The financial heart of Dubai

One of the most money-charged locations in Dubai is the DIFC or Dubai International Financial Center district. This is the largest financial center in the Middle East and Africa, where the headquarters of dozens of banks and investment corporations, stock exchanges and family offices, insurance and consulting companies are located.

The Global Financial Centres Index ranks Dubai's DIFC district 18th in the world, behind New York, London, Hong Kong, Singapore, but it is also one of the youngest global financial centers out of the top 20.

The popularity of this freezone among bankers and financiers is clear: convenient city location and modern airport, comfortable climate and soft tax policy, full company ownership without local partners and excellent infrastructure for life and business.

As one of the main arguments for entrepreneurs - English law applies in the DIFC territory and all courts in this location rely on internationally recognized British practice when resolving disputes. Figuratively: the Dubai authorities have bought the franchise of British law.

Dozens of coffee shops and restaurants have been serving breakfast to their guests since morning. The smell of money is literally in the air here. You can meet the serious guys from Goldman Sachs or Bloomberg, smile at the respectable gentlemen from Julius Baer or Morgan Stanley, or nod politely to the guys from McKinsey or Credit Suisse.

A dozen skyscrapers are connected by a covered Gate Avenue shopping arcade, above which a cool outdoor park is laid out for strolling and sitting in cafes - something our Moscow City lacks.

That there is a lot of money here says even the composition of the hotels. Four Seasons, Waldorf Astoria and The Ritz-Carlton with a block of residences for long-term stay are working for guests and residents.

As the sun sets, life in DIFC begins to boil with renewed vigor. Dozens of Gate Village area restaurants open: Italian Cipriani and Japanese Zuma, European Robertos and Asian Shanghai Mi, Argentinian Gaucho and Nustret's Saltbay.

Wealthy financiers, standing on warm evenings with glasses of expensive wine on the terraces of restaurants located between art galleries and jewelry boutiques, make conversations with calculating tourists who came to the "Gate Village" after reading either advice in tourist guides or trusting their intuition.

DIFC goes to sleep, only to wake up again in the morning. French croissants and Turkish coffee. Italian suits and Swiss watches. German cars and English with a dozen different accents. As long as there's money in the world, every morning at DIFC will be about money.