Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) welcomed 143 new firms during the first half of 2016, maintaining its impressive growth curve. More than 21,000 professionals across 1,500 companies now work at the business park, which aims to accommodate 50,000 staff within the next eight years. The bulk of firms based there are from the Middle East, the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States. Internationally recognised ranking system the Global Financial Centres Index recently rated DIFC number one across the Middle East and Africa and 13th globally.