UAE Families Among the World’s Top Adopters of AI and Digital Assets
Dubai, UAE – A new study by Standard Chartered Global Private Bank reveals that families in the United Arab Emirates are among the world’s most progressive when it comes to adopting artificial intelligence (AI) tools and digital assets such as cryptocurrencies, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and tokenised traditional assets.
Key findings
- 71% of UAE families surveyed believe they should strategically invest in digital assets — above the global average of 69%.
- 75% of UAE respondents say they trust AI tools to support wealth-management decisions, while retaining human advisers for major judgments.
- Family offices in the UAE appear to combine innovation with governance: 96% of UAE respondents say they regularly review their family-office governance frameworks, versus 94% globally.
- More than 67% of UAE family offices report active involvement of successors (i.e., the younger generation) in investment and wealth-management decisions, signalling a generational shift in strategy.
- On philanthropy: 88% of UAE respondents say they prefer contributing to national or international causes, compared with 80% globally, indicating that tech- and asset-driven wealth isn’t replacing purpose-driven strategies.
What this means for business and technology
- Digital assets are part of the mainstream strategy: Rather than treating crypto, NFTs or tokenised assets as fringe or speculative, many UAE families view them as integral to their wealth strategy. This signals growing maturity in the digital-asset ecosystem and may accelerate institutional level adoption.
- AI tools become trusted advisors: With three-quarters of families indicating trust in AI for wealth decisions, firms offering AI-driven wealth-tech, analytics platforms or advisory automation have a strong market opportunity in the UAE. However, human oversight remains important, suggesting a hybrid model rather than full automation.
- Governance and structure matter: The strong governance metrics show that families are not just chasing innovation, but also building frameworks to manage complexity and risk. For tech and asset firms engaging this segment, delivering solutions that combine innovation with trust, transparency and regulatory compliance will be key.
- Generational transition is happening: The high involvement of younger successors means firms should consider multi-generational engagement models, platforms tailored for emerging leadership and wealth-transfer strategies that incorporate digital-asset, AI and impact-investment components.
- Tech-wealth convergence: The findings reinforce that the UAE is evolving into a hub where wealth, technology and innovation converge. Digital-asset platforms, wealth-tech, advisory AI, tokenisation, family-office services and regulatory infrastructure are all parts of this ecosystem.
Strategic implications for firms in the UAE
- Wealth-service providers should integrate digital-assets and AI offerings into their service suites, emphasising both innovation and governance/oversight frameworks.
- Fintech and digital-asset firms can target family-offices and high-net-worth segments by showing how assets can be managed with strong governance, legacy-planning and intergenerational continuity.
- Technology vendors providing AI-driven analytics, wealth-management automation, tokenisation infrastructure or digital-asset custody should emphasise trust, local regulatory alignment & cross-generational user design.
- Policy/regulators need to continue enabling a safe yet innovative environment: the willingness of families to adopt tech & digital assets creates market impetus, but risks remain (cybersecurity, compliance, asset custody, regulatory arbitrage).
Looking ahead
The UAE’s family-wealth ecosystem is clearly signalling: technology and digital assets are no longer optional, they are becoming mainstream components of wealth strategy. For businesses and investors in the UAE, this means a vibrant opportunity—but also a call to match innovation with discipline, governance and future-readiness. As younger generations take on more active roles, service models, platforms and wealth-management paradigms must evolve accordingly. The UAE’s position as a global wealth-and-tech hub continues to strengthen.
