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Gulf Business
a day ago
- Business
- Gulf Business
DIFC welcomes 1,081 new active registered companies in H1
Image: DIFC The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) reported its best-ever half-year results in H1 2025, with record growth across financial services, innovation, and fintech sectors. A total of 1,081 new active registered companies joined DIFC between January and June 2025, a 32 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2024. The total number of active companies reached 7,700, up 25 per cent year-on-year. The number of professionals working in the centre rose to 47,901, a 9 per cent increase from a year earlier. 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 Financial services ecosystem expands DIFC recorded a 28 per cent increase in financial services authorisations in H1 2025. The number of entities regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) rose 17 per cent year-on-year to 980. The banking and capital markets cluster grew 17 per cent to 289 firms, while the number of wealth and asset management companies increased by 19 per cent to 440. The number of hedge funds operating from DIFC reached 85, representing 72 per cent growth since June 2024. The centre now hosts 69 funds managing over $1bn each, and more than 10,000 funds are being managed or marketed from the centre. Entities associated with family businesses rose by 73 per cent to 1,035, and the number of registered foundations increased 54 per cent year-on-year to 842. The insurance and reinsurance sector saw 8 per cent growth, with 135 firms operating in H1 2025. G ross written premiums for 2024 reached $3.5bn, up from $2.6bn a year earlier. Innovation and fintech see continued expansion The number of fintech, AI, and innovation-focused companies reached 1,388 in H1 2025, up 28 per cent from 1,081 a year earlier. Active non-financial entities grew by 28 per cent to 6,335. DIFC hosted over 20,000 participants from more than 120 countries during its flagship Dubai AI Festival and FinTech Summit. During the events, the Dubai AI Academy was launched and Dubai Future Finance Week was announced for May 2026. The Ignyte growth platform, launched in late 2024, has already delivered Dhs182m in economic benefits, supporting start-ups, investors, and founders across the region. Legislation, education and real estate milestones The DIFC Academy recorded its highest ever enrolment in a six-month period, with 4,947 learners completing programmes in H1 2025. DIFC also launched the '1 Million Learners' initiative, aimed at equipping one million individuals with sustainability knowledge by 2030. Over 6,075 hours of sustainability-related training were delivered in H1 2025, bringing the cumulative total to 22,241 hours. In the legal domain, DIFC proposed new Variable Capital Company Regulations and updates to its existing framework including refinements to the Law of Security, Insolvency Law, and Employment Law. DIFC was also selected to host the 2026 Global Privacy Assembly, the premier forum for international data protection authorities. On the real estate front, DIFC said inventory for its newly launched DIFC Heights sold out within three days. Over 1.6 million sq ft of commercial space is currently under development and expected to be ready for occupancy from Q1 2026. Read: New entrants at DIFC New clients joining DIFC in H1 2025 included firms such as ABK Capital, Avaloq, Baron Capital, Bluecrest Capital, Bridge Investment Group, Cambridge Associates, China International Capital Corporation, dLocal, Manulife, National Bank of Kuwait, Pearl Diver Capital, PIMCO, RV Capital, Silver Point Capital, Tourmaline, TransAmerica Life Bermuda, and Welwing Capital Management. 'DIFC remains the driving force behind Dubai's economic growth, as a key enabler of the financial services sector's expansion and diversification,' said Essa Kazim, governor of DIFC. Arif Amiri, CEO of DIFC Authority, added: 'In the first half of 2025, DIFC has exceeded expectations across every metric. Our strong performance demonstrates the power of our ecosystem and the depth of expertise we bring to the industry.'
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Qube to Merge Two Hedge Funds Into a Pool Worth Over $20 Billion
Qube Research & Technologies is merging two of its largest hedge funds into one money pool with more than $20 billion in assets. The London-based investment firm will combine the Torus and Prism hedge funds by the end of the year, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The firm debated the idea for some time and took the step because it's more efficient to run and allocate capital in a single fund, one of the people said, asking not to be identified because the details are private.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Hedge funds ditch tech and buy essentials, Goldman Sachs says
By Nell Mackenzie LONDON (Reuters) -Hedge funds fled technology stocks at the fastest pace in 12 months in the latest week, just as the S&P 500 reached all-time highs, a note to Goldman Sachs clients and seen by Reuters said. The S&P 500, which includes seven tech stocks in its top 10 largest constituents by market value, has surged roughly 28% since its 2025 low, while the Nasdaq Composite has jumped 38% in that time. As of Friday, the S&P 500's forward price to earnings ratio, which reflects the value of a company's stock relative to its projected future earnings, was 23.11, around five-month highs, according to LSEG/Datastream. "U.S. equities valuations (such as price earnings ratios) are now 30% higher than their recent decade average, while 10-year yields remain stubbornly high and volatile. The future path of equities may depend partly on a decline in long-term rates; however, we do not seem to be there yet," Lombard Odier Investment Managers head of macro Florian Ielpo said in a note on Friday. Globally, hedge funds sold tech stocks, some of the most richly valued equities, more than any other sector last week, the Goldman Sachs note said. Rather than shorting the sector, hedge funds tended to ditch long bets and exit trades, the bank said. A short bet is designed to profit from a drop in an asset price. This week's exodus was the largest the bank had seen since July 2024, Goldman Sachs said. Hedge funds fleeing tech stocks centered on trading in North America and Europe. Every kind of tech stock was sold, including semiconductor chip companies, as well as those in software and IT services, the bank said. Meanwhile, shares in consumer staples - companies that sell items that people purchase regardless of economic conditions - were among the most net bought U.S. stock sectors this week, Goldman said. Hedge funds piled into these stocks for the fourth straight week and their trades were almost entirely long positions - those that will profit if the stock prices rise. The kind of companies whose shares hedge funds bought included those that sell food and beverages and personal care products.
