The Dubai Financial Market (DFM) has officially launched two new subsidiaries - Dubai Clear and Dubai CSD.
Dubai Clear is the region’s first independent company central counterparty (CCP) for equity clearing and Dubai CSD, the UAE’s first independent central securities depository (CSD) company.
It's part of efforts to upgrade post-trade services in the UAE and further protect investors.
The announcement was marked by a virtual bell-ringing ceremony that was livestreamed through DFM's YouTube channel.
The two companies, which have received approvals from the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) and Dubai’s Department of Economic Development (Dubai Economy), can tap into a DFM investor base.
“This is a significant step towards implementing a roadmap for upgrading the UAE financial markets to advanced market status,” said Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Minister of Economy and Chairman of the Securities and Commodities Authority.
“The two new independent companies for clearing and depository are a significant milestone aimed at strengthening UAE markets’ infrastructure and competitiveness,” said Essa Kazim, chairman of DFM.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite index was set to confirm it was in a bear market on Friday, down more than 20 per cent from a recent record high, as investors fled riskier assets on fears that tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump could spark a trade war and tip the global economy into recession.
UAE-based Dana Gas and Crescent Petroleum, alongside their partners in the Pearl Petroleum consortium, have said the cumulative production from their Khor Mor project, the largest non-associated gas field in Iraq, has exceeded 500 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe).
China has announced a slew of additional tariffs and restrictions against US goods as a countermeasure to sweeping tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. The Finance Ministry said it would impose additional tariffs of 34 per cent on all US goods from April 10.
Stocks limped to the end of the week on Friday, the dollar was set for its worst week in a month while gold flirted with a record peak as investors feared US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs would tip the global economy into a recession.