Trust Compounds: Sarwa Group CEO Mark Chahwan On His UAE-Based Wealthtech Platform Crossing US$1 Billion In Assets Under Management

In May, the UAE-based wealthtech platform Sarwa announced that it crossed US$1 billion in assets under management (AUM). Reached amid a period of regional uncertainty, the milestone is more than just an achievement for the company; it’s also a clear signal that a genuine culture of investing has taken root in the UAE. “Sarwa crossing the $1 billion mark does reflect how much retail investing has evolved,” Mark Chahwan, co-founder and Group CEO of Sarwa, tells Inc. Arabia. “More people are participating in markets, investing earlier, and becoming far more engaged with how they manage their money.”

Founded in 2017 by Chahwan, Jad Sayegh, Nadine Mezher, Sarwa launched out of the Dubai International Financial Centre’s (DIFC) FinTech Hive, with it becoming the first company to graduate from the Dubai Financial Services Authority’s regulatory sandbox. “At its core, Sarwa’s mission is simple: to help people create wealth,” Chahwan says. “Our focus has always been on making investing more accessible, easier to understand, and simpler to use for everyday investors.”

Initially designed as a hands-off robo-advisory platform, Sarwa—which is headquartered in Abu Dhabi and regulated by the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) Financial Services Regulatory Authority—has evolved as its user base grew, expanding into a broader wealth management platform. “Historically, investing in the region was often seen as expensive, complicated, and only relevant to high-net-worth individuals,” Chahwan says. “Many people simply didn’t see themselves as investors— that’s changing now, but confidence still takes time. From our experience, one of the biggest barriers is still getting people comfortable taking that first step. Once investing feels more accessible and easier to understand, participation tends to grow quickly.”

Since its inception, Sarwa has gone on to launch platforms like Sarwa Trade, which enables users to buy and sell US stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), Sarwa Crypto, which provides users access to the cryptocurrency market, and Sarwa Save, a high-yield cash account that offers users easy access to funds. Reflecting on the company’s trajectory, Chahwan recalls the first major turning point for the company as having been a shift in investor mindset after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. “More people wanted to actively participate in markets, learn how investing works, and make their own decisions,” he recalls. “That shift in behavior pushed us to expand beyond managed investing into self-directed trading, options, crypto, and a broader range of investment products. We’ve also [since] been seeing an increasing level of sophistication from retail investors. Clients today are far more engaged with markets and much more selective in how they take risks. Instead of reacting broadly to headlines or market sentiment, they’re making more deliberate decisions around positioning, diversification, and long-term participation.”

Sarwa co-founders Jad Sayegh, Nadine Mezher, and Mark Chahwan.

But such a shift in mindset did not happen in a silo, though—as a first mover in the industry, Sarwa played a key role in raising awareness around investing. “From early on, we focused heavily on education and community- building alongside the product itself,” Chahwan says. “We were hosting events and creating educational content at a time when there still wasn’t much of a retail investing culture in the region. Over time, that started to compound. Our clients became some of our biggest ambassadors, sharing their experiences, bringing friends into investing, and creating their own content around the space.” Here, Chahwan points to Wali Khan, a content creator and the co-founder of the online financial education platform The Money Mindset Academy, as one example. “[Wali] started investing with Sarwa and went on to build a following of more than 100,000 people by documenting and sharing his investing journey publicly,” Chahwan shares. “A lot of the investing conversation happening today now exists beyond Sarwa itself, which is probably the strongest sign that a real investing community has formed around the category.”

Now, while Sarwa was busy building a community around investing, competitors—including global incumbents— were using the company’s trajectory as proof for the potential presented by the wealthtech space. “I think our success showed that there was real demand for investment products, and that retail investing in MENA was much bigger than many people initially expected,” Chahwan notes. “When we launched, there was still skepticism around whether people in the region would actively invest at scale. As the market became more competitive, our focus stayed the same. We continued listening closely to our clients and evolving the platform alongside how investor behavior was changing. A big advantage for Sarwa has been speed. We’ve been able to move quickly as demand evolves, which is reflected in how the platform has expanded over time.”

As it so happens, the wave of new entrants in this space began almost as soon as Sarwa had validated the model, with UAE-based platform Wealthface, Singapore-headquartered StashAway, US-based Shariah-compliant fintech Wahed Invest, and social trading platform eToro, among others, entering the market in the ensuing years. But even as the competition intensified, the runway—as well as the opportunity—remains substantial for wealthtech platforms in the country. Today, only six percent of UAE residents are currently invested in stocks, bonds, and funds—a figure that highlights just how much room for growth remains. “Retail investing in the UAE is still at a very early stage compared to more mature markets, which means the long-term opportunity ahead is significant,” Chahwan says. “The broader GCC fintech sector is projected to grow at around a 15 percent compound annual growth rate through 2034, which reflects how quickly the ecosystem itself is evolving. A lot of the structural barriers that existed a few years ago have improved significantly, and accessing global markets is far easier than it used to be for retail investors, supported by strong financial infrastructure and regulatory ecosystems that have enabled growth.”

Sarwa's journey to US$1 billion in client assets.

Perhaps the most significant stress test of investor appetite has been the ongoing geopolitical turmoil affecting the GCC, and for Sarwa’s breakthrough to occur amid these circumstances is a testament to just how deep-rooted that mindset change has been. “Reaching this milestone during a period of geopolitical and economic uncertainty reflects how much the region’s retail investor base has matured over the past few years,” Chahwan says. “What’s been interesting during this time period is that volatility hasn’t slowed retail participation in the way that many people expected. A few years ago, this kind of environment would likely have pushed many retail investors to the sidelines. What we’re seeing now is very different. Many clients stayed engaged with markets, whether it was by doubling down or by rotating across asset classes depending on the environment. Moving from crypto into gold, then oil, and eventually back into equities as markets stabilized. That kind of behavior reflects a much more sophisticated retail investor base that is increasingly comfortable navigating volatility.”

Now, having cultivated that community in the UAE for close to a decade now, Chahwan is clear about what it takes to gain the trust of first-time investors. “Trust is built much more slowly than most founders expect, especially in financial services,” he says. “People are trusting you with their savings, so product quality alone is not enough. Every interaction matters, from onboarding and customer support to how you communicate during periods of volatility. One lesson I’ve learned is that if you want to build trust with customers, it starts internally. The level of ownership and trust within a team eventually shows up in the product and client experience. In our case, being remote-first and giving people a high level of ownership has been a big part of building that culture over time. The other lesson is patience. If you look at Sarwa’s growth curve, the first few years barely move in hindsight. Most of the work happens before the acceleration becomes visible. In this space, trust compounds slowly, but once it does, growth tends to follow.”

Pictured in the lead image is Mark Chahwan, co-founder and Group CEO of Sarwa. All images courtesy Sarwa.