Parties from 22 overseas jurisdictions filed DIFC Courts opt-in cases in the first half of 2026, with the tribunal receiving 243 such filings across its divisions between January and June.
The 243 opt-in cases represented 30 per cent of the 810 total claims filed across all DIFC Courts divisions in H1 2026. Of those, 201 were lodged in the Small Claims Tribunal, while the remaining 42 were split between the Court of First Instance, the Arbitration Division and the Digital Economy Court.
Who is filing opt-in cases
The Court of First Instance recorded 30 opt-in claims in H1 2026. Almost half, 47 per cent, involved at least one party based outside the UAE. Those cases drew parties from 13 overseas jurisdictions, among them Saudi Arabia, Oman, India, Germany, Switzerland, the United States and Australia. In some proceedings, no party had a UAE address at all.
The Digital Economy Court, which covers disputes involving blockchain, artificial intelligence, cloud services and related technologies, received one opt-in claim linking parties tied to the UK, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, El Salvador and Vietnam. A full outline of the court’s scope is available on the Digital Economy Court launch page.
The Arbitration Division also recorded international reach: eight of 11 opt-in cases were linked to arbitrations seated outside the UAE, connected to proceedings in Singapore, Hong Kong, London, Paris and Stockholm.
Record caseload and claim values behind the opt-in figures
The 810 total claims filed in H1 2026 were themselves the highest first-half caseload in the courts’ history, up 25 per cent year-on-year, according to figures published by the DIFC Courts H1 2026 caseload report. Combined claim value across the period reached AED 10.02 billion, a 48 per cent rise on the same period in 2025.
Within that total, the Arbitration Division registered 37 claims in H1, up 61 per cent year-on-year, with a combined value of AED 3.17 billion. The courts’ earlier Q1 2026 caseload statistics showed 396 claims filed in the first quarter alone, a 22 per cent increase from the same quarter in 2025.
H.E. Justice Omar Al Mheiri, Director of the DIFC Courts, said the figures showed that UAE and international users were choosing the courts to resolve cross-border commercial disputes, including cases where no UAE-based party was involved. He said the model supports Dubai’s position as a destination for investment, trade and international business.
How opt-in jurisdiction works
Parties can choose the DIFC Courts by written agreement, regardless of where they are based and regardless of whether their contract has any connection to the UAE. Opting in does not affect the governing law of the contract, which the parties continue to select independently.
The Small Claims Tribunal handles claims up to AED 500,000. Any two parties anywhere in the world can include a DIFC Courts jurisdiction clause in a commercial contract, or agree in writing to use the tribunal at the point a dispute arises. Full details of how opt-in jurisdiction operates are on the DIFC Courts opt-in jurisdiction page. The courts handle civil and commercial disputes only; criminal matters are referred to external authorities, as set out on the DIFC Courts jurisdiction page.
The H1 opt-in figures were published on 18 August 2026, the first such release since the courts launched a five-year strategy in December 2025.
