The Dubai skyline. The world’s ultra-wealthy lost a combined $10 trillion, or 10 per cent, from their net worth in 2022, according to Knight Frank. Antonie Robertson / The National
The Dubai skyline. The world’s ultra-wealthy lost a combined $10 trillion, or 10 per cent, from their net worth in 2022, according to Knight Frank. Antonie Robertson / The National
The Dubai skyline. The world’s ultra-wealthy lost a combined $10 trillion, or 10 per cent, from their net worth in 2022, according to Knight Frank. Antonie Robertson / The National
The Dubai skyline. The world’s ultra-wealthy lost a combined $10 trillion, or 10 per cent, from their net worth in 2022, according to Knight Frank. Antonie Robertson / The National

Are you in the richest 1% of the UAE?


Deepthi Nair
  • English
  • Arabic

You will need a net worth of $1.6 million to join the UAE’s richest 1 per cent, according to global property consultancy Knight Frank.

To join the exclusive group in Saudi Arabia, a person requires a net worth of $740,000.

The most expensive country to join the world's top wealth bracket is Monaco, where a person will need $12.4 million, the 2023 Wealth Report found.

Switzerland and Australia have the next highest entry points to the 1 per cent club, requiring a net worth of $6.6 million and $5.5 million, respectively.

In the US, $5.1 million will get you into the richest club, while in Ireland you need a personal fortune of $4.3 million to join the wealthiest 1 per cent.

“The 1 per cent rose to totemic status during the global financial crisis – however, the wealth needed to join their ranks varies sharply from country to country,” Knight Frank said.

“While ‘the 1 per cent’ might be thought of as the epitome of excess, the price of access to the club falls well short of our definition of an ultra-high-net-worth individual – somebody whose net wealth exceeds $30 million.”

The world’s ultra-wealthy lost a combined $10 trillion, or 10 per cent, of their net worth in 2022, driven by the triple shock of global economic uncertainty, the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine, Knight Frank said in March.

The wealth decline encompassed the change in residential property values, commercial property values, fixed income, investments of passion and other assets.

The super-rich in Europe were at the centre of the crisis, with UHNWIs losing an average of 17 per cent from their fortunes, Knight Frank said in The Wealth Report 2023.

The ultra-wealthy in the Australasia region recorded an 11 per cent drop in net worth and the Americas 10 per cent. In comparison, Africa experienced the smallest wealth decline at 5 per cent, followed by Asia and the Middle East at 7 per cent.

However, 69 per cent of wealthy investors surveyed by Knight Frank expect to grow their portfolios this year, with confidence driven by asset repricing, perceived value opportunities and an expected economic rebound.

Meanwhile, the entry point for Monaco’s richest is more than 200 times greater than the $57,000 needed to join the 1 per cent in the Philippines, which is one of the lowest ranked of 25 locations in Knight Frank’s study.

In Kenya, $20,000 will get you into the richest club, according to the consultancy.

In Asia, Singapore has the highest wealth threshold with $3.5 million required to be in the top 1 per cent, ahead of Hong Kong’s $3.4 million and Japan’s $1.7 million.

In China and India, $960,000 and $175,000 will allow you to join the wealthiest club, respectively.

Brazil tops the Latin America market with a $430,000 threshold to enter the top 1 per cent club.

The wealth of the top 1 per cent has led to a rise in luxury spending.

The Knight Frank Luxury Investment Index, which tracks the value of 10 investments of passion, rose by 16 per cent during 2022, comfortably beating inflation and outperforming the majority of mainstream investment classes, including equities and even gold, according to the 2023 Wealth Report.

Within the index, art was the top performer, rising by 29 per cent, followed by classic cars, which saw demand increase by 25 per cent. Watches took third place on the index in 2022, after rising18 per cent.

Meanwhile, 59 per cent of UHNWIs are looking to invest in art this year, according to Knight Frank.

The pandemic-induced boom in prime, super-prime and ultra-prime markets globally continued into 2022, the Wealth Report said.

About 1,392 sales were made at or above $10 million across 10 global markets last year, according to Knight Frank.

While this represents a decline compared with the record-breaking 2,076 transactions recorded in 2021, it was 49 per cent above 2019 levels and equated to $26.3 billion in sales, it added.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Midnights'
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The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go

Flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.

The stay

Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.

Honeymoonish
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The National in Davos

We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.

Players Selected for La Liga Trials

U18 Age Group
Name: Ahmed Salam (Malaga)
Position: Right Wing
Nationality: Jordanian

Name: Yahia Iraqi (Malaga)
Position: Left Wing
Nationality: Morocco

Name: Mohammed Bouherrafa (Almeria)
Position: Centre-Midfield
Nationality: French

Name: Mohammed Rajeh (Cadiz)
Position: Striker
Nationality: Jordanian

U16 Age Group
Name: Mehdi Elkhamlichi (Malaga)
Position: Lead Striker
Nationality: Morocco

LEAGUE CUP QUARTER-FINAL DRAW

Stoke City v Tottenham

Brentford v Newcastle United

Arsenal v Manchester City

Everton v Manchester United

All ties are to be played the week commencing December 21.

Avatar%20(2009)
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

AUSTRALIA SQUAD

Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, David Warner, Adam Zampa

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULT

Bayer Leverkusen 2 Bayern Munich 4
Leverkusen:
 Alario (9'), Wirtz (89')
Bayern: Coman (27'), Goretzka (42'), Gnabry (45'), Lewandowski (66')

Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

WOMAN AND CHILD

Director: Saeed Roustaee

Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi

Rating: 4/5

BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES

SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities

Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments

The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

MATCH INFO

Uefa Nations League

League A, Group 4
Spain v England, 10.45pm (UAE)

Explainer: Tanween Design Programme

Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.

The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.

It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.

The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.

Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”

Autumn international scores

Saturday, November 24

Italy 3-66 New Zealand
Scotland 14-9 Argentina
England 37-18 Australia

DSC Eagles 23 Dubai Hurricanes 36

Eagles
Tries: Bright, O’Driscoll
Cons: Carey 2
Pens: Carey 3

Hurricanes
Tries: Knight 2, Lewis, Finck, Powell, Perry
Cons: Powell 3

Last 10 NBA champions

2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2

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GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

Updated: May 17, 2023, 9:51 AM`