Why some of the world’s top billionaires bet on Dubai over Silicon Valley

Dubai: As someone who’s spent the better part of two decades navigating global capital flows, building transformative developments, and forging partnerships with visionaries from the East and the West, I can say this with conviction: The new center of gravity for wealth, innovation, and influence is not Palo Alto. It’s Dubai.

This may come as a surprise to those who still see Silicon Valley as the epicenter of ambition. But those paying close attention will notice a quiet exodus of founders, fund managers, and ultra-high-net-worth families looking to this Eastern hub, for the lifestyle and the leverage amalgam it brings.

6,700 millionaires have migrated to Dubai in 2024, in a 102% growth between 2014 and 2024. With the plethora of advantages it brings, the city is positioned to potentially surpass established hubs like London and Paris, emerging as the wealthiest urban center across both Europe and the Middle East by 2045.

In Dubai, deals are ‘supercharged’. Emirati Sovereign wealth funds, like Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and Mubadala, co-invest, co-strategize, and catalyze growth in ways that private capital elsewhere cannot. To put it simply, this public-private alignment offers a rare combination; a sandbox where global billionaires can scale moonshot ideas without drowning in red tape.

Worth noting that three out of the dominant Gulf Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) which manage around 40% of the world’s SWF assets are from the UAE (ADIA, Mubadala, and ADQ).

I’ve personally witnessed projects go from concept to reality in a fraction of the time it would take in California or Europe, simply because the state as well as the private sector are synchronized toward national ambition.

Even though Silicon Valley remains iconic and charming to many entrepreneurs as it echoes the American dream in a way or another, the city is no longer invincible. Regulatory ambiguity, rising taxes, and political polarization have somewhat dull the shine. Meanwhile, Dubai offers clarity, neutrality, and scalability.

Besides the golden and other types of visa schemes it offers, the city has emerged as a haven for tech founders and crypto-native entrepreneurs, many of whom now operate from the DIFC or Dubai Silicon Oasis, building everything from AI-based trading platforms to decentralized finance solutions, with regulatory structures that move at the speed of innovation.

One of the most underappreciated revolutions happening right now is the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA), particularly in real estate. In essence, any asset with value can, in theory, be digitized and moved on chain. Real estate tokenization involves transforming the value of a physical property into digital tokens that are tradable on a blockchain platform. Each token reflects a fractional ownership share, enabling investors to access real estate markets with significantly lower capital requirements.

In partnership with fintech and blockchain pioneers, Dubai developers are now launching property portfolios that are tokenized, tradable, and borderless. In May 2025, the Dubai Land Department issued the world’s first Property Token Ownership Certificate, following the rapid sale of its first tokenized real estate project via the Prypco Mint platform, licensed by the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA). Within one day, 224 investors from 44 nationalities participated, 70% of them first-time entrants into Dubai’s real estate market, underscoring strong confidence in low-cost, accessible digital investment solutions.

With over 6,000 on the waitlist, the initiative is gaining momentum and aims to expand further by enabling developers to list projects on the platform. For the global investor, this means Dubai’s luxury towers and beachfront villas can now be fractionalized and accessed like stocks. This brings unprecedented liquidity to what was once a static asset class.

Branded residences, which offer the cachet of internationally recognized brands—such as fashion houses or hotel chains, are trending in Dubai due to the city's luxury appeal, global buyer base, and demand for prestige and exclusivity. Such properties offer higher returns and stronger resale value, attracting high-net-worth individuals.

For developers, partnering with global brands provides market differentiation, premium pricing, and access to loyal clientele. The trend reflects a shift toward lifestyle-driven real estate, where emotional connection and brand identity are key. Developers must now focus on design innovation and experiential living to stay competitive.

Ask any billionaire what they value most, and somewhere in their top three you’ll hear the word ‘certainty’. Dubai offers a dispute resolution ecosystem through the DIFC Courts and Dubai International Arbitration Centre that is fast, enforceable, and globally respected.

In other jurisdictions, legal battles can take years—costing millions in lost opportunity. In Dubai, we’ve seen disputes resolved in months with clear outcomes. For family offices and funds managing multigenerational wealth, this is a non-negotiable.

The final piece of the puzzle is where Dubai truly sets itself apart, and that’s through private wealth infrastructure. From elite family offices to legacy planning vehicles, the UAE’s wealth management landscape now rivals Switzerland, with the added advantage of digital-native banks, seamless crypto-to-fiat rails, and unparalleled discretion. Clients tell us they come here for the return on investment as well as for the return on peace of mind.

To sum it up, Dubai is not trying to be the next Palo Alto, London, or Shanghai. It is rather building something singular as it is genuinely a confluence of capital, creativity, and culture. It is a place where ambition is expanded by vision and velocity.

For the world’s top billionaires, Dubai is undoubtedly a smart yet inevitable bet.

- The writer is Founder & CEO, AMIS Development