Trust in financial services for investors in the United Arab Emirates has increased significantly since 2018 with over half of survey respondents indicating they have a high level of trust in the industry. Likewise, investors also strongly believe that state-sponsored benefits will pay out in old age and that there is a fair opportunity to profit by investing in capital markets. Despite this optimism, the vast majority of investors believe it is very likely a financial crisis will occur within the next three years.
Technology-based investment platforms to help manage investments are embraced by most UAE investors over help by people, with over half willing to invest in a fund that uses artificial intelligence to select investment holdings. However, investors still strongly prefer working with human advisers over robo-advisers.
When considering to hire an investment firm, 78% of UAE investors prefer “A trusted brand” over “People I can count on”. Nearly all investors would like more personalized investment products and services and the vast majority would be willing to pay more for that personalization.
