A recent HSBC survey reveals that 25% of UAE adults planning to live or retire abroad lack confidence in their financial plans, with nearly 10% having no plan at all.
This highlights the need for more comprehensive wealth management, a gap HSBC aims to fill with its enhanced HSBC Premier service, featuring the innovative Future Planner tool.
The YouGov survey for HSBC shows that 25% of UAE residents who plan to live outside the Emirates feel financially unprepared, with 28% identifying the complexity of managing finances across countries as the main challenge for overseas retirement planning.
Additionally, 18% cite insufficient income, while 16% haven’t yet begun serious planning. Only 34% are fully confident in their financial future post-UAE.
In response, HSBC has launched a new Premier offering for globally connected, affluent UAE customers. At its core is the Future Planner, an interactive digital tool within the HSBC mobile app that helps simulate financial scenarios, predict net worth, and align long-term goals like retirement, education, or homeownership with daily financial decisions. Linked to customer accounts, it provides real-time insights and personalized advice, a UAE first.
“As one of the world’s most international markets, UAE customers often manage finances across countries and currencies,” said Dinesh Sharma, head of International Wealth and Premier Banking for the Middle East, North Africa, and Türkiye. “Our enhanced Premier account, combining digital planning with expert advice and global reach, empowers customers to make confident financial decisions at home or abroad.”
The updated Premier service rests on four pillars: wealth, health, travel, and international, reflecting the complex lifestyles of globally mobile professionals and families. Under the wealth pillar, HSBC’s World Trader platform saw a 535% increase in trading value in early 2025, with assets under management rising 75% to $883 million.
The Future Planner complements this by offering goal-oriented planning, integrating investment, protection, and advisory services into a single ecosystem. Beyond wealth management, HSBC is expanding the Premier experience to include health and travel benefits, offering access to exclusive wellness partnerships, concierge services, and airport lounges, along with insurance and lifestyle privileges.
Its international features, such as global account opening, instant cross-border transfers, and integrated foreign exchange management, cater to the UAE’s large expatriate community with financial obligations across multiple regions.
The survey also indicates that health and wellbeing are rising priorities, with 34% of residents prioritizing these over the past year, aligning with HSBC’s holistic approach to financial and personal wellbeing. To further support affluent clients in the UAE, HSBC has opened its first Middle East Wealth Centre in Dubai’s Jumeirah district, offering advisory and planning for high-net-worth and globally mobile clients.
HSBC has also partnered with Dubai Opera for the 2025–2026 season, creating unique cultural experiences for Premier customers. “With the UAE’s economic dynamism and residency reforms, more people are staying longer, putting down roots, and focusing on long-term wealth and retirement,” Sharma added. “Our aim is to be the top international bank for affluent customers, connecting them to opportunities beyond banking.”
