DIFC

Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is a financial free zone with an independent legal and regulatory framework. A law formally establishing it was issued in 2002, and the centre began operating in September 2004 with the opening of The Gate, designed by DIFC's master planner, the US firm Gensler. The DIFC Courts administer a common-law, English-language jurisdiction for civil and commercial disputes arising within the centre. The district lies on the east side of Sheikh Zayed Road, between Downtown Dubai and Zabeel Park, and is served by the Financial Centre station on the Dubai Metro Red Line. Besides offices it includes residential apartments, hotels and public spaces, as well as art galleries concentrated around Gate Village.