DUBAI: The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts received 243 opt-in cases in the first half of 2026, representing 30 percent of the 810 cases filed across all divisions. Of these, 201 were filed in the Small Claims Tribunal (SCT), while 42 were filed across the Court of First Instance (CFI), the Arbitration Division and the Digital Economy Court (DEC).Across the SCT, CFI and DEC, opt-in cases involved UAE-based parties alongside businesses and individuals from 22 overseas jurisdictions spanning five continents.The figures reinforce the DIFC Courts’ standing as a forum of choice for cross-border commercial disputes and demonstrate the practical role of Dubai’s English-language common-law commercial court in international dispute resolution.In addition to their default jurisdiction, the DIFC Courts allow parties to qualifying civil and commercial disputes to opt into the Courts’ jurisdiction by written agreement. This route is open to businesses across the UAE, whether or not they are located in the DIFC, as well as to parties internationally. Opting in can be done through a jurisdiction clause in the parties’ contract or by a separate written agreement, with no mandatory UAE connection required.Choosing the DIFC Courts does not change the law of the contract: parties remain free to agree the governing law of their choice, which the Courts will then apply.Justice Omar Al Mheiri, Director of the DIFC Courts, said, "The H1 figures show that UAE-based and international users are selecting the DIFC Courts for that purpose, including in matters with no UAE-based party. By delivering accessible, digitally enabled and independent commercial justice, we contribute to the confidence businesses need when trading internationally. This confidence supports the ambitions of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 by reinforcing Dubai’s position as a trusted destination for investment, trade and international business.”In the CFI, 30 opt-in claims were filed in H1 2026. Nearly half (47 percent) involved at least one party based outside the UAE, with parties drawn from 13 overseas jurisdictions including Saudi Arabia, Oman, India, Germany, Switzerland, the United States and Australia; in some cases, no party was based in the UAE at all. The remaining CFI opt-in claims involved UAE-based parties choosing the DIFC Courts.The Digital Economy Court received one opt-in claim involving parties recorded in the United Kingdom, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, El Salvador and Vietnam.The international reach was also evident in the Arbitration Division, where eight of the 11 opt-in cases filed in H1 2026 related to arbitrations seated overseas, in hubs including Singapore, Hong Kong, London, Paris and Stockholm, with parties opting in to the DIFC Courts’ jurisdiction in proceedings connected to those arbitrations.
