UAE AMONG THE TOP THREE MARKETS FOR QUALITY OF LIFE SATISFACTION, WITH 83% SATISFIED

(MENAFN- HSBC) 22 October 2026 – UAE investors are planning for several futures at once, balancing ambitions for today with plans for their longer-term financial future, according to new HSBC research conducted by Ipsos. One in five (21%) are launching, acquiring or investing in a new business venture, compared with 17% globally.

The findings, published as HSBC hosts its first UAE Wealth Investment Summit in Dubai today, come from a survey of 9,993 affluent and high-net-worth investors across ten markets, including 703 in the UAE. Despite managing multiple priorities, high-net-worth and affluent investors in the UAE are more confident about their financial future than their peers globally, with nearly nine in ten (87%) confident of meeting their short-term financial goals and 81% confident of meeting their long-term goals.

That confidence is matched by how UAE investors feel about their lives today. More than eight in ten (83%) are satisfied with their quality of life, compared with 75% globally, placing the UAE among the top three of
the ten markets surveyed alongside Mexico and India. One in four (26%) rate their quality of life a perfect ten out of ten – the joint-highest share of any market and well above the global average of 15%.

When asked about financial planning, UAE investors say they are paying for nearly three major stages of life at the same time (2.7 on average, compared with 2.5 globally), such as a career change or new venture, their children’s futures, a home move and their own retirement.

“The UAE has built an environment where people and their wealth can thrive, and this research shows it. Investors here are confident, ambitious and internationally connected, and they are planning for the long term,” said Sami Abouzahr, HSBC’s Head of International Wealth and Premier Banking, Middle East & UAE: “For 80 years, HSBC has helped customers in the UAE build and protect their wealth and connect it to opportunities around the world. Hosting our first UAE Wealth Investment Summit is a clear statement of our confidence in the UAE’s future as a global wealth centre.”

With a highly international population and wealth that spans several countries, the UAE has become a base from which investors manage and grow their wealth around the world.

“Our customers in the UAE live, work and invest across borders, and they want a bank that can bring all of that together in one place,” said Craig Worobec, HSBC’s Head of Wealth and Premier Solutions, Middle East & UAE. “More and more, they are choosing to manage that international wealth from here in the UAE, supported by a wealth sector that continues to deepen. Our role is to give them access to global investment opportunities, with planning that adapts as their goals change.”

Planning wealth for longer lives and future generations
According to the research, eight in ten (81%) affluent individuals in the UAE are expecting to leave work gradually or flexibly, rather than stop altogether. One in three (35%) plan to move into a “portfolio” or “encore” career, such as advisory roles, board seats or passion projects – the highest share of the ten markets surveyed (above the global average: 28%). Less than two in ten (19%) plan a traditional “full-stop” retirement at a set age.

The research also highlights the scale of wealth set to pass between generations in the UAE. Half (50%) of UAE investors expect to receive a significant financial inheritance, compared with 43% globally, while 58% expect to leave a significant financial legacy to their heirs or other causes. Among those who expect to inherit and could estimate its value, the median expected inheritance is around AED2 million (US$545,000) – roughly double the global median – with recipients typically expecting to receive it at around the age of 52.
UAE investors increasingly see legacy as a way to build their family’s future, not simply transfer wealth. One in three (32%) of those planning to leave a legacy want it to give their heirs the capital to start or grow a business – the highest share of the ten markets surveyed (global: 24%). Almost all parents (98%) are already supporting the next generation during their lifetime, most often by opening up their professional networks (39%), acting as a strategic adviser (33%) or providing direct funding (29%).

Legacy planning is already under way: 82% say they have a clear strategy for how their wealth will support their family across multiple generations (global: 75%), and one in four (26%) say guidance on intergenerational wealth planning would help them plan with confidence (global: 22%).

“A significant transfer of wealth between generations is under way in the UAE, and families want to get it right,” said Craig Worobec. “That means planning early, having open conversations about what wealth is for, and preparing the next generation with the skills and networks to use it well. Proper advice will help families plan, invest, protect and pass on wealth across generations and jurisdictions, so they can do that with confidence.”
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