Wealth management and financial advisory in the Middle East have changed more in the past decade than they did in the previous three. The model, with its small pool of high-net-worth individuals, serviced through highly personalised, relationship-led advisory, was both simple and profitable. Access was scarce by design, digital investment was limited if present at all, and scale was neither expected nor required.

Fast forward to today, and that model is now misaligned with the market. The region is wealthier, younger, more digital, and more diverse in its financial needs. Dubai alone has seen a 78 per cent increase in individuals with liquid investment wealth of over $1m in the last decade. The UAE welcomed close to 9,800 new millionaires last year, while Saudi Arabia added a further 2,400. At the same time, one of the largest segments of the population remains materially underserved. These are the professionals who earn well, are digitally fluent, but fall below the traditional thresholds for private banking.

It is in this gap that a new advisory persona has taken hold.

The rise of digital influence

In the UAE, 64 per cent of the population sits within the 25–54 age bracket. People spend close to three hours a day on social media. This is not a fringe audience but rather the economic core of the country. In parallel, a new generation of investors is emerging globally as part of the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in history, with more than $60tn expected to change hands over the next decade.

The individuals shaping early financial thinking for these audiences are no longer exclusively bank-employed advisors. They are finfluencers. Today, it’s content creators who translate investing, saving, and financial planning into relatable, lifestyle-driven narratives. And until recently, this sat outside the remit of regulated banking.

Why banks could afford to ignore finfluencers — until now

For most banks, finfluencers were previously viewed as a novelty rather than a strategic channel. The space was unregulated, advice quality was inconsistent, and the distance between a licensed advisor and a social media creator was simply too wide.

That dynamic is rapidly changing, evidenced in initiatives such as the UAE’s Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) introducing a formal licensing framework for financial content creators.

By setting a baseline of trust, the SCA is making collaboration between banks and finfluencers not just possible, but viable.

This, of course, does not signal the end of the traditional financial advisor. Complex planning, high-value portfolios, and life events requiring nuanced judgment still demand regulated expertise.

Instead, what is evolving is how trust is built and where engagement begins. Millennials and Gen X investors, for instance, often follow individual advisors across firms, demonstrating loyalty to people rather than institutions.

Licensed finfluencers operate in this same trust economy, but at scale. When aligned with regulated frameworks, they can serve as the top of the advisory funnel, educating and preparing clients long before a formal interaction occurs, effectively extending the advisory bench without compromising governance.

Why banks cannot sit this out

The economic rationale is clear. Beyond high-net-worth individuals, the region is seeing the rise of HENRYs (high earners not rich yet). Globally, by 2030, there will be around 250 million Millennial and Gen Z professionals earning over $100,000 a year. These customers will define the future of assets under management.

Banks have already started experimenting at the edges, from youth-focused accounts to prepaid cards for kids and teens. Finfluencers offer a more scalable, culturally relevant way to engage these segments early, when financial habits and service provider preferences are still being formed.

By waiving licensing fees for the first three years, the SCA framework effectively lowers the barrier to entry. Smaller ‘finfluencers’ can become licensed without prohibitive costs, allowing banks to pilot partnerships, test content formats, and measure impact without committing to large-scale programmes from day one.

Platform banking is what makes this viable

If banks have learned anything over the past decade, it is that chasing every new trend through disconnected point solutions is a reliable route to complexity and, ultimately, failure. So, this evolution will only work if they have the right operating model underneath.

Banks do not win loyalty in the AI era by bolting tools onto fragmented legacy estates. They win by treating the platform itself as the product. Platform thinking collapses silos, standardises journeys, and creates clear control points where intelligence can be applied consistently.

A modern engagement layer allows banks to own the end-to-end customer journey, from education and onboarding through to advice, servicing, and growth. Layered on top of this is an intelligence fabric, where AI augments every step: personalised content delivery, next-best-action recommendations, risk controls, and compliance monitoring. This is how incumbents regain speed without embarking on perpetual core replacement programmes.

