As Gulf economies diversify and cross-border capital flows increase in volume and complexity, businesses and investors in the region require legal partners capable of advising across multiple jurisdictions and regulatory frameworks simultaneously. The firm's practices in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and Dubai are structured to do exactly that, advising clients across the UAE.

Mishcon de Reya's new Dubai office is located at One Za’abeel, one of the city’s prominent commercial destinations. Established within the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) Free Zone, the office provides the firm with a base in the heart of Dubai’s central business district, supporting its continued growth across the UAE and wider region. 

“The UAE continues to provide an attractive ecosystem for families, investors and businesses, and this announcement further highlights our commitment to and confidence in the UAE as a significant global financial centre," Christopher Skipper, managing partner, UAE, said.

The opening forms part of Mishcon de Reya's Vision 2030 strategy, a five-year plan centred on three sectors where the firm has deep heritage and a growing client base. These include private wealth and private capital, the innovation economy, and real estate, alongside its commitment to remaining a disputes powerhouse, all of which are areas of significant and growing activity across the Gulf.

The new office is in line with a number of firms that have been increasing their presence in Dubai and neighbouring Abu Dhabi. Union Bancaire Privée for instance has strengthened its presence in the Middle East with senior hires. KKR, a New York headquartered investment firm, and Zurich-headquartered private bank UBS have also bolstered their presence in the Middle East, exploiting the rising level of demand for wealth management. See more here and here.

WisdomTree 
, a global financial innovator, has launched the WisdomTree Space Economy UCITS ETF (WSPC). The fund provides diversified exposure to companies driving the development of the global space economy and its further commercialisation. The exchange-traded fund (ETF) seeks to track the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the WisdomTree Space Economy UCITS Index; it has a Total Expense Ratio (TER) of 0.50 per cent. WSPC is listed on Xetra, Borsa Italiana, Euronext Paris and SIX Swiss Exchange, and the London Stock Exchange.

The proprietary index is designed to track the performance of companies involved in activities that form the space economy. These activities include enabling access to space and supporting space operations through launch, orbital and deep-space infrastructure; delivering commercial space-based services and connectivity; providing defence solutions that protect national interests in and through space; and developing emerging space-focused and space-enabled technologies. 

The WisdomTree Space Economy UCITS ETF provides exposure to the space economy across four key verticals: launches and infrastructure, commercial space, defence space and emerging technologies. The Index selects and weights companies based on their relevance to the space economy, applying a proprietary framework that combines thematic and company-level scoring to prioritise firms and verticals most relevant for further development and commercialisation of the field. This approach aims to deliver a dynamic and forward-looking exposure, with quarterly rebalancing ensuring that the portfolio remains aligned with the most relevant opportunities as the theme evolves.

“Space is transitioning from a niche, government-led domain into a broader economic ecosystem with expanding commercial and strategic importance," Pierre Debru, head of research, Europe, WisdomTree, said. "A defining milestone in this shift could come with the SpaceX IPO, which is widely expected to attract unprecedented investor attention and further accelerate mainstream participation in the space economy. This ETF is designed to capture that transformation through a diversified and forward-looking approach to investing in the space economy.”