year, addressing a range of strategic files and sectors in Dubai, as part of the Dubai Government Media Office's efforts to enhance engagement with international media and present a deeper and more comprehensive picture of Dubai's development experience and future vision.

  • 1 trillion dirhams: Dubai Financial Market capitalisation, up 191% since 2020
  • 465,000 new investors joined Dubai Financial Market in 4 years
  • 1.2 million investors in Dubai Financial Market
  • 47 billion dirhams raised through 12 IPOs over 4 years
  • Exceptional demand for the government sukuk programme for individuals listed on Nasdaq Dubai
  • Subscription requests exceeded 9 times the issuance size, reaching 445 million dirhams