Dubai economic zones hit 96% occupancy, company count rises 13%

Workforce across DIEZ zones rose 24%, while startup investments increased during H1

Last updated: August 17, 2026 | 15:05

Nivetha Dayanand, Assistant Business Editor

2 MIN READ

Dubai economic zones hit 96% occupancy, company count rises 13%

DMO

Dubai: Occupancy across Dubai Airport Freezone, Dubai Silicon Oasis and Dubai CommerCity reached 96% during the first half of 2026, while the number of companies operating across the three economic zones increased 13% from a year earlier.

Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.

The workforce across the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority’s three zones grew 24% compared with H1 2025, alongside continued investment in new infrastructure, startups and technology-focused businesses.

The results achieved by DIEZ during the first half of 2026 reflect the resilience of its economic model and its ability to sustain growth amid the rapid transformations within the global economy. They also reinforce the continued confidence of companies and investors in Dubai's competitive business environment that supports expansion and creates new opportunities.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of DIEZ

New projects at Dubai Silicon Oasis

DIEZ launched a number of expansion projects at Dubai Silicon Oasis during the first half, including District IO and Block 14.

District IO is backed by an Dh11 billion investment and is intended to provide infrastructure for future technologies, research, development and innovation.

The first phase of Block 14 carries an investment of Dh1.8 billion and will include one commercial building, two residential buildings, a retail district and connections to the Metro network.

The development is located next to the future Dubai Metro Blue Line station, with the first phase scheduled for completion in 2029, coinciding with the planned opening of the Blue Line.

The 96% occupancy rate, alongside the growth in the number of companies and employees, demonstrates strong demand for our economic zones and confidence in the business environment they provide. It also reflects the ability of our zones to provide an advanced and flexible business environment capable of keeping pace with the evolving needs of companies.

Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni, Executive Chairman of DIEZ

Oraseya invests in 15 startups

Oraseya Capital, DIEZ’s investment arm, invested in 15 startups during the first half of 2026, including companies specialising in artificial intelligence technologies.

The number of new investments was 25% higher than in H1 2025.

According to MAGNiTT’s H1 2026 ranking, Oraseya remained the UAE’s most active investor by number of deals for the third consecutive year. It was also ranked the country’s most active early-stage investor and placed second across the MENA region in both categories.

Recent investments included Takeem, a proptech platform specialising in rent guarantee solutions, and Revora, an AI-powered e-commerce platform serving GCC markets.

Oraseya’s Sandbox programme attracted 771 applications for its eighth cohort, with 16 companies selected following 28 selection committee meetings.

Also Read: DIFC reaches 10,018 firms in H1 2026, AI ecosystem expands 39%

Also Read: DIEZ non-oil trade surges 46% to record Dh491 billion in 2025

Also Read: Dubai’s finance hub draws 775 firms in first-quarter surge

Also Read: Dubai’s DIEZ posts 19.4% revenue growth in 2025, profit up 17.8%

AI company registrations climb

Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Campus also recorded higher activity during the period, with new company registrations increasing 57% compared with H1 2025.

The number of companies specialising in artificial intelligence grew 95% during the same period.

Nivetha DayanandAssistant Business Editor

Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, covering aviation, financial markets and commodities. A business and financial journalist with a strong interest in multimedia storytelling, she regularly takes complex financial and economic subjects beyond the written word, producing explainer videos that make them easier for a wider audience to understand. Nivetha has interviewed senior policymakers, business leaders and global financial figures both on and off camera. Her past guests include UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, a member of the House of Saud and the founder and CEO of KBW Ventures, Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund and Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu. She has also hosted and moderated panels, conferences and awards shows, bringing her newsroom experience to live conversations on business, finance and the economy. An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha is drawn to stories that affect people directly and to reporting that gives a platform to voices that might otherwise go unheard. She was among the first journalists to speak to Petrofac employees in the UAE about unpaid salaries, broke the news of the planned demolition of Dubai’s well-known “Toyota Building”, and helped set the record straight on widely circulated claims that a giant replica of the Moon was coming to Dubai. More recently, her exclusive interview with EDGE Group CEO Hamad Al Marar revealed how the UAE-based defence group deployed its systems along the country’s shore border and established a geofence around the UAE within 48 hours of the February 28 escalation. Prior to joining Gulf News, Nivetha worked at ITP Media, where she helped launch Finance Middle East, a new publication covering the region’s financial sector. Her role spanned reporting and editing, video production, interviews and events. Across print, digital, and video, she focuses on finding the people behind business stories and explaining why those stories matter to the audience reading or watching them.

Get Updates on Topics You Choose

Up Next