Dubai: International Financial Centre Courts Approves E-seal

The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts has announced it has approved the launch of an e-seal.

It follows their acquisition of the qualified electronic seal solution Ethaq.

This is a paperless initiative which enables digital authenticity of documents supported by the UAE PASS together with Smart Dubai. This is the secure national digital identity platform for the UAE.

It provides an end-to-end signing solution which combines both electronic seal and e-signature solution based on digitally verifiable identities.

It is powered by Dubai Electronic Security Centre and its Root Certificate Authority. The Courts are the first Dubai entity to acquire the entirely paperless certificate which enables court documents to be electronically signed, issued and authenticated.

It will also reinforce the security and integrity of the documentation and prevent official documents from being tampered with. It will enable users to digitally verify the authenticity of any legal documents through the DIFC Courts website.

The functionality will be implemented in phases.

It will initially be rolled out for all court user service documents, like DIFC Courts Judgments and Orders. It will then be rolled out for all internal and operational documentation in the Courts.

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Dubai: International Financial Centre Amends Founding Law

Gulf News (United Arab Emirates), 6 May 2021: Dubai’s Ruler has issued Dubai Law No. 5/2021 repealing Dubai Law No. 9/2004 which was the founding law of the Dubai International Financial Centre.

It provides clarity on the duties and responsibilities of the President, the Governor and entities in the Centre.

It also expands the Centre’s strategic objectives to include ‘advancing sustainable economic growth for Dubai, developing and diversifying the economy and increasing the GDP contribution of the financial services sector, to promote investment into Dubai and to attract regional and international entities to establish themselves in the Dubai International Financial Centre as their principal place of business’.

The new Law allows the Centre’s President to exempt certain Federal and local government authorities, companies and other entities from any Centre laws applicable to them when present in the Centre. In these cases, only UAE Federal and local laws will apply to them. This will allow the increasing numbers of Federal and local government authorities in the Centre to be exempt from certain Centre laws which were never intended to apply to them.

It also ensures the Centre’s operational, financial and administrative independence.

The Dispute Resolution Authority will be split and operate as two separate bodies. The first will be the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts and the second will be the Arbitration Institute.

In addition, the amendments provide clarity on what establishments may do outside their physical premises in the Centre. They may supply services and products to customers outside the Centre, as long as they are primarily provided out of their premises in the Centre. Marketing and promotion of their activities can be conducted outside the Centre as well.

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