DUBAI // Usually, what they create is there for everyone to see. But tattoo artists in the UAE operate quietly, undercover, in a murky zone where they are not sure that what they do is legal, though they claim that there is nothing in law to ban them.
Legal or not, tattoos are a worldwide craze that is taking hold in the UAE, with artists earning thousands of dirhams a month.
Dhengz, 32, a tattoo artist from the Philippines who asked that his last name not be published, said he was not aware of any law that prohibited tattooing.
Most of his customers have their tattoos done inside a rented room in Dubai during a day off from his job as a sales assistant, or after work. He uses a machine that he bought in the US in 2007.
"I am very particular with hygiene and cleanliness," he said. "I do not reuse needles."
Dhengz has been a member of the Philippine Tattoo Artists Guild since 2005. He also has a certificate from the Department of Health in Manila after attending a seminar on blood-borne diseases.
Half of his customers are Filipinos. The rest are British, Indian, Russian, American, Moroccan and Lebanese.
"Most of my British customers ask to have tattoos done in their homes," he said. "I don't mind it because it's much safer."
Police were more likely to become suspicious of a tattooist's activities when a customer, who was not Filipino, left the villa after getting a tattoo, said Dhengz.
His job brings in Dh2,500 (US$680) a month, not enough to cover the Dh2,700 monthly rent on his room and other expenses. When business is brisk, he can earn up to Dh8,000 a month from tattooing. His cheapest tattoo costs Dh500.
"A Briton had his full back tattooed and I charged him Dh10,000 for the entire job, which could cost twice or thrice more if he had it done in the UK," Dhengz said. "We did it in six sessions and each session lasted for about five to seven hours."
Ronaldo, 32, a graphic designer in Dubai, who also did not wish to give his last name, said some of the money he earned from tattooing was sent back to the Philippines and the rest helped to pay bills.
"If no one complains, then I guess it's all right," he said. He earns Dh10,000 a month from his full-time job but said he could earn twice as much from tattooing with a couple of dozen customers.
The majority of his customers are Europeans who travel from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to have tattoos done inside his home in Sharjah.
In four years, he has tattooed at least 15 Emiratis. "They like black and grey tattoos as well as tribal designs, such as waves, the sun, and birds," he said. Ronaldo charges Dh500 an hour. If a tattoo takes four hours, it costs Dh1,500.
The tattoo artists said they took health and safety precautions by keeping their place and equipment clean and hygienic to prevent infection or illness. "We will only face problems when a customer complains," said a 37-year-old Filipino tattoo artist who did not give his name.
He said police were more likely to check up on them if they used drugs or supplied drugs to customers to control pain.
Eighty per cent of the tattoo artist's customers are from India. He charges a minimum Dh300 for a tattoo, but it can go as high as Dh7,000 for a larger and more intricate design, which takes about 12 hours to do in one sitting.
He does not hold any other job. In 2004, he quit as a hotel lifeguard after working for two weeks. He took on other jobs, but a year later, became a full-time tattooist.
He started out as a tattoo artist 22 years ago in the Philippines. In Dubai, he earns an average of Dh35,000 a month, far more than he could make at home.
"I tattoo every day for at least eight hours," he said. "When it gets really busy, I usually ask someone to assist me. I've trained six so far."
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UAE and Russia in numbers
UAE-Russia ties stretch back 48 years
Trade between the UAE and Russia reached Dh12.5 bn in 2018
More than 3,000 Russian companies are registered in the UAE
Around 40,000 Russians live in the UAE
The number of Russian tourists travelling to the UAE will increase to 12 percent to reach 1.6 million in 2023
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
