Dubai International Financial Centre has announced a new internship programmer for 2027 aimed at preparing the next generation of family business leaders, as an estimated $18.3 trillion in wealth is expected to be transferred globally by 2030.
The announcement came during the fourth day of Dubai Future Finance Week, where discussions focused on how family businesses can preserve wealth across generations and how emerging financial technologies could reshape investment markets.
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The NextGen Internship programmer will place participants in Difc-based companies, offering practical experience in financial services, auditing, consultancy, law, artificial intelligence, FinTech and innovation.
The initiative builds on DIFC’s inaugural NextGen leadership programmer introduced this year and is designed to help future family business leaders develop the skills needed to manage investments, governance and succession.
Preparing the next generation
The Dubai Family Wealth Summit brought together family business leaders, investors and wealth management experts to discuss succession planning, corporate governance and long-term investment strategies.
Discussions also explored how family enterprises can adapt to regulatory changes, technological developments and shifting global economic conditions.
Among the speakers were Hussain Sajwani, Chairman of Damac Group; Halima Dangote of Dangote Industries; Maurice Gravier, Group Chief Investment Officer for Wealth Management at Emirates NBD; Shehab Gargash, Founder of Gargash Prime; and Osama Ibrahim Seddiqi, Vice Chairman of Seddiqi Holding.
The summit highlighted the importance of preparing younger generations to take leadership roles while maintaining the long-term stability of family-owned businesses.
Dubai explores future of tokenised finance
Meanwhile, the Future Tokenisation Forum examined how blockchain-based financial products could move beyond pilot projects towards wider adoption.
The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) published a report titled Scaling Tokenisation: The Road Ahead, examining the regulatory and operational requirements needed to support the growth of tokenised financial markets.
The report included perspectives from financial institutions and technology companies, including BlackRock, Ripple, Robinhood and Standard Chartered.
Mark Steward, Chief Executive of the DFSA, said the growing use of tokenisation across financial products, payments and market infrastructure raised important questions about how the sector could expand responsibly.
New approach to digital asset disputes
Difc Courts also published a white paper proposing a framework to resolve disputes involving blockchain-based assets and smart contracts.
The proposed Dispute Resolution Oracle would connect smart contracts with courts or other recognised dispute resolution forums, potentially allowing legal decisions to be enforced directly on blockchain networks.
The framework would preserve human oversight, with judges, arbitrators and other qualified professionals continuing to make legal decisions.
The day’s discussions also included the Investment Leaders Exchange, which brought together sovereign wealth funds, institutional investors and family office representatives to explore investment strategies across traditional and digital assets.
The events were held under the patronage of Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the UAE, and President of Difc.
Source: Khaleej Times