8 reasons the world’s richest are moving to UAE

Dubai: Dubai and Abu Dhabi are attracting a growing number of high-net-worth individuals who are choosing to relocate with the intention of settling, investing, and managing their family wealth in the UAE on a long-term basis.

Families are not arriving for short-term residency or asset protection alone. Many are bringing business activity, establishing family offices and anchoring their lives around property, education and long-term planning. Wealth advisers say this reflects a shift in how global capital is positioning itself amid geopolitical uncertainty, regulatory change and uneven growth across traditional financial centres.

Here are eight reasons driving that movement.

Wealth managers say the UAE’s appeal lies in clarity. Families can plan around known rules without fear of sudden retroactive changes, which have become a growing concern in parts of Europe.

Kalpesh Khakhria, Group Chairman of Klay Group, said the UAE has emerged as “the strongest global destination for mobile wealth,” driven in part by tax changes and political uncertainty in the UK and Europe.

Security remains a core consideration. Families relocating from Europe, Africa and parts of Asia consistently cite personal safety, political stability and rule of law as decisive factors. The UAE’s reputation as a neutral, well-governed jurisdiction has strengthened its role as a long-term home rather than a temporary refuge.

Operating from Dubai or Abu Dhabi allows families to manage interests across the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Europe within a single time zone. That access matters to entrepreneurs, fund managers, and family offices that are still actively deploying capital.

Daniel George, Head of Business for St. James’s Place in the Middle East, said that globally mobile families prioritise consistency and reach over reshaping their entire risk profile around one country.

Property is often the first investment HNWIs make after relocating. Homes are no longer treated as speculative assets but as anchors for residency, family life and future planning.

Rohit Bachani, Co-Founder of Merlin Real Estate, said most relocating families now fall in the $3 million to $15 million net-worth bracket, with growing interest from those worth $20 million to $50 million. “They’re end users,” he said. “They are buying homes where their children will actually live.”

Banking, compliance and governance have evolved rapidly. What surprises many new arrivals is how institutionalised the UAE has become across wealth management, dispute resolution and regulatory oversight.

Vazgen Gevorkyan, an advisor to wealth management offices and foundations, said regulatory clarity has become more important than incentives. “Ambiguity and retroactive change are what wealthy families cannot work around,” he said.

The fastest-moving group tends to be mid-tier wealth holders still building businesses or planning new ventures. These individuals value speed, access to capital and an ecosystem that responds quickly.

George noted that those still in growth mode are naturally more mobile, while ultra-high-net-worth families tend to relocate more gradually due to complex structures.

Crypto and digital-asset wealth have become a meaningful driver. Around 5 to 10% of serious relocation leads now have a Web3 or digital-asset background, according to property advisors. Regulatory frameworks such as Dubai’s VARA and Abu Dhabi’s ADGM have provided clarity that many other markets still lack.

These individuals are increasingly family office principals rather than speculative traders, seeking banking access, regulation, and a lifestyle in one place.

The bigger change is philosophical. Wealth planning in traditional centres often revolves around minimising constraints. In the UAE, families structure around objectives instead.

Dr Jelena Jajusevic of Heriot-Watt University Dubai described the trend as part of a broader global reshuffle of wealth into hubs offering safety, infrastructure and mobility. Planning becomes about building, preserving and deploying capital across generations, not working around friction.