Within such a model, finfluencers are not external anomalies. They become governed contributors within a broader ecosystem, amplifying reach while the bank retains orchestration, data integrity, and regulatory control.

A logical next step, not a leap of faith

Modernising wealth management is about more than adopting new technology. It requires a holistic approach where people, processes, and systems evolve together. By simplifying operations, integrating data and AI, and equipping advisors and support staff with the right tools, banks can create more seamless experiences for both clients and employees.

This approach not only enhances efficiency and decision-making but also positions firms to capitalise on emerging opportunities, such as the licensing of finfluencers, in a way that drives measurable impact. Ultimately, the future of wealth management will favour organisations that balance innovation with human expertise.

The writer is the regional sales director, Middle East at Backbase.

Dubai is set to reinforce its position as a global healthcare hub in 2026 as World Health Expo (WHX) in Dubai, formerly Arab Health, and World Health Expo Labs in Dubai, previously Medlab Middle East, return for what organisers say will be the largest international gathering of healthcare professionals ever staged.

Taking place simultaneously in February 2026, the twin events are expected to draw more than 270,000 professional visits from 180 countries and feature over 4,800 exhibitors, transforming Dubai into a city-wide focal point for global healthcare innovation and collaboration from February 9–13, 2026.

Read more-Dubai goes digital: WHX Tech sets stage for health innovation in AI, policy

WHX in Dubai will be hosted at its new home, the Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC) in Expo City Dubai, from February 9–12, 2026. At the same time, WHX Labs in Dubai will mark its 25th anniversary at the Dubai World Trade Centre from February 10–13, 2026.

The co-location of the two major events across different venues underscores the scale and ambition of the 2026 edition, offering attendees access to a broad spectrum of healthcare technologies, laboratory innovations, and professional education opportunities across the city.

International participation expands sharply

Interest from the global healthcare sector has reached unprecedented levels, with China, Germany, the US, the UK, and Korea committing to significantly expand their country pavilions compared to 2025. According to organisers, this surge in demand has driven a 12 per cent year-on-year increase in total floor space across both WHX in Dubai and WHX Labs in Dubai.

Several countries will also make their country pavilion debut in 2026, including Croatia, Luxembourg, and Indonesia. Meanwhile, India, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Taiwan are set to return, further strengthening the geographic diversity of the exhibitions.

A wide range of leading healthcare companies have confirmed their participation at WHX in Dubai. These include Philips, GE Healthcare, Siemens, Draegerwerk, United Imaging, and American Hospital, among others, reflecting strong engagement from global manufacturers, technology providers, and healthcare institutions.

On the laboratory side, WHX Labs in Dubai will feature prominent market leaders such as Beckman Coulter, Pure Lab, Snibe, Sysmex, and Leader Healthcare, each showcasing the latest innovations shaping diagnostics and laboratory medicine.

Dubai emerges as a global healthcare convergence point

Solenne Singer, SVP at Informa Markets, said the scale of participation highlights the growing global momentum behind both exhibitions.

“The expansion we are witnessing from countries such as China, Germany, the US, the UK, and Korea, each bringing their largest presence to date, together with the debut of pavilions from Croatia, Luxembourg, and Indonesia, reflects the extraordinary global momentum behind WHX in Dubai and WHX Labs in Dubai, and the value exhibitors place on these events,” she said.

Singer added that the diversity of participants demonstrates how the world’s healthcare community is converging in Dubai to exchange expertise, connect ideas, and build partnerships that will influence the industry for years to come. As Dubai becomes a city-wide stage for healthcare, she noted, the dialogue taking place is expected to shape future patient care and system transformation across continents.

Global healthcare market growth provides tailwinds

The expansion of WHX in Dubai and WHX Labs in Dubai aligns with broader growth trends across the global healthcare industry.

According to recent reports from Research and Markets, the global healthcare services market is projected to reach a value of $9.25trn by 2025, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of approximately 5.4 per cent.

