Published 2026-08-31
DMCC, Dubai’s free zone for commodities trade, announced on 2026-08-30 that it has established a Lab-Grown Diamond Vertical, a standalone global platform for the lab-grown diamond industry, explicitly separated from its natural diamond and coloured stone activities. The launch follows a record year: the UAE traded 76.9 million carats of lab-grown diamonds in 2025, up 91.5% year on year, with the value of that trade rising 7.5% to USD 1.3 billion (about AED 4.8 billion), while the country’s total diamond trade reached a record USD 41.7 billion (about AED 153 billion). This article sets out what DMCC has launched, the numbers behind the decision, and what the new vertical means for producers, manufacturers and traders weighing a Dubai company for the lab-grown diamond business.
What DMCC announced
DMCC, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, is the free zone in Jumeirah Lakes Towers that has organised Dubai’s commodities trade for two decades and is home to the Dubai Diamond Exchange. On 2026-08-30 it announced the Lab-Grown Diamond Vertical, described as a standalone platform for an industry increasingly driven by advanced manufacturing and technology alongside jewellery demand.
The vertical establishes an explicit separation from DMCC’s natural diamond and coloured stone activities. Ahmed Bin Sulayem, executive chairman and CEO of DMCC, said lab-grown diamonds “have reached the point where they need dedicated market infrastructure and a distinct economic case of their own, developed alongside the natural diamond trade rather than in place of it”.
The platform is designed to bring together producers, manufacturers, traders, investors and technology companies under one framework, and to strengthen Dubai’s links with the major lab-grown markets: China, India, the United States, Japan, Israel and the United Kingdom.
The 2025 numbers behind the launch
| Indicator | Figure |
|---|---|
| Lab-grown diamonds traded through the UAE in 2025 | 76.9 million carats |
| Growth year on year | +91.5% |
| Value of the UAE lab-grown trade in 2025 | USD 1.3 billion (about AED 4.8 billion), +7.5% |
| Growth in volume since 2022 | +109%, from 36.8 million carats |
| Total UAE diamond trade in 2025, natural and lab-grown | USD 41.7 billion (about AED 153 billion), a record |
| Estimated size of the global lab-grown industry | about USD 30 billion |
Volume and value moved at very different speeds: carats almost doubled in a year while value grew only 7.5%, which reflects the fall in lab-grown prices per carat as production scales worldwide. Imports and re-exports expanded at broadly similar rates, which points to sustained growth across the UAE’s trade flows rather than a spike concentrated in one segment.
Why lab-grown diamonds get their own platform
The economic logic of a lab-grown diamond differs from that of a mined stone. Natural diamonds trade on scarcity; lab-grown diamonds are a manufactured product with scalable output, controlled technical specifications and falling unit costs. Mixing the two in one market structure blurs pricing, certification and positioning for both.
The industrial dimension is the second driver. Bin Sulayem pointed to applications in semiconductors, quantum technologies and aerospace, where synthetic diamond material is valued for thermal conductivity and optical properties rather than appearance. A platform that includes technology companies and investors alongside jewellery traders reflects where the industry’s growth is expected to come from.
For DMCC this is a familiar playbook: build a dedicated ecosystem around a commodity, give it infrastructure and a community of members, and let trade concentrate in Dubai. The free zone has done this for tea, coffee, gold and, most recently, honey and food trading, which we covered in our guide to food and commodity trading companies in DMCC.
Dubai’s position in the global diamond trade
The UAE’s total diamond trade of USD 41.7 billion in 2025 is a record and confirms Dubai’s place among the leading global diamond hubs alongside Antwerp, Mumbai and New York. The emirate sits between producing regions in Africa and the main cutting and consuming markets in Asia, and the Dubai Diamond Exchange provides the trading floor, vaults and settlement infrastructure that the physical trade requires.
The new vertical adds a second, clearly labelled lane to that infrastructure. A lab-grown producer in China or India, a distributor serving the United States market, or a technology company sourcing diamond material for industrial use now has a named platform in Dubai to register on, with the free zone’s licensing, residency and banking framework behind it.
