With US$48.24 billion Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow, the UAE ranked the top destination in the Middle East and 9th in the world for investment in 2025, that speaks volume about the country’s ability in attracting FDI due to its safe, secure environment and resilience amid multiple regional and global crises, officials said at a conference titled: Health & Wealth — Building a Better Tomorrow, organised by the Dubai Chapter of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI).
“True prosperity is achieved when health and wealth grow together, because without good health, even the greatest wealth cannot be fully enjoyed,” CA Rishi Chawla, Chairman of the Dubai Chapter of the ICAI, said in his opening remarks at the conference.
The conference, attended by more than 400 members of ICAI, featured keynote address and presentation by Osama Al Rahma, Chairman of the Foreign Exchange and Remittance Group (FERG), Amit Bhartia, Founder and Portfolio Manager of DeLoren Partners, CA Piyush Jhunjhunwala, Founder and CEO, Stockify, former Indian supermodel and Bollywood star Anu Aggarwal, who spoke about investment, wealth creation and a healthy work-life balance.
Creating opportunities
“The UAE has Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) with more than US$ 2.49tn – one of the largest resources–that helps us to invest and create opportunities for all stakeholders. The Government is now investing heavily in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and training 80,000 government officials that will help the country to accelerate economic growth in the coming years, a press statement continued.
“The UAE central bank has already launched its CBDC, the Digital Dirham, the infrastructure Open Finance, including the regulatory framework for stable coins. We have other virtual asset regulatory bodies like Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) which with all will allow for the new virtual assets to grow,” observed Osama Al Rahma, also Head of Business Development and Wealth Management at Emirates Investment Bank.
Largest business group
With more than 3,200 members, ICAI Dubai Chapter is the largest business group in the UAE. Established in 1982, it is also the largest, most active and award-winning chapter among the 44 overseas chapters of ICAI. It has registered a phenomenal growth in membership has exceeded 3,200 members who represent more than 1,550 multinationals and other companies.
Speakers urged the conference delegates to invest their financial resources carefully and intelligently so that they can benefit from higher returns from their investment.
“Investment is a risky business. However, the biggest risk in life lies in not taking risk. So, we should all put our money in investment schemes that multiply our wealth. You work for money – all your life. Now money should work for you. If you don’t make money in your sleep, then you are not doing it right,” commented CA Piyush Jhunjhunwala.
“We had six panic-points in the last 26 years – including the one running now. Everyone had a bull market inside it. Nothing stays on top all the time. If you look at the Bitcoin, you can see how it moved up and down and how investors bet on it and some made money while others lost,” remarked Amit Bhartia, Founder and Portfolio Manager of DeLoren Partners.