Growth is expected to continue beyond that point, pushing the market past $11.2trn by 2029, driven by rising demand for medical services, diagnostics, healthcare infrastructure, insurance, and evolving regulatory frameworks.

At the same time, the healthcare analytics market is gaining increasing importance across laboratories, diagnostics, and hospital operations. Research from MarketsandMarkets estimates the market will grow from approximately $44.8bn in 2024 to more than $133.1bn by 2029, with annual growth rates exceeding 20 per cent as organisations seek more advanced data-driven insights.

Education, innovation, and thought leadership at the forefront

Held under the patronage of the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, WHX in Dubai will feature nine product sectors spanning medical devices, imaging, diagnostics, and healthcare infrastructure. The event will also host six CME-accredited conferences, four certified boot camps, and three dedicated stages focused on disruptive ideas, scientific breakthroughs, and global thought leadership.

WHX Labs in Dubai will spotlight laboratory innovation under the theme “25 Years of Laboratory Innovation: Uniting Communities for Better Health.” The event will include eight product pillars, two new clinician conferences, and the 25th Annual Laboratory Management and Medicine Congress, featuring more than 250 international speakers across eight CME-accredited scientific conference tracks.

For more information or to register for the event, please visit here.

German engineering group Siemens has opened its first Digital Industries Software office in Saudi Arabia, strengthening its local presence as the Kingdom pushes ahead with Vision 2030.

The new office will allow Siemens Digital Industries Software to contract locally, accelerate customer support and work more closely with Saudi partners across sectors including automotive and mobility, energy, industrial manufacturing and smart infrastructure.

The move marks a shift from serving Saudi clients remotely to operating directly within the Kingdom, aligning with local regulatory and commercial frameworks and supporting Riyadh’s ambition to build a globally competitive digital economy.

Siemens said customers will gain access to its full Siemens Xcelerator industrial software portfolio, including design and engineering tools, product lifecycle management, manufacturing operations software and low-code application platforms. These technologies are increasingly used to deploy digital twins, simulation and artificial intelligence across industrial projects.

“Saudi Arabia’s digital economy is scaling rapidly under Vision 2030, and establishing a local Siemens Software presence allows us to serve customers faster, meet local requirements and co-innovate with partners in the Kingdom,” said Cobus Oosthuizen, vice president and managing director for the Middle East and Africa at Siemens Digital Industries Software.

The company said the local presence will support collaboration with major Saudi industrial players, including CEER, Aramco, SABIC and SAMI, while also enabling closer engagement with local talent.

Siemens Digital Industries Software will operate under Siemens Saudi Arabia, which is headquartered in Jeddah, and will support customers across Riyadh, Jeddah and Khobar. The company said it plans to scale its local team over time, working with universities and ecosystem partners to support skills development and Saudisation initiatives.

Further announcements on local leadership and organisational structure are expected in the coming months, Siemens added.

Wynn Al Marjan Island is moving decisively from vision to reality, as the integrated resort development advances key infrastructure and pre-opening initiatives ahead of its planned Spring 2027 debut.

With construction progress accelerating across the site, the project has reached a series of critical milestones, including the development of a major transport link designed to connect the resort directly to the UAE’s wider road network and the launch of a large-scale residential community to support its future workforce.

Read more-Wynn Al Marjan Island construction update: Resort reaches record heights with topping out

At the center of this momentum is Wynn Bridge, a newly constructed piece of infrastructure that underscores Wynn Resorts’ long-term commitment to connectivity, operational readiness, and regional integration. Together with ongoing vertical construction and the introduction of RAK, Wynn Al Marjan Island, Wynn Bridge, Oasis: A Wynn Community, UAE, , the project highlights the scale and complexity of one of the most closely watched hospitality developments in the Middle East.

Wynn Bridge strengthens connectivity to Dubai and the Northern Emirates

On February 2, Wynn Al Marjan Island reported strong progress across the resort’s construction program, led by the advancement of Wynn Bridge. The bridge will provide a direct and seamless connection between the resort, surrounding planned beach districts, and the UAE’s main arterial highways ahead of the resort’s opening.

