The UAE is eyeing to become the world’s major destination for high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) in 2025, with the potential inflow of 9,800 millionaires, Gulf News reported, quoting the latest Henley & Partners Private Wealth Migration Report.
The number places the Middle East nation ahead of its global rivals and makes it a premier destination for high-net-worth individuals.
According to reports, the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) has emerged as a hotspot for ultra-wealthy families.
It now hosts 120 family offices managing USD 1.2 trillion in assets, reported Gulf News.
In just one year, DIFC saw a 33 percent rise in family offices, a 51 percent spike in foundations, and a 50 percent jump in hedge funds, the newspaper reported.
Sunita Singh-Dalal, Partner at Hourani, told Gulf News, “The UAE’s ability to offer secular legal structures for marriage, divorce, and inheritance has been a game-changer.”
Dalal said the country remains an attractive destination for global families seeking stability and long-term asset protection.
Economist Dr. Bhaskar Dasgupta, Chairman of the Apex Boards for Middle East and India, credits the UAE’s growth to its “strategic location, deep capital pools, English common law system, and world-class infrastructure”.
Ras Al Khaimah is now the rising star
Despite Dubai and Abu Dhabi continuing to attract investors’ attention, Ras Al Khaimah is emerging as a major hotbed in the country.
Thanks to the Wynn Resort project, expected to open in 2027 with the region’s first regulated gaming destination, investor sentiment is soaring, reported Gulf News.
According to Knight Frank, 46 percent of global HNWIs now see RAK as a more attractive real estate destination. Among UAE-based wealthy expats, that number jumped to 80 percent, the newspaper reported.
