Financial Integrator

StashAway’s journey began when Co-founder and CEO Michele Ferrario found himself frustrated and dissatisfied with the investment landscape marked by 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.

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.