(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

The wealth of the UAE billionaires grew by $30 billion (Dh110 billion) or 21.6 per cent in 2025 to over Dh600 billion on the back of strong macroeconomic growth, said a new report.

According to the Billionaire Ambitions Report released by Swiss bank UBS, the UAE billionaires' wealth jumped from $138.7 billion (Dh509 billion) in 2024 to $168.7 billion (Dh619 billion) in 2025.

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The UAE saw an addition of two billionaires in 2025 and one billionaire moving out, taking the total number of billionaires in the country to 19.

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In the Middle East and Africa, the UAE billionaires are the richest in the entire region compared to their peers in Israel ($108.1 billion), Saudi Arabia ($81 billion), Nigeria ($37.3 billion), South Africa ($36 billion), Egypt ($17.2 billion) and Lebanon ($6.2 billion).

Recently, British billionaire Lakshmi Mittal moved to the UAE due to high taxes in the European country, as well as more business-friendly policies by the Emirates.

The 2025 Private Wealth Migration Report, released by Henley & Partners, revealed that the UAE is set to attract roughly 9,800 millionaires and about $63 billion in associated capital.

Saudi Arabian billionaires' wealth more than doubled to $81 billion.

Transfer of wealth

In the Middle East and Africa, UBS calculated that heirs may inherit at least $152.7 billion (Dh560.4 billion). The wealth transfer is likely to be concentrated in Israel, the UAE, South Africa and Saudi Arabia.

In the UAE, an estimated $31.9 billion (Dh117 billion) worth of assets will be transferred over the next 15 years, second second-highest wealth transfer after Israel ($48.4 billion).

Niels Zilkens, head of wealth management Middle East at UBS GWM, said the robust increase in UAE billionaires' wealth reflects both dynamic entrepreneurship and the intensifying transfer of wealth to the next generation.

“Looking ahead, heirs in the region are set to inherit around $153 billion over the next 15 years, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia at the forefront of this transition. These trends underscore the region's rising influence in global wealth and the importance of forward-looking strategies to preserve and grow family legacies across generations,” said Zilkens.

Benjamin Cavalli, head of strategic clients and global connectivity at UBS Global Wealth Management and co-head EMEA OneUBS, said as families become more international and the great wealth transfer accelerates, the focus is shifting from simply preserving wealth to empowering the next generation to succeed independently and responsibly.

“This is influencing not only succession planning but also philanthropic priorities and long-term investment decisions,” he said.

“The billionaire community is more diverse, mobile, and forward-thinking than ever before. The combination of entrepreneurial drive and the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in history is creating new opportunities and challenges for families and wealth managers alike,” Cavalli added.

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