• Listing extends sukuk market access in DIFC to retail investors for the first time, supporting deeper and more liquid secondary markets

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), the independent banking, financial services, and markets regulator of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), confirms that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Finance’s inaugural Sovereign Retail Treasury Sukuk (T-Sukuk) has been admitted to trading on Nasdaq Dubai. 

This is the UAE’s first Sovereign sukuk targeted at retail investors, and to be admitted to trading on a regulated exchange within DIFC. Sukuk listed on Nasdaq Dubai have historically been held by institutional investors; this listing extends access to the retail investors within DIFC’s market infrastructure. 

The DFSA is the independent regulator responsible for overseeing Nasdaq Dubai in its capacity as an Authorised Market Institution. Admission to the Official List is granted where an issuer meets the DFSA’s applicable listing requirements, including those relating to disclosure and investor protection. 

Mark Steward, Chief Executive of the DFSA, said: “The listing of the first sovereign retail sukuk in the UAE on Nasdaq Dubai is a signal moment for Dubai’s capital markets and reflects the continued evolution of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) toward greater and wider investor participation. 

The Dubai Financial Services Authority’s (DFSA) role is to ensure this evolution takes place within a framework that maintains market integrity and investor confidence, and this listing is a clear example of that framework working as intended. We will continue to support the development of our capital markets as the engine for growth and capital in and for Dubai and the region.” 

Sukuk listed on Nasdaq Dubai are tradeable on the secondary market following admission. The listing adds to the depth and diversity of the sukuk market in DIFC, one of the world’s leading centres for sukuk listings, with more than US$ 98.6 billion in outstanding sukuk currently listed on Nasdaq Dubai. It also expands the range of sovereign and retail-accessible instruments available within DIFC’s capital markets infrastructure, reflecting continued diversification of the products supported by the Centre’s listing framework. 

The DFSA continues to support the development of well-regulated, transparent, and internationally aligned capital markets within DIFC, underpinned by a risk-based regulatory approach and ongoing engagement with market participants and infrastructure providers as new products and investor segments emerge.