Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), Dubai’s specialised commodities free zone, has launched a standalone Lab-Grown Diamonds division, creating a dedicated platform for an industry increasingly shaped by advanced manufacturing and technology alongside demand from the jewellery sector.

The move comes after the UAE recorded its highest-ever volume of lab-grown diamond trade in 2025.

A total of 76.9 million carats of lab-grown diamonds were traded in the UAE during 2025, up 91.5 per cent from the previous year. The value of the trade also rose 7.5 per cent to $1.3 billion.

Trading volumes have more than doubled since 2022, rising 109 per cent from 36.8 million carats to the current level. Imports and re-exports have also increased at broadly similar rates, indicating sustained growth across the UAE’s entire trade flow rather than an increase confined to one segment.

DMCC’s decision to establish a standalone division for lab-grown diamonds reflects the industry’s growing economic divergence from the natural diamond market.

Lab-grown diamond activities will therefore be clearly separated from DMCC’s natural diamonds and coloured gemstones division, as the sector is driven by large-scale manufacturing, technical specifications and industrial applications.

Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and CEO of DMCC, said lab-grown diamonds had reached a stage where they required dedicated market infrastructure and a distinct economic framework—one that develops alongside the natural diamond trade rather than replacing it.

He added that China, India and the United States had played key roles in the scientific, technological and industrial development of the sector over recent decades, transforming a laboratory breakthrough into a global industry worth nearly $30 billion.

According to Bin Sulayem, the industry’s most significant opportunities may lie beyond jewellery, spanning sectors such as semiconductors, diamond wafers, quantum technologies, medical equipment, aerospace and other advanced applications where diamonds’ thermal, optical and mechanical properties have commercial value.

He also said that with 76.9 million carats of lab-grown diamonds traded through the UAE in 2025—more than double the volume recorded in 2022—Dubai now has the scale required to help shape the industry’s next phase of development.

DMCC’s new Lab-Grown Diamonds division is expected to provide a dedicated global platform for expanding international trade flows, bringing producers, technology companies and buyers closer together, and establishing the transparent infrastructure needed to support the industry’s continued development.

The modern lab-grown diamond industry has been built on the capabilities of three key markets: China, the dominant centre for large-scale industrial production and research and development; India, a major hub for chemical vapour deposition diamond growth, manufacturing and processing; and the United States, a pioneer in diamond growth technology and the industry’s largest consumer market.

Japan, Israel and the United Kingdom are also established centres for research, industrial applications and trade in lab-grown diamonds.

Alongside the jewellery sector, lab-grown diamonds are increasingly being developed for advanced industrial applications. Their thermal, optical and semiconductor properties can be used in semiconductor manufacturing, diamond wafer production, quantum technologies, space systems and precision engineering.

DMCC’s new division will bring together global and regional producers, manufacturers, traders, investors, financiers, technology companies and industrial users, while strengthening Dubai’s links with the industry’s leading global markets. It will continue to operate independently from DMCC’s natural diamond and coloured gemstone activities.

The UAE’s total diamond trade also reached a record $41.7 billion in 2025, while trading volumes of synthetic and industrial diamonds recorded significant growth.