Integrated platforms and data-driven agility will allow IFIs to meet rising expectations and shape global standards

By Matthew Nassau, Business Architect, Treasury & Capital Markets at Finastra

Markets move in cycles. Each generation experiences most of the things that previous generations have endured (bull or bear markets, natural disasters, geopolitics, …) punctuated by turning points from which the future takes a distinct path (powered flight, the transistor, The Beatles, …). These highlights are often recognized early on as important in their day and seem to appear ‘overnight’, and yet have taken years of development and formation to appear in our consciousness, while the lasting extent of their transformative power is not fully appreciated.

Generative AI (GenAI) fits the model described above, poised as it is to revolutionize treasury and capital markets by markedly altering decision-making processes for market professionals. From conversational finance to predictive analytics, AI is evolving from a mere assistant to becoming a crucial decision-making tool. In Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, GenAI could add between USD 21 billion and 35 billion each year, on top of roughly USD 150 billion that existing AI technologies are expected to contribute. That represents about 1.7 to 2.8% of the region’s current non-oil GDP.

To deliver on this potential, it is essential that financial institutions have access to high-quality data, upon which GenAI can infer connections, deliver insights and enable actions.

Data has never looked so good

Data has long been treated as one of the most important assets in financial services. Vendors have built major businesses supplying real-time market feeds, and institutions invest heavily to safeguard customer information in every form. The value is clear. What is changing is how much more that value can grow as GenAI gains access to richer and more precise datasets. Large language models can spot relationships and trends that were previously buried, turning raw information into forecasts, alerts and actions that support commercial and risk decisions.

Unlocking that potential requires broader access to the information that treasury teams already rely on. Data lakes and warehouses form part of the picture, but they rarely capture everything. Treasury management systems are a prime example. Their reporting evolves constantly and plays a central role in liquidity decisions, yet much of it remains confined within the system. By making these reporting histories available to GenAI, banks can reveal patterns over time, flag emerging opportunities or risks and prompt timely intervention.

Timing is everything

To show how quickly things have shifted, consider a discussion I had with a major European bank a few years ago. The team was exploring how to treat treasury and capital markets data as a strategic asset without forcing everything into one central system. Their vision was a unified data layer where information could stay within existing applications yet still be accessed, combined and analyzed by staff using low code tools. The goal was to shift toward more data-driven decision making across the business and to uncover new sources of commercial value.

The concept was sound, but the technology required to deliver it at scale was simply too expensive and complex at the time. The bank had to narrow its ambitions and proceed with smaller, tactical initiatives. Artificial intelligence was not even part of the conversation. It felt experimental and far removed from daily operations.

Looking back, the idea wasn’t premature in strategy, only in timing. GenAI now makes this kind of agile, distributed data insight far more realistic.

‘Go big or go home’ – not any more

Expectations have moved on as technology has matured and become easier to access. The old way of classifying data projects as either short-term tactical fixes or long-term strategic overhauls no longer applies. GenAI changes the conversation. It shifts focus from where data lives to how much value it can generate. Deploying AI in specific functions like operations, the front office or reconciliation isn’t a stopgap. It’s a practical way to unlock intelligence quickly.

What will determine success is an institution’s ability to surface a wide range of data, ensure its accuracy and let AI learn from it. This doesn’t require a massive transformation program from day one. Starting with focused use cases can improve efficiency, reduce manual work and reveal valuable insights straight away. As more processes become AI-enabled, those individual wins begin to connect, creating a stronger and more intelligent foundation across the entire organization.

Outcomes lead to incomes

When a technology is still emerging, no one can predict with certainty how far its influence will reach. The best indicators often come from those willing to adopt early and test ideas in the real world. Many concepts compete for relevance, and only a few will ultimately reshape how people work.

The organizations that benefit most are the ones comfortable experimenting, moving quickly and learning as they go. GenAI encourages exactly that mindset. It allows teams to explore and refine new approaches by tapping into the data they already hold. The results show up in lower costs, stronger client value and healthier margins.

This shift is not about replacing existing business models but enhancing them. Each step forward can deliver outsized returns for firms confident enough to start now.

When a Dubai family recently attempted to execute a Will that divided everything “equally,” the process turned unexpectedly complicated. The father had left behind three properties, a thriving trading business, and a handful of investments. On paper, each heir was entitled to one-third. In practice, however, the math didn’t add up.

