By Srijith KN, Senior Editor

Financial Integrator

StashAway’s journey began when Co-founder and CEO Michele Ferrario found himself frustrated and dissatisfied with the investment landscape marked by y high fees and a lack of transparency. By age 35, his corporate career had provided him with substantial savings — yet when he approached his banks to invest in a portfolio of ETFs, he was sold expensive products that didn’t fit his needs.

This frustration inspired him to create a platform that would simplify investing while providing access to sophisticated financial products. In July 2016, he, along with the other two co-founders, came together, and by July 2017, after navigating regulatory requirements, StashAway was launched in Singapore.

“Stash,” as the word suggests—meaning to store something safely for future use—perfectly reflected what he wanted to achieve for himself. Over the past nine years, that personal need has grown into a company of more than 200 professionals, operating across five regions through a single, centralized technology platform.

Today, StashAway stands out as a pioneer in digital wealth management. The company leverages technology and deep investment expertise to offer accessible, low-cost alternatives to traditional wealth management, with a particular focus on private markets. Its approach has resonated with clients and positions the firm to benefit from regional economic growth and an increasingly digitally savvy population.

In the UAE, StashAway operates from the DIFC and has extended its presence to Malaysia, Thailand, and Hong Kong, with a chief investment officer based in Hong Kong overseeing investment strategies.

Democratizing Access to Investments

The company’s core strategy revolves around democratizing access to sophisticated investments. Private markets, which historically deliver higher returns at lower volatility, are central to this approach. By making private market products for a fraction of traditional minimums, StashAway removes the barriers that have long prevented high-net-worth individuals from participating in this fast-growing asset class. The platform also emphasizes transparency, with fees typically 50–75% lower than competitors, avoiding the hidden charges common in conventional wealth management products.

In public markets, StashAway offers an ETF-based, globally diversified portfolio called General Investing. The General Investing portfolio uses a proprietary investment strategy called ERAA (Economic Regime Asset Allocation). They have recently launched Sharia Global Portfolios, offering the same approach in a Sharia-compliant format. These Flexible Portfolios allow customers full control to create their own allocations using ETFs—either by using an existing template or building a portfolio entirely from scratch.

Capitalizing on the UAE Market

The UAE market presents a unique opportunity for StashAway. The region is home to a digitally engaged population with significant underinvested wealth. While 81% of financial wealth in the UAE is investable, nearly half remains in cash, losing value to inflation. StashAway’s platform appeals to a diverse range of clients, from seasoned executives to younger retail investors, aligning perfectly with regional growth initiatives like Dubai 2033, which targets strong GDP growth and population expansion.

A Comprehensive, Client-Focused Approach

What sets StashAway apart is its comprehensive, client-focused approach. Its offerings include globally diversified portfolios, flexible build-your-own options, Sharia-compliant solutions, thematic strategies, and access to private equity, infrastructure, and private credit for accredited investors. The platform’s investment philosophy is long-term, balancing risk and reward according to individual goals, while its high service standards ensure responsive client engagement. And thus far I have been having a frictionless digital experience and went through a quick onboarding process. Client acquisition is primarily driven online, with dedicated advisors for high-net-worth clients under StashAway Reserve. Other users can engage through the app and are supported by StashAway’s responsive client experience team through email, phone call, or WhatsApp.

Shaping the Future of Digital Investing

As the UAE continues to attract global wealth, its wealth management landscape is becoming increasingly digital, with affluent investors seeking alternative investment opportunities. In an industry often criticized for opacity and complexity, StashAway is redefining investing by making it more transparent, accessible, and tailored to the modern investor. By combining advanced technology, strategic insight, and personalized solutions, the company is not just managing wealth—it is shaping the future of digital investing in the UAE and across the region.

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The Brief:

StashAway is a digital investment platform that was launched in 2017 to empower people to build and protect wealth in the long term. Offering simple, intelligent, and cost-effective investment and cash management solutions, StashAway has led the way in transforming the way people invest and grow wealth. Today, StashAway operates in five markets, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, the UAE, and Thailand, with billions of dollars in assets under management. The company was recognised by The World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer in 2020 and ranked among CNBC’s World’s Top Fintech Companies in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Dhruva, a premier tax advisory firm with deep expertise across the Middle East, India, and Asia, is encouraging UAE-headquartered groups and multinational companies operating in the country to place transfer pricing (TP) firmly on their strategic and governance agenda, as the UAE’s corporate tax landscape develops and aligns more closely with international practice.

With corporate tax now in effect, the way organisations price transactions between related parties and connected persons is becoming an important element of tax governance, financial planning and stakeholder confidence. TP is no longer just a specialist topic for tax teams, but an area that benefits from early, well-considered attention at senior management level.

“Transfer pricing has quickly become one of the key components of a modern tax framework in the UAE,” said Kapil Bhatnagar, Partner, Dhruva. “For many organisations, this is still a relatively new area. Our message is a positive one, now is a good time to step back, understand your intra-group arrangements and put in place a clear, well-documented approach. Doing this early can bring greater clarity, predictability and comfort for management, shareholders and other stakeholders.”

Dhruva notes that TP considerations are relevant not only for large global multinationals, but also for UAE-headquartered groups, family businesses, free zone entities and fast-growing regional companies. Any business with cross-border or domestic related-party dealings – such as management fees, services, financing, distribution, manufacturing, or use of intellectual property – can benefit from having a structured view on how these transactions are priced and supported.