Measuring 548 metres in length, Wynn Bridge will link Wynn Al Marjan Island via Wynn Boulevard to the E311 and E611 highways, creating a direct transport corridor between Dubai and the Northern Emirates. The bridge is progressing on schedule for completion in late 2026, according to a Wynn Resorts newsroom report.

Piling works have been completed, and nine of the ten bridge column pile caps are now in place.

Overall bridge construction stands at 48 per cent completion to date, marking a significant step forward in enabling access for future guests, colleagues, and service partners.

Vertical construction progresses across the integrated resort

Alongside infrastructure works, construction across Wynn Al Marjan Island continues to advance at pace. The resort’s signature tower, which topped out in December 2025, has now reached a height of 299 metres. Structural concrete works are fully complete through to the 71st floor roof, representing 100 per cent completion of the tower’s concrete structure.

Installation of the structural steel roof crown has commenced, while façade installation continues steadily. To date, 21,852 of the total 26,471 façade panels have been installed, representing 83 per cent completion. Elevator and escalator installations are progressing across the property, and interior fit-out works are underway throughout the tower and podium areas.

Structural works have also been completed for all 1,530 guest accommodations across the resort, including rooms, suites, townhouses, and Marina Estates. This milestone represents 100 per cent structural completion of the total accommodation inventory. Interior fit-out is progressing in sequence, with mechanical, electrical, and finishing works underway across all units.

Low-rise structures near completion as systems come online

Construction progress extends beyond the tower and guest accommodations to the resort’s low-rise structures, where combined concrete and structural steel works are now 99 per cent complete. In total, these works represent 482,127 cubic metres of concrete and 15,162 tonnes of structural steel.

During the past month, air-conditioning systems serving the podium low-zone offices were commissioned, enabling fine-finish installation works to proceed on schedule. The commissioning of these systems marks a key operational milestone, allowing interior teams to accelerate the final stages of construction across multiple zones of the property.

Together, the progress across infrastructure, vertical construction, and building systems reflects a coordinated effort to align timelines across the resort as Wynn Al Marjan Island approaches its final development phase.

Pre-opening momentum builds with Oasis: A Wynn Community

In parallel with construction activity, Wynn Al Marjan Island continues to advance critical pre-opening initiatives, most notably with the announcement of Oasis: A Wynn Community. Revealed as a purpose-built residential development adjacent to Marjan Island and Wynn Boulevard, Wynn Oasis has been positioned as a new benchmark in colleague living within the global hospitality sector.

Developed by Wynn Design and Development, the community reflects Wynn Resorts’ employee-first philosophy and design standards. Scheduled to open in Summer 2026, Wynn Oasis will accommodate approximately 80 per cent of Wynn Al Marjan Island’s workforce, welcoming more than 7,000 colleagues across 15 vertical residential communities.

Spanning 105,267 square metres, or 26 acres, the community is located just a 15-minute drive from Wynn Al Marjan Island and will feature a range of amenities rarely found in employer-provided housing.

Hospitality-grade living designed for comfort and wellbeing

Colleague accommodation at Wynn Oasis will be delivered to guest hospitality standards, reflecting Wynn Resorts’ curated approach to comfort, elegance, and artistry. Rooms will include smart TVs, dedicated workspaces, high-speed Wi-Fi, hotel-quality linens, terry towels, and a choice of pillows. Weekly laundry service for colleague bedding will also be provided.

All colleagues will have access to private bathrooms and fully fitted kitchens, pantries, and laundry facilities. Apartments will be equipped with cookware, dish ware, essential kitchen amenities, personal safes, and curated welcome amenities on arrival.

A dedicated hotel-grade guest building, The Beach House, will offer accommodation for visiting families, supported by a concierge service aligned with five-star operations.