Two of the properties required transfer fees before the titles could change. The business needed a professional valuation before any shares could move.

One child wanted to retain the family home, another wanted their share in cash, and the third had settled abroad, facing foreign tax liabilities. The estate was rich in assets but poor in liquidity. What seemed like a clear-cut Will became a year-long exercise in negotiation, paperwork, and frustration.

This is the quiet problem most families never anticipate. A Will can divide ownership, but it cannot generate liquidity. Without readily available funds to meet transfer fees, buyouts, and taxes, the process of inheritance becomes logistically and emotionally taxing.

The invisible thread between fairness and liquidity

Estate planning conversations often revolve around fairness: ensuring that every child or beneficiary receives an equal share. Yet, fairness depends not just on value but on accessibility. An heir inheriting property worth millions may find it difficult to sell or borrow against it. Another inheriting shares in a family business may have no interest or capacity to manage it. Without liquidity, equality on paper can quickly turn into imbalance in practice.

Lawyers can draft the most carefully worded Wills, but unless they account for liquidity, execution remains vulnerable. The costs of succession – transfer charges, administrative fees, professional valuations, and in some cases, estate taxes – arrive well before any inheritance is realized. Families often find themselves dipping into personal savings, taking loans, or reluctantly selling assets just to complete what was intended to be a smooth transition.

Liquidity: The quiet equalizer

To bridge this gap, experienced planners build in financial solutions that create liquidity at precisely the right time. These may include structured portfolios, annuity plans, dedicated investment buckets, life insurance arrangements, or a combination of all three. The label matters less than the outcome: a pool of liquidity available when the estate most needs it.

For many families, the challenge arises not from a lack of assets but from a lack of accessible cash to make those assets usable. A property cannot be transferred without fees, a business cannot be divided without valuation, and heirs living abroad may face taxes before they can claim what they inherit. The purpose of these financial plans is to ensure that when such obligations arise, the necessary liquidity already exists.

In legal drafting, these provisions are rarely described by the name of a product. Instead, they appear through clauses addressing estate equalisation, shareholder protection, or tax optimisation – terms that focus on the outcome rather than the instrument. This approach keeps Wills concise while allowing flexibility for the underlying financial architecture to adapt over time. The result is subtle but significant: heirs receive not just assets, but the ability to act on them.

Consider again the Dubai family. With a well-structured liquidity clause, one heir could have drawn on pre-arranged funds to pay the transfer fee and retain the home. Another could have bought out a sibling’s business shares, while the third could have met foreign tax obligations without selling inherited assets. Instead of disputes and delays, execution would have been straightforward, preserving both relationships and value.

Business continuity and fair valuation

Among entrepreneurs, this liquidity gap often runs deeper. Many business owners assume that dividing shares equally among children ensures fairness. Yet, few pause to consider what happens when only one or two heirs wish to continue the business.

Without liquidity, buyouts become impossible. Those running the enterprise must continue to share profits with siblings who contribute nothing to its growth, breeding resentment on both sides. A well-drafted Will therefore includes a clause that mandates valuation of the company at the time of death and provides a mechanism for exit – often funded through pre-planned financial solutions such as insurance, annuity contracts, or investment plans earmarked for succession.

In such cases, these instruments are not a safety net, but a continuity tool. They provide the cash flow that keeps ownership clean, operations uninterrupted, and family dynamics intact. The alternative – co-ownership without clarity – can stall decision-making and diminish the very business meant to support future generations.

Navigating cross-border tax exposure

Modern families are increasingly international. Parents may reside in the UAE, while children live or work abroad, in jurisdictions where inheritances attract income, estate, or wealth taxes. The very act of inheriting can push an heir into a higher tax bracket. Well-structured financial instruments can efficiently offset cross-border liabilities.

Clients are sometimes surprised that their legal documents focus on principles such as estate equalisation, shareholder protection, or tax optimisation rather than naming specific products like insurance. This is deliberate. A Will is a legal document; it defines intentions and outcomes. The financial architecture that supports those clauses is built through separate planning, which can evolve over time.

Behind that discretion lies pragmatism. Financial tools evolve, regulations shift, and family circumstances change. What matters is not the name of the mechanism but its function: to ensure that cash exists where the law and logic demand it most.