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Hedge Funds, Wealth Firms Fuel Dubai Finance Hub's Record Growth
Dubai's financial hub reported a record increase in company registrations in the first half of the year, as the influx of hedge funds and wealth management firms continued despite geopolitical tensions and tariff uncertainty. The Dubai International Financial Centre reported a 32% increase in registrations in the first six months of 2025 compared to the same period last year, with 1,081 new companies setting up in the hub, according to a statement on Monday. The DIFC is now home to 7,700 active registered companies.
Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Forget a Takeover From Autodesk, PTC Is a Great Stock to Buy Anyway. Here's Why.
Key Points A deal between Autodesk and PTC would have made good strategic sense. The industrial software space is rapidly consolidating as the creation of digital threads and loops using data generated by software increases. PTC's solutions lie at the heart of the adoption of digital technology in manufacturing. 10 stocks we like better than PTC › PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) investors were treated to a flurry of excitement in July as, according to reports, its larger peer Autodesk (NASDAQ: ADSK) took a serious look at acquiring the company only to appear to back off any such large undertakings by issuing a regulatory filing stating it was "allocating capital to organic investment, targeted and tuck-in acquisitions." Is the fun over, or are there more surprises to come? PTC doesn't need Autodesk The market had no doubt about its opinion on the speculation. Autodesk shares tumbled on the day Bloomberg discussed the potential bid, while PTC stock naturally soared. This is somewhat common in such situations, and is often driven by hedge funds engaging in so-called merger arbitrage. Hedge funds often look to sell shares in the acquiring company short while buying shares in the target company, and then make money when the spread between the two stocks closes when the deal is completed. However, the interesting thing about the price action is that Autodesk's stock has somewhat recovered after the SEC filing was issued on July 14, but PTC's stock has remained relatively high. PTC data by YCharts Perhaps I've been spending too much time with the Oracle at Delphi, but it looks like the market is asking the question of "who's next to try and buy PTC?" Why PTC is a highly attractive asset It's a valid question, not least because there's been significant consolidation in the industrial software space over the last year. For example, German industrial and software giant Siemens bought Altair Engineering for $10 billion earlier this year to add Altair's strength in simulation and analysis software (computer-aided engineering, or CAE) to its core product lifecycle management (PLM), computer-aided design (CAD), and electronic design automation (EDA) strengths. Not to be outdone, Synopsys (the market-leading EDA company) recently completed the acquisition of CAE company, and Altair rival, Ansys. At which point readers are no doubt tired of the acronyms and wondering what it all means to PTC investors. Why PTC can be part of the industrial software consolidation A combination of Autodesk and PTC makes obvious sense, as it marries Autodesk's leadership in CAD with PTC's expertise in PLM to create an American champion better able to compete with France's Dassault Systèmes and Germany's Siemens. The two Europeans are leading players in the CAD/PLM/CAE space. It's not just about adding acronyms; it's a reflection of the increasingly important interaction between design (CAD) and the digital management of a product through PLM, CAE, in the so-called digital loop. For example, CAE modeling data can be fed back into PLM, and actionable conclusions can be drawn from it that lead to adjustments in a product's design using CAD, such as improving factory productivity or enhancing a product's reliability and quality. As such, even if Autodesk/PTC is off the table, a larger software company looking to enter the industrial space can be interested, and there's always the possibility that an automation company -- like PTC's partner and former stakeholder, Rockwell Automation, or, thinking longer-term, Honeywell (not least as Honeywell Automation will be a separate company in future) or Emerson Electric (a company focusing on automation and industrial software) -- might consider making a move. PTC is an excellent buy anyway In any case, PTC doesn't need takeover speculation to be an attractive stock. Despite headwinds in its industrial end markets, the company has consistently generated double-digit growth in its annual run rate of software subscriptions. Moreover, it's likely to continue growing in the future as customer adoption of digital technology increases and the volume of valuable data created expands (through the use of digital twins, CAE, service lifecycle management software, etc.). All of that data needs a hub and a repository, which is where PLM comes in. As such, PTC's solutions are an integral part of the modern manufacturing world. With Wall Street expecting ARR improvement to drop into double-digit free cash flow growth for the foreseeable future, PTC is an excellent option for a diversified growth portfolio, whether it receives a bid or not. Should you invest $1,000 in PTC right now? 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