What the new vertical changes for a business
For a company in the lab-grown chain, from growers and cutters to traders and equipment suppliers, the practical meaning is that Dubai now offers ready-made registration infrastructure aimed specifically at this industry. A DMCC company gives 100% foreign ownership, access to the UAE’s network of double tax treaties, and a licence naming diamond activities. Under the UAE corporate tax regime the standard rate is 9%, and a free zone company can qualify for the 0% rate on qualifying income, including qualifying trading activities, subject to the conditions for a Qualifying Free Zone Person.
Compliance is the part to plan early. Dealers in precious metals and stones in the UAE fall under anti-money-laundering supervision and must register in the goAML system, maintain KYC on counterparties and report qualifying transactions. Banks apply enhanced due diligence to diamond traders, so the corporate account should be structured with a clear trade story, contracts and counterparties documented from day one.
Checklist: setting up a lab-grown diamond company in DMCC
- Define the activity precisely: trading in diamonds, manufacturing, or industrial diamond material, and confirm the activity list on the licence covers lab-grown stones.
- Choose the legal form and register the company in the free zone, with 100% foreign ownership available as standard.
- Select the office format, from a flexi desk to a full office, matching visa quota needs.
- Prepare shareholder and UBO documentation for KYC review.
- Register with goAML and set up AML procedures required for dealers in precious metals and stones.
- Open the corporate bank account with a documented trade profile; expect enhanced due diligence for the diamond sector.
- Apply for residence visas for shareholders and key staff under the company’s quota.
How Atlant Capital can help
Atlant Capital registers companies in DMCC and other UAE free zones, prepares the activity set and documentation for licensing, and takes clients through compliance onboarding. We handle company setup end to end, open corporate accounts through our bank account opening service, which is the critical step for diamond traders facing enhanced due diligence, and arrange residence visas for shareholders and employees. If you are in the lab-grown diamond chain and considering Dubai, we can map your activity onto the right licence and bank before you commit.
Conclusion
DMCC’s Lab-Grown Diamond Vertical, announced on 2026-08-30, gives the fastest-growing segment of the diamond industry its own market infrastructure in Dubai, separate from the natural stone trade. The numbers explain the timing: 76.9 million carats traded through the UAE in 2025, up 91.5% in a year and 109% since 2022, worth USD 1.3 billion, inside a record total UAE diamond trade of USD 41.7 billion. For producers, traders and technology companies in a global industry estimated at USD 30 billion, Dubai has moved first in building a dedicated home, and the practical route in runs through a DMCC licence, goAML registration and a properly prepared bank account.
FAQ
What is the DMCC Lab-Grown Diamond Vertical?
It is a standalone global platform announced by DMCC on 2026-08-30 for the lab-grown diamond industry, explicitly separated from DMCC’s natural diamond and coloured stone activities. It brings together producers, manufacturers, traders, investors and technology companies and aims to strengthen Dubai’s links with the major lab-grown markets, including China, India, the United States, Japan, Israel and the United Kingdom.
How big is the UAE lab-grown diamond trade?
The UAE traded 76.9 million carats of lab-grown diamonds in 2025, up 91.5% year on year and 109% since 2022, when volumes were 36.8 million carats. The value of the 2025 trade was USD 1.3 billion, up 7.5%. The UAE’s total diamond trade, natural and lab-grown combined, reached a record USD 41.7 billion in 2025.
Why is DMCC separating lab-grown diamonds from natural diamonds?
Because the two products have different economics. Natural diamonds trade on scarcity, while lab-grown diamonds are a scalable manufactured product with controlled specifications and growing industrial applications in semiconductors, quantum technologies and aerospace. DMCC’s leadership stated that lab-grown diamonds now need dedicated market infrastructure developed alongside the natural trade rather than in place of it.
How can a foreign company join Dubai’s lab-grown diamond market?
By registering a company in the DMCC free zone with diamond activities on the licence. The company has 100% foreign ownership, must register in the UAE’s goAML system as a dealer in precious stones, and needs a corporate bank account, for which banks apply enhanced due diligence to the diamond sector. The standard UAE corporate tax rate is 9%, with a 0% rate available on qualifying free zone income subject to conditions.