Designing for peace of mind

A well-structured estate plan treats liquidity planning as part of its core architecture. It supports every transfer clause, equalisation formula, and tax-planning provision, ensuring that the Will delivers real, actionable outcomes. These financial solutions – whether investment-based, annuity-linked, or insurance-backed – act as quiet safeguards that help preserve what matters most.

The most successful successions are often the quietest. Properties change hands without conflict, businesses continue seamlessly, and families remain intact. To outsiders, it may appear as though the Will “worked perfectly.” In reality, what worked was the preparation – the foresight to pair legal precision with financial planning that sustains both assets and harmony.

People spend lifetimes building security for their families, and inheritance should strengthen that harmony, not test it. When liquidity is thoughtfully built into an estate plan, a legacy becomes less a transfer of wealth and more a continuation of peace.

High-net-worth investors now account for over 75% of UAE deposits, and StashAway is responding with new semi-liquid portfolios that broaden access to private markets.

StashAway, a wealth management platform, is offering UAE-based high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) greater opportunities to build long-term wealth through private markets¹. The move follows a year of strong growth among its high-net-worth clients, with this segment driving over 75% of its growth in the UAE over the past 12 months.

The new semi-liquid offerings – private infrastructure and private equity portfolios – are managed by Hamilton Lane, a global private market specialist with over US $956 billion in assets under management. With these portfolios, investors will benefit from significantly lower minimums, lower fees, and monthly liquidity, providing flexibility than traditional funds typically lack.

StashAway’s momentum reflects a broader trend: Nearly 10,000 new millionaires are expected to arrive in the UAE by the end of 2025. As the country continues to attract global wealth, its wealth management landscape is becoming increasingly digital, with growing demand from affluent investors for alternative investment opportunities.

Increasing demand for private market investment opportunities

Globally, private markets are reshaping the investment landscape, with the number of publicly listed companies declining significantly over the past 25 years. Recent data revealed there are just 2,800 public companies, compared to 18,000 private businesses with annual revenues above US $100 million in the United States. This disparity underscores that opportunities to build wealth will increasingly be found in private markets, both in the US and worldwide.

With StashAway’s expanded private market offering, UAE-based HNWIs can tap into these growth opportunities. Clients can now access private infrastructure and private equity – an asset class with target net annual returns of 10-12%².

Michele Ferrario, Co-founder and CEO, StashAway comments, “We’ve seen tremendous demand from high-net-worth investors who value the transparency and unbiased wealth advisory that we offer. Now, we’re bringing that same trusted experience to private markets, making it simple for investors to access high-quality, institutional-class opportunities.”

In line with StashAway’s existing private markets offering, both portfolios have significantly lower minimums and fees compared to private banks. While private banks often charge up to 3.5% in total management fees, StashAway clients pay a management fee as low as 0.5%. Unlike traditional private market funds with 10 to 15 year lock-ups, StashAway’s new portfolios allow investors to access their capital after a short initial lock-up period – offering greater flexibility as their financial goals evolve.

Raaed Sheibani, UAE Country Manager, StashAway adds, “A diversified portfolio with exposure to private markets is vital for high-net-worth investors seeking to build long-term wealth. But many clients tell us that high minimums and long lock-ups of traditional private market funds make it hard to get started or maintain the right allocation. We’re committed to making these opportunities more accessible. Our semi-liquid offering does exactly that – providing flexible access without tying investors into multi-year lock-ups.”

Both portfolios offer multi-manager & sector diversification through a single investment. The Private Infrastructure portfolio provides exposure across sectors such as energy, transport, digital networks, and utilities. The Private Equity portfolio is diversified across private equity life stages, geographies, and vintages.

Historically, both asset classes have outperformed public equities, while simultaneously experiencing lower volatility. As an example, a 10% private infrastructure allocation to a traditional 60/40 portfolio from 2014 to 2024 would have increased returns by 5.3% and reduced volatility by 10.6%. They are therefore essential to strengthening long-term portfolios.

These portfolios reflect StashAway’s broader commitment to simplifying access to the best investment solutions. They expand the platform’s suite of HNW offerings, which also includes Private Credit and unbiased wealth advisory for StashAway Reserve clients.