A community designed around balance and connection

Life at Wynn Oasis has been designed around ease, balance, and accessibility. Inclusive transportation services will connect the community to Wynn Al Marjan Island in under 15 minutes, with weekend services linking residents to malls, beaches, and nearby city destinations.

At the heart of the community will be The Pearl, a multi-amenity hub integrating fitness, entertainment, social, and wellness facilities under one roof. Amenities will include a Technogym-equipped fitness center and studios, two swimming pools, and a multi-purpose indoor sports arena designed for padel, tennis, and football.

Additional facilities will include a cinema, karaoke studio, and a dedicated e-sports gaming lounge. On-site essential services will cover grocery retail, grooming, banking, medical care, pharmacy services, and tailoring.

Dining and shared spaces anchor daily life

Dining will play a central role in daily life at Wynn Oasis, with six food and beverage outlets operated in-house by Wynn’s culinary team. Two sit-down venues anchor the offering: The Reef, a relaxed buffet-style restaurant, and Victory Sports Bar & Lounge, a 197-seat venue showcasing live sports around the clock.

Four grab-and-go concepts will complement the dining mix, including Stacked, a gourmet burger concept; Slice, focused on artisanal pizza; Zen, offering Asian-inspired rice bowls; and an artisan coffee house.

The community will also feature La Rêve Plaza, a purpose-built outdoor venue for celebrations, performances, cultural gatherings, and open-air cinema, alongside Al Safa Garden, a quiet, nature-rich retreat designed for reflection.

Landscaping, learning, and long-term investment in people

Wynn Oasis has been intentionally designed to feel like a residential village rather than traditional employee housing. Landscaped with more than 65,000 plants and over 500 trees, the development will feature shaded walkways, gardens, a central event lawn, and a professionally designed one-kilometer running track.

A defining feature of the community will be Wynn University, a fully operational on-site learning campus integrated into the residential environment. The facility will include culinary training kitchens, F&B laboratories, digital learning spaces, and specialized training labs aimed at supporting long-term career development.

Max Tappeiner, president of Wynn Al Marjan Island, said the development reflects the company’s belief that colleague wellbeing is fundamental to exceptional guest experiences.

“We believe that exceptional guest experiences begin with how we care for our people,” Tappeiner said. “Wynn Oasis reflects that belief in a very tangible way. Designed with the same rigor and attention to detail as our guest environments, it prioritizes wellbeing, connection, and personal development.”

US President Donald Trump has threatened legal action against comedian and television host Trevor Noah following a joke made during the 2026 Grammy Awards that referenced convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform, Trump accused Noah of making a “false and defamatory” statement after the host joked about Trump, Bill Clinton and Epstein while presenting the Song of the Year award to Billie Eilish at the Los Angeles ceremony.

During the broadcast, Noah said: “Song of the Year — that is a Grammy that every artist wants almost as much as Trump wants Greenland, which makes sense because Epstein’s island is gone, he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton.”

Trump reacted shortly after the ceremony, calling the Grammy Awards “the worst” and “virtually unwatchable,” and directing most of his criticism at Noah, whom he compared unfavourably to late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. Trump said the remark linking him to Epstein was “incorrect” and claimed he had “never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close.”

“I can’t speak for Bill, but I have never been to Epstein Island,” Trump wrote, adding that he had never previously been accused of visiting the private Caribbean property, including by what he described as the “Fake News Media.”

The president said Noah “better get his facts straight” and warned that he was prepared to involve lawyers and pursue legal action against the comedian and broadcaster CBS, which aired the awards ceremony. Trump suggested potential damages, stating he would be “suing him for plenty $,” and referenced past legal disputes involving media figures.

The incident adds to a long history of Trump publicly clashing with entertainers, broadcasters and awards shows, particularly over perceived political bias and personal criticism. The Grammys, which have increasingly included political commentary in recent years, have frequently drawn criticism from conservative figures.

Trevor Noah, the Grammy organisers or CBS have not publicly responded to Trump’s comments at the time of publication.

Read: Trump sues JPMorgan for $5bn over alleged debanking