Dubai is rapidly evolving beyond its traditional reputation as the “City of Gold”, with industry leaders now suggesting the UAE could emerge as one of the world’s most influential centres for physical gold trading, compliant bullion transactions, and potentially even future pricing power.

The comments come amid growing global demand for physical assets as investors increasingly seek stability, liquidity and tangible value during a period of geopolitical uncertainty and shifting financial markets.

Steven Hawkins, Chairman and CEO of Paradigm Holdings, said Dubai’s strategic infrastructure, geographic positioning and established gold ecosystem are placing the emirate at the centre of a major evolution within global commodities markets.

“Dubai is no longer simply a transit hub for gold,” said Hawkins. “It is becoming one of the world’s most important centres for physical gold ownership, movement and potentially pricing influence.”

Hawkins pointed to a growing distinction between traditional paper-based gold markets and Dubai’s expanding role in physical bullion trading, where real gold bars are actively moving through supply chains between Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

“Historically, markets like London have dominated institutional gold pricing through derivative contracts and ETFs,” he explained. “Dubai’s strength is different. This is physical gold trading, actual bullion moving through a world-class ecosystem of refiners, vaults, traders, banks and logistics infrastructure.”

The comments come as institutional appetite for gold continues to strengthen globally, with wealth managers, banks and sovereign entities increasingly allocating physical gold within diversified portfolios.

According to Hawkins, this shift is being driven by a combination of:

• Global economic uncertainty 

• Inflation concerns 

• Demand for liquidity 

• Increased scrutiny on ethical sourcing 

• The long-term appeal of real assets 

“People want assets they can physically own, store and access,” he said. “Gold provides liquidity in a way many other assets cannot, while also serving as a long-term store of value.”

Dubai’s position between African gold-producing nations and major Asian consumer markets is also strengthening its strategic importance.

“A significant volume of gold sourced from Africa naturally routes through Dubai for refining, trading and export,” Hawkins noted. “There is nowhere quite like the UAE in terms of infrastructure, capability and global connectivity for physical gold markets.”

Beyond market growth, Hawkins also highlighted increasing international scrutiny around compliance, traceability and responsible sourcing within the sector.

“We are seeing a significant rise in compliance standards globally,” he said. “Institutional investors and governments want greater transparency around the origin of gold, ethical mining practices and supply chain integrity.”

Paradigm Holdings currently operates across multiple African jurisdictions, working within commodities, strategic resources and cross-border investment partnerships.

Hawkins believes the UAE’s ability to combine Islamic finance principles, physical asset infrastructure, regulatory development and international trade positioning could place Dubai at the forefront of the next era of global gold markets.

“Dubai has all the foundations required to become one of the defining global centres for physical gold over the next decade,” he said. “The trajectory is very clear.”

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