Prime Highlights
- WTW has secured a DFSA licence to offer regulated investment advisory services directly from DIFC for the first time.
- The firm targets wealth managers, family offices, and institutional clients across the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
Key Facts
- WTW is a global advisory and broking firm managing over $3.6 trillion in assets under advisory worldwide.
- DIFC is Dubai’s international financial hub and home to the region’s largest wealth and asset management ecosystem.
Background
WTW, a global advisory, broking and solutions company, has received regulatory approval from the Dubai Financial Services Authority to operate WTW Investments (DIFC) Limited within the Dubai International Financial Centre.
The licence allows WTW to proactively offer investment advisory services and arrange access to fund solutions directly from DIFC for the first time. The move is a departure from its previous advisory-only role in the region to a locally based and regulated platform, with direct access to the market.
Target segments include wealth managers, family offices, end-of-service benefits, and auto-enrolment schemes, areas seeing strong growth as the Middle East’s financial sector continues to mature.
WTW already had an established footprint in the region before securing the licence. The firm has advised some of the largest sovereign wealth funds and public pension plans across the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, and has delivered integrated pension and savings plan capabilities to global employers headquartered in those markets.
Global Head of Investments Diya Luke said the firm had spent years building relationships with sophisticated asset owners in the region and that the licence would now allow it to engage the market more fully. DIFC Authority chief executive Arif Amiri welcomed the move, noting that WTW brings over $3.6 trillion in assets under advisory and $187 billion in assets under management to the DIFC community.
Dr Ahmad Waarie, Director of WTW Investments (DIFC) and Head of MENA, said the licence represented a pivotal step in the firm’s regional journey and that the Middle East was a strategic priority backed by the full weight of the company’s global capabilities.
