Mark Chahwan, Jad Sayegh, and Nadine Mezher started Sarwa in 2017, at a time when retail investing in the MENA region was still considered rare. Traditional firms largely still catered to wealthier clients, account minimums were proven barriers for ordinary earners, and skeptics questioned whether the region had the appetite for a personal finance platform built for ordinary investors. Eight years later, Sarwa has crossed $1 billion in client assets. The figure reflects the scale of the company they built, and it also captures how much the UAE’s investing landscape has changed during that time.
The journey from startup to over $1B assets under management (AUM) reveals that retail investors in the region were always ready to learn, invest, and build wealth, they only needed the right platform to serve them. Two of the three founders are 33 years old, having started their company just before one of the most volatile periods for global markets in recent memory. The 2020 pandemic accelerated the retail behavior that would later define the company’s growth. As volatility pulled more individuals toward markets, deposits doubled, providing signs of life for the young start-up. This was the clearest signal yet that investor behavior in the region was beginning to change in a more durable way.
Betting Against Convention
Chahwan, Sayegh, and Mezher were building for a segment that had long been overlooked. Much of the region’s financial infrastructure had been designed with high-net-worth individuals in mind, leaving fewer entry points for everyday investors. The founders approached the problem differently, focusing on access, usability, and breadth of products, from automated portfolios to more active tools like options, cryptocurrencies, and ETFs. The aim was to introduce investing to the region by making it more available to the people who had been excluded from it.
As the platform evolved, so did its users. Early assumptions around passive investing gave way to a more active audience, particularly in the years following the pandemic. Chahwan later acknowledged a fundamental miscalculation in their early strategy: “We assumed clients wanted AI and technology to handle everything. Fully automated portfolios, set-it-and-forget-it types, but it turns out we were wrong. People want more control than ever in order to personalize how, when, and where they invest.” Retail investors increasingly sought control over their portfolios, even as they navigated volatility. Sarwa adjusted accordingly, expanding its offering and shifting toward a more trade-oriented model. The change aligned with a broader pattern emerging in the UAE, where participation was no longer limited to a small segment but was gradually widening across a new generation of investors. The move demonstrated confidence in their user base’s capacity to learn and engage with advanced products.
Regulatory Navigation and Market Credibility
The company first emerged through the Dubai Financial Services Authority’s regulatory sandbox, then later moved operations within Abu Dhabi Global Market’s framework under the Financial Services Regulatory Authority. Each of these regulatory milestones proved that the UAE ecosystem was capable of supporting fintech scale.
The platform maintains a 4.5 out of 5 rating on Google Reviews, reflecting user satisfaction despite competition from both international giants and scrappy local startups. Sarwa differentiates itself through lower fees, an intuitive interface, and a broader product suite that spans beginner investing, active trading, high-yield accounts, and cryptocurrency access. Amongst its most notable backers are Mubadala Investment Company, Kuwait Projects Company, and Shorooq Partners.
Sustained Growth Trajectory
In 2025, Sarwa marked its second consecutive year of profitability, with revenue doubling compared to 2024, as the platform approached the $1 billion AUM milestone. In the first quarter of 2026, the platform recorded $138 million in quarterly deposits and $770 million in trading volume, representing a 70–80% increase compared to the same period last year. The platform also reports that clients have generated over $200 million in gains to date.
The founders’ youth belies their operational sophistication. At 33, Chahwan and Sayegh have spent much of their adult lives building through a period in which the UAE’s retail investing market changed shape around them. When Sarwa started, the question was whether a platform like this could work in the region at all. At $1 billion in client assets and a budding fintech industry projected to grow at a 15% compound annual growth rate through 2030, that question has given way to a different one: how much more will it grow from here?
Spencer Hulse is the Editorial Director at Grit Daily. He is responsible for overseeing other editors and writers, day-to-day operations, and covering breaking news.
