Skip to main content

icnlive

WATCH LIVE. THINK BUSINESS.

© 2026 ICN.LIVE

ICN.live

PUBLISHED BY ICN PRESS

  • UAE investors hit 98 percent AI use, the joint global top alongside India.
  • Around 83 percent use AI for finance work, above the 73 percent global rate.
  • Roughly 56 percent want a blend of AI tools and human advisers.
  • HSBC links the trend to national AI goals and its Wealth Intelligence platform.

HSBC issued an AI adoption in investing report showing how UAE investors now use these tools. Your money decisions sit at the center of this fast-moving shift across the country. Researchers surveyed 9,993 wealthy people across ten markets, including 703 investors based in the UAE. The numbers place UAE AI adoption right at the top, level with India worldwide. About 98 percent of these investors use AI somewhere in their daily lives right now. Britain sits near 76 percent, while the United States lands close to 75 percent.

What the report shows about the UAE’s habits

Most of these investors lean on AI for research, analysis, and quick idea generation. Around 83 percent apply these tools to finance work, above the global mark of 73 percent. Roughly 78 percent use AI investment tools for research, while 61 percent back a wider strategy. Confidence rises too, since 31 percent feel readier when they talk with their advisers. Another 27 percent compare options faster, and a similar share feels calmer under pressure. The HSBC issued an AI adoption in investing report that tracks these shifts in plain numbers.

Risk appetite also shifts as people gain more trust in these new digital helpers. Some 63 percent say AI helps them weigh calculated risks with much clearer eyes. India leads here at 64 percent, while the global average sits near 49 percent. Western markets trail behind, with the United States at 44 percent and Britain at 39. These investors also tie about 36 percent of recent returns to AI-guided choices. The global figure here sits a little lower, near 33 percent across all markets.

People still want a human voice before the money moves

Trust in human advisers stays strong, even as these smart tools grow more popular. About 56 percent want a hybrid wealth management model blending software and expert people. Nearly 39 percent explore with AI first, then check ideas with a trusted adviser. Barry O’Byrne, CEO of International Wealth and Premier Banking at HSBC, framed the pattern clearly. “Clients are not picking sides,” he said, since they blend speed from AI with human judgment. Craig Worobec, Head of Wealth and Premier Solutions for the Middle East, agreed strongly. He called UAE residents some of the most AI-literate people on the planet today. From my standpoint, this blend gives you speed without losing the calm of human advice.

The HSBC Human-AI Advantage study also tracked daily life well beyond pure portfolio numbers. Around 74 percent feel their quality of life has improved, against a global rate of 63 percent. Many also credit these tools with opening new doors in their careers and skills. Growing use of generative AI in finance ties closely to wider national goals here. The UAE National Strategy for AI 2031 treats the field as a core economic driver. A new Artificial Intelligence and Data Authority now guides data and digital government work. HSBC pairs the trend with tools like Wealth Intelligence, drawing on 10,000 data sources.

The HSBC issued an AI adoption in investing report, pointing to a clear hybrid future. You gain real speed from these systems, yet a trusted adviser still guides big moves. This HSBC report on AI adoption in investing gives you a clear picture of the UAE.

TAGS

EXPLORE MORE ON:

Pre-approved home financing in Dubai

Pre-approved home financing in Dubai picked up a new route this month for anyone eyeing an Ellington Properties home. The boutique developer has partnered with Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank to offer financing that follows a buyer from reservation through handover, whether the unit is still under construction or ready to move into today.

Instead of applying for a mortgage after signing a sales agreement, an eligible buyer secures approval first. That approval travels with them through the milestone payments, construction updates and eventual handover that come with buying property in Dubai. Simple, in theory.

This is not an isolated move. ADCB struck a similar arrangement with Emaar Development in July, bundling mortgage approval directly into that developer’s off-plan sales process. Pairing with Ellington extends the same model to a second major Dubai developer, and signals a bank betting that pre-approved home financing in Dubai will keep pulling buyers toward developments where the paperwork is already half done.

Business Intelligence & News

  • UAE passport ranks first globally in 2026, recording a Mobility Score of 182 and worldwide access of 91.9 percent, per Passport Reports’ September ranking.
  • The score covers 128 visa-free destinations, 44 visa-on-arrival or simplified-entry destinations, and 10 reachable through an eTA.
  • Europe, the Gulf, and the Middle East each show 100 percent overall access for UAE passport holders.
  • Only 16 destinations remain visa-required, and the UAE itself ranks 91st out of 199 for inbound travel.

How pre-approved home financing in Dubai works

Under the arrangement, ADCB and Ellington Properties Dubai buyers share a single digital application built for both off-plan and completed units. A dedicated relationship manager stays attached to the file from start to finish. Buyers are not shuffled between departments every time a payment milestone lands.

Off-plan purchases follow a specific structure. Eligible buyers can secure pre-approved financing covering up to 50% of a property’s value. That approval holds for 12 months and renews annually until the keys change hands. Dubai mortgage pre-approval usually means reapplying as construction milestones pass. This structure compresses that into one approval that carries a buyer through, year after year, until the building is complete. Construction timelines can stretch, and a tower meant to top out in 18 months sometimes takes 24. Annual renewal means a buyer’s financing plan does not lapse simply because a project runs long.

What the rates mean for buyers

Rate uncertainty is the usual complaint with early financing offers, since many are pegged to benchmarks that shift with the market. ADCB home loan rates on this program start at 3.49% per annum, fixed for three years. The bank is also waiving processing and valuation fees for a limited time, trimming the upfront cost of getting approved before construction even begins.

Three years of fixed pricing is a meaningful stretch in Dubai real estate financing. Buyers juggling handover payments alongside rent, or an existing mortgage, gain one less variable to plan around. A rate locked at signing does not move if the market tightens later.

A wider shift in Dubai property lending

Developers and banks across Dubai have leaned into bundled financing through 2026, pairing sales offices with in-house mortgage desks rather than leaving buyers to shop separately. The logic is consistent across these tie-ups. Get buyers pre-approved early, then keep them financed through a construction cycle that can run several years.

Ellington Properties, founded in Dubai in 2014, has built its reputation on design-led residential projects across Jumeirah Village Circle, Downtown Dubai and Palm Jumeirah. Linking that portfolio to ADCB’s mortgage arm gives the bank a direct channel into an active off-plan pipeline. It gives Ellington a financing partner its buyers can lean on instead of shopping the open market for a separate lender.

Pre-approved home financing in Dubai used to feel like a separate errand from choosing a unit. Off-plan property financing in Dubai buyers once treated as a background task, now sits inside the same conversation as picking a floor plan. For anyone weighing a reservation on an Ellington unit, the practical move is to ask about pre-approval before signing anything. A rate locked today, at 3.49% for three years, could look considerably better than whatever the market offers by the time a project reaches handover.

Share this post

on your favourite social platforms

or copy the link