Small claims cases up 68% at DIFC Courts

Claims lodged with the small claims tribunal at the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts rose 68 percent year on year in 2025.

The tribunal handled 995 cases, with the total claim value rising 44 percent year on year to AED83 million ($23 million). The average claim stood at AED84,000. 

Bianca Gracias, managing partner at law firm Crimson Legal, said the growth in small claims was a reflection of the fact that, as of January 2026, the total number of companies operating in the UAE has surpassed 1.4 million, according to the UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism.

“With the growing spate of businesses, formal dispute resolution is a very natural process and part of any healthy economy. In my professional view, growth in numbers signifies trust in the DIFC dispute resolution system more than anything else,” Gracias told AGBI.

DIFC Courts recorded 1,509 cases in 2025, a 43 percent year-on-year increase, with the total claims value at AED18.6 billion.

The Courts of First Instance (CFI) recorded an average claim value of AED68.2 million. Claims spanned a range of industries including manufacturing, retail, banking and finance, real estate and crypto. It involved issues related to insolvency, breach of contract, employment disputes and arbitration arrangements.

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A total of 341 enforcement claims were filed, worth AED 10.9 billion.

Thirty one percent of claims brought to the CFI were “opt in” claims, in which litigants specifically chose the DIFC Courts as their preferred jurisdiction.

The number of law firms registered with the DIFC Courts increased by 13 percent annually to 235, while registered practitioners rose by 14 percent year on year to 1,224.