Trust in the emirate’s digital services is emerging as a measurable economic asset, with Digital Dubai earning scores of 8.4 out of 10 for both trust and reputation among residents and the business community, according to a new Brand Finance study.
Those confidence levels sit at the centre of a broader finding: Dubai now ranks as the world’s fifth most powerful city brand, climbing two spots from seventh, with a place brand value approaching AED1 trillion.
Much of that movement is credited to the emirate’s digital ecosystem. Brand Finance attributes roughly AED31 billion — about $8.5 billion — of Dubai’s total brand value to Digital Dubai alone, and says the entity added 1.9 points to the City Brand Strength Index, lifting the emirate’s score to 86 out of 100.
Digital Dubai also drew an AA+ institutional brand strength rating, a mark that situates it among the leading digital government bodies worldwide. Its brand familiarity reached 92%, while its Brand Strength Index registered 77.7 out of 100.
Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Director General of Digital Dubai, framed the results as evidence that digital transformation has moved past the realm of infrastructure. He said the ecosystem has become “an integral part of the experience of living, working and investing in Dubai,” and a driver of both trust and the emirate’s international appeal. The standing among the world’s strongest place brands, he added, reflects a people-focused approach supported by sustained investment in advanced, connected services.
Tariq Al Janahi, CEO of the Corporate Enablement Sector at Digital Dubai, described the digital ecosystem as a core engine of economic growth and innovation that feeds directly into Dubai’s standing as a leading digital city.
The study’s reach extends beyond the headline valuation. Brand Finance found Digital Dubai strengthened how the city is perceived as a base for innovation and start-ups, improved sentiment around ease of doing business, eased perceptions of bureaucracy, and bolstered Dubai’s reputation as an open destination for talent and investment.
David Haigh, CEO of Brand Finance, tied the results to a wider shift in what shapes a city’s competitiveness. “The study’s findings reaffirm that trusted digital infrastructure has become a pivotal driver of a city’s reputation and global competitiveness,” he said, pointing to Digital Dubai’s contribution as proof of the returns from people-centric digital investment.
The Global City Index, which underpins the rankings, draws on surveys of more than 15,000 respondents across 20 markets and weighs perceptions tied to living, working, investing and visiting. By that measure, the emirate’s digital push is registering not as a back-end function but as a force reshaping how the city is judged on the global stage.