Kapil added, “A common question we receive from clients is simply, ‘Where do we start?’ In our experience, the most effective approach is to treat transfer pricing as a practical business project rather than just a technical exercise. It starts with understanding how your group creates value, how responsibilities and risks are shared, and then reflecting that in your pricing, internal policies, and documentation in a consistent way.”

Next steps for UAE organisations

Dhruva’s suggested next steps for UAE organisations focus on helping boards, CEOs, CFOs, and tax leaders move from awareness to practical action on transfer pricing. The first step is to map related-party transactions and understand the big picture. Organisations should identify their main related-party and connected-person transactions, both within the UAE and cross-border, and then group them by type – for example, services, goods, financing, intellectual property or guarantees. From there, they can build a simple, high-level overview of how value flows within the group and where key functions and decision-making actually sit.

The second step is to develop or refine a coherent transfer pricing framework. This involves designing a framework that clearly sets out how different categories of transactions are priced, using appropriate methodologies that reflect the business reality. Internal policies, legal agreements, operational substance and financial outcomes should all be aligned so that they tell a consistent story. It is also important to integrate transfer pricing considerations into budgeting and planning cycles, rather than addressing them only at year-end.

The third step is to strengthen documentation and internal capabilities. Organisations should prepare documentation that explains the group’s business model, value chain and the rationale for its pricing approach in a clear and structured manner. Finance and tax teams need to be equipped with the knowledge and tools to maintain and update this information over time as the business evolves. In addition, a simple governance mechanism should be established to ensure that transfer pricing topics are periodically reviewed at management level and, where relevant, at board level as part of ongoing oversight.

“In many ways, the UAE is at a constructive stage in its tax journey,” Kapil said. “Businesses have the opportunity to put robust, practical transfer pricing foundations in place that reflect how they actually operate. This is not only about compliance – it is about having clarity, supporting informed decision-making and giving confidence to investors, partners and employees.”

Dhruva’s analysis of developments across the wider GCC shows that other regional markets are also expanding their focus on transfer pricing, documentation, and alignment with international standards. For groups operating in more than one jurisdiction, a coordinated regional approach can support consistency and reduce uncertainty.

“Our recommendation to UAE organisations is to use this period to get ready in a thoughtful, structured way. Early movers often find that a well-designed transfer pricing approach supports smoother internal decision-making and provides comfort as the tax environment continues to mature,” concluded Kapil.

Yubi, the world’s only technology company powering the end-to-end debt lifecycle, has announced the launch of Yubi Mortgage in the UAE. This marks the company’s first B2C product in the region and introduces a new digital pathway for residents, citizens, and non-residents to explore and secure mortgages with confidence and clarity. The launch positions Yubi as a new force in the UAE’s mortgage ecosystem and sets a fresh benchmark for transparency, accessibility, and customer experience.

Yubi Mortgage has been established to address the long-standing challenges faced by homebuyers across the UAE property market. These include limited access to lenders, high process complexity, unclear pricing, repetitive documentation, and limited transparency into application status. These issues often lead to delays, uncertainty, and unnecessary stress for mortgage seekers. Yubi Mortgage eliminates these barriers by providing a single digital platform that connects users to all major lenders in the country.

Yubi MENA has already partnered with 25+ lenders across Retail, SME, and Corporate financing. These partnerships strengthen accessibility for financing across the entire continuum and support the UAE’s broader digital transformation goals.

Home financing seekers can submit a single digital application to access a broad range of retail, Islamic, commercial, private, and digital banks. The platform employs AI and machine learning to classify documents, verify information, assess eligibility, and assist lenders in making quicker decisions. A business rule engine matches borrowers with the most appropriate lenders, helping them avoid costly mistakes from approaching the wrong lender and having to restart the process. Their real-time application tracking keeps users informed at every stage.

For mortgage seekers, the experience becomes simpler, more transparent, and considerably more efficient. For lenders, the platform enhances operational discipline by reducing non-converting applications and optimizing utilization of existing processing capacity. Yubi Mortgage fosters a more balanced and productive mortgage ecosystem for both sides of the market.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Sivakumar Rajakkannu, Chief Business Officer, Yubi MENA, said: “This is a defining moment for us as we bring Yubi Mortgage to the UAE. Home ownership is one of the most important decisions people make, and our goal is to make the journey as simple and transparent as possible. We want every mortgage seeker to have access to all prominent lenders and to feel fully supported from the first step to the final approval. Yubi Mortgage reflects our commitment to financial inclusion and showcases how technology, AI, and ML can help people make smarter and more confident decisions.”

Yubi’s entry into the mortgage segment builds on its established presence in the UAE, where it has been helping financial institutions and enterprises optimise journeys across the debt and customer lifecycle. Founded in 2020 by CEO Gaurav Kumar, Yubi powers more than $36 Billion in total debt volumes and supports over 17,000 enterprises and 6,200 lenders worldwide. Valued at USD 1.5 Billion, Yubi is backed by globally recognised investors including Peak XV, Lightspeed, Lightrock, TVS Capital, B Capital Group, Dragoneer Investment Group, and Insight Partners. Their support reflects strong confidence in Yubi’s mission to deepen debt markets and democratise access to capital.

Yubi was recently recognised as Fintech Startup of the Year at the Global Fintech Fest 2025. This recognition highlights Yubi’s innovation and leadership across the global financial landscape. The launch of Yubi Mortgage in the UAE further strengthens its mission to simplify, streamline, and modernize the lending ecosystem for both consumers and financial institutions.