UAE investors lead global shift to AI-driven wealth research

DUBAI – BridgeWise has released its inaugural “State of AI for Wealth in 2026 report,” offering one of the most comprehensive snapshots to date of how investors are integrating artificial intelligence into financial decision-making, with the United Arab Emirates emerging as a global frontrunner in adoption momentum.

Based on a survey of 2,100 respondents across 19 countries, the study highlights a rapid shift in how individuals approach investment research, with AI tools increasingly displacing traditional methods. Among its standout findings, the UAE ranks second globally in the newly introduced Global Wealth AI Optimism Index and first worldwide in “Momentum”, indicating that investors in the country show the strongest intention to replace conventional research tools with AI-driven solutions within the next year.

The report’s Global Wealth AI Optimism Index evaluates countries across four pillars: adoption, confidence, competitive edge and momentum. The Middle East leads globally across the index, driven primarily by the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which rank second and first respectively. The UAE’s top position in momentum reflects a broader regional push towards embedding artificial intelligence into financial systems, aligned with national strategies that prioritise digital transformation and innovation in financial services.

Beyond current users, the study points to a sizeable untapped market of what it terms “Untapped Believers,” individuals who do not yet use AI for investment research but already express confidence in its accuracy. This group accounts for roughly 29.3 percent of respondents, suggesting that barriers to adoption are less about trust and more about access to suitable, purpose-built tools within the financial ecosystem.

Looking ahead, the findings point to what the report describes as a “Great Research Migration”. Globally, 65.1 percent of respondents say they are likely to replace manual investment research with AI-driven tools over the coming year. The shift is particularly pronounced among younger investors, with 57.8 percent of those aged between 18 and 35 already identifying as frequent users of AI, compared with 26.9 percent among those over 50.

Commenting on the findings, BridgeWise Chief Executive Gaby Diamant said: “The competitive divide in wealth management will no longer run between humans and machines. It will run between those who have access to specialized, wealth-native intelligence that surfaces opportunities invisible to generic AI engines, and those still navigating an increasingly complex global market with tools that were not built for it. The data from this study confirms the demand is already there. The mandate now is to meet it with AI that is explainable, accurate, and purpose-built for finance from the ground up.”

The report draws on a diverse global sample of employed adults aged 18 to 75 with active bank accounts, spanning North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East, with balanced gender representation.

The findings reinforce the growing role of AI as a core component of modern investing, as both retail and institutional participants seek faster, more data-driven insights in increasingly complex markets. For financial hubs such as the UAE, the report suggests that early adoption and strong investor confidence could further consolidate their position at the forefront of the global fintech landscape.

Founded as a specialist in AI-powered financial analysis, BridgeWise provides investment intelligence to more than 100 institutional clients and 35 million end users worldwide, offering multilingual tools and regulatory-compliant analytics designed to support decision-making across global markets.