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Dubai Financial Services Authority Amends Rulebook Across Multiple Modules
On May 11, 2026, the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) Board issued amendments to the DFSA Rulebook following the conclusion of the consultation period on proposed legislative changes outlined in Consultation Paper No. 167.
The DFSA Board considered feedback from consultees before finalising the amendments, which may differ from the proposals originally set out in the consultation paper. Four rulemaking instruments were adopted to implement the changes:
- General Module (GEN) Rulemaking Instrument (No. 437) 2026
- Prudential – Investment, Insurance Intermediation and Banking Business Module (PIB) Rulemaking Instrument (No. 438) 2026
- Glossary Module (GLO) Rulemaking Instrument (No. 439) 2026
- Islamic Finance Rules (IFR) Rulemaking Instrument (No. 440) 2026
The amendments span multiple regulatory areas, including general conduct requirements, prudential standards for investment, insurance intermediation and banking business, glossary definitions, and Islamic finance rules. The scope of these amendments indicates a comprehensive review of the DFSA's regulatory framework across key operational modules.
The rulemaking instruments will come into force on January 1, 2027. The amended modules will replace existing versions on the DFSA website on the effective date, with earlier versions retained in the archive. Detailed amendments for each instrument are available in the appendices to the notice on the DFSA website.
**Reference:**
Dubai Financial Services Authority. Notice of Amendments to Legislation: May 2026. Issued May 11, 2026. Available at: https://www.dfsa.ae/
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Dubai Financial Services Authority Amends Rulebook Across Multiple Modules
On May 11, 2026, the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) Board issued amendments to the DFSA Rulebook following the conclusion of the consultation period on proposed legislative changes outlined in Consultation Paper No. 167 .
The DFSA Board considered feedback from consultees before finalising the amendments, which may differ from the proposals originally set out in the consultation paper. Four rulemaking instruments were adopted to implement the changes and their key changes are: -
General Module (GEN) Rulemaking Instrument (No. 437) 2026 - Large and complex firms must now establish a dedicated risk management function that is headed by a Director, Partner or Senior Manager and is sufficiently resourced to operate independently of business and operational functions, with Category 1, 2 (non-Matched Principal) and 5 firms expected to fall within scope. The Governing Body is now explicitly made ultimately responsible for sound corporate governance and risk culture across the firm, and management information obligations have been upgraded to a formal "information system" with risk data aggregation and stress-period measurement requirements applying to larger firms.
Large and complex firms must now establish a dedicated risk management function that is headed by a Director, Partner or Senior Manager and is sufficiently resourced to operate independently of business and operational functions, with Category 1, 2 (non-Matched Principal) and 5 firms expected to fall within scope.
The Governing Body is now explicitly made ultimately responsible for sound corporate governance and risk culture across the firm, and management information obligations have been upgraded to a formal "information system" with risk data aggregation and stress-period measurement requirements applying to larger firms.
Prudential – Investment, Insurance Intermediation and Banking Business Module (PIB) Rulemaking Instrument (No. 438) 2026 Concentration Risk" has been relabelled "Large Exposures" throughout the module where it previously referenced exposure limits, while Concentration Risk is re-scoped as a broader standalone concept covering excessive exposure across counterparties, asset classes, sectors, geographies and funding sources. The credit classification framework has been strengthened with four new mandatory categories being Performing, Past Due, Non-Performing and Forborne, and prescriptive minimum provisioning floors have been removed in favour of IFRS 9-aligned provisioning.
Concentration Risk" has been relabelled "Large Exposures" throughout the module where it previously referenced exposure limits, while Concentration Risk is re-scoped as a broader standalone concept covering excessive exposure across counterparties, asset classes, sectors, geographies and funding sources.
The credit classification framework has been strengthened with four new mandatory categories being Performing, Past Due, Non-Performing and Forborne, and prescriptive minimum provisioning floors have been removed in favour of IFRS 9-aligned provisioning.
Glossary Module (GLO) Rulemaking Instrument (No. 439) 2026 The existing definition of "Concentration Risk" has been deleted from the Glossary as the broader definition now sits within PIB, reflecting the reconceptualisation of the term across the wider rulebook.
The existing definition of "Concentration Risk" has been deleted from the Glossary as the broader definition now sits within PIB, reflecting the reconceptualisation of the term across the wider rulebook.
Islamic Finance Rules (IFR) Rulemaking Instrument (No. 440) 2026 . In the new provisions, "Concentration Risk" has been decapitalised to "concentration risk" in the PSIA Large Exposure guidance sections, reflecting the definitional restructuring in GLO and PIB without any substantive change to the underlying PSIA prudential requirements.
In the new provisions, "Concentration Risk" has been decapitalised to "concentration risk" in the PSIA Large Exposure guidance sections, reflecting the definitional restructuring in GLO and PIB without any substantive change to the underlying PSIA prudential requirements.
The amendments span multiple regulatory areas, including general conduct requirements, prudential standards for investment, insurance intermediation and banking business, glossary definitions, and Islamic finance rules. The scope of these amendments indicates a comprehensive review of the DFSA's regulatory framework across key operational modules. The rulemaking instruments will come into force on January 1, 2027. The amended modules will replace existing versions on the DFSA website on the effective date, with earlier versions retained in the archive.