Dubai Chambers explores future of investment and philanthropy

DUBAI: The World Governments Summit 2026 and Dubai Chambers hosted a roundtable to examine how family investment portfolios can be positioned for the future, and explore how family businesses can increase their long-term social impact, strengthen their philanthropic role, and scale up their community contributions.

The roundtable brought together government officials and more than 40 senior leaders from local and international family businesses.

The session was chaired by Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Chairman of Dubai Chambers. During the discussion, he highlighted the central role of family businesses as a driver of social and economic development and a key player in the global investment landscape.

In his opening remarks, Eng. Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansoori, Chairman of Dubai Chambers, stated that the world is seeing a fundamental shift in how family businesses operate and the roles they play.

He noted that they are no longer focused only on wealth management or preserving an economic legacy. Increasingly, they are helping shape the future of investment, advancing sustainable development, and building cross-border partnerships.

He added that this expanding role calls for a fresh look at how family businesses are supported, including strengthening their ability to adapt to change and accelerate growth in an increasingly complex and competitive global economy.

He underlined the need for family offices to adopt agile approaches and renewed governance structures as modern technology becomes more deeply integrated into the economy and investment landscape. He noted that this is essential not only to sustain performance, but also to improve the quality and speed of decision-making and ensure readiness to capitalise on opportunities in emerging markets. He also stressed the importance of enabling the next generation to play a meaningful role in shaping these strategies, given their strong understanding of modern technologies and awareness of future priorities.

Al Mansoori added that investment is no longer judged purely by financial return, as social and environmental considerations are now part of the equation. This is reflected in the rise of impact-driven philanthropy, which has emerged as a natural extension of the role family businesses play in supporting communities. He emphasised that contributing to the communities they serve should be embedded as a core element of family businesses’ institutional strategies.

He also highlighted the role of the Dubai Centre for Family Businesses, which operates under the umbrella of Dubai Chambers, in supporting continuity and strengthening competitiveness across generations. He noted that the centre provides an integrated framework for governance, succession planning, and capacity building.

Al Mansoori stated that the centre’s initiatives strengthen the legislative and institutional environment, help family businesses adapt to economic change, and promote international best practices in management and investment, supporting Dubai’s position as a leading global hub for family businesses.

The roundtable centred on two main topics. The first, ‘philanthropy and the role of family business in society’, focused on how family businesses can redefine corporate responsibility, expand social impact, and build a lasting legacy.

As the global philanthropy landscape continues to evolve alongside rising wealth among individuals and families worldwide, several key shifts are emerging. These include the transfer of wealth between generations and a growing emphasis on sustainable outcomes, increasingly described as ‘impact-driven philanthropy’ according to a PwC report.

The discussions highlighted several key priorities. These included the need for family offices to deepen their understanding of the legal and financial aspects of effective philanthropy, including tax considerations. Participants also emphasised the importance of developing reliable ways to measure the scale, impact, and long-term sustainability of social and environmental initiatives. In addition, the session underlined the need for clear principles, policies, and governance processes to ensure philanthropic efforts are consistent and aligned, while also strengthening cooperation with relevant public and private sector institutions.

The second topic, ‘governance and diversification in ensuring sustainable growth’, focused on emerging investment trends among family businesses.

Participants reviewed the role of family businesses in Dubai as a key contributor to the Dubai Economic Agenda (D33). According to PwC data, the family business sector’s contribution to Dubai’s GDP in 2024 reached a value of Dhs491.8 billion ($134 billion).

The discussion also highlighted how expansion and diversification are changing the way family businesses allocate capital. Family offices that manage the wealth of these enterprises are increasingly investing across new sectors and asset classes, mirroring trends seen globally. This reflects a shift from a traditional focus on preserving wealth to a more dynamic and flexible approach in response to a continually evolving global landscape.

Over the past decade, family offices have increasingly used ‘club deals’, partnering with other investors to reduce risk and improve efficiency. According to PwC, these represented around 69% of total deals completed by family offices during the first half of 2025. Participants noted that this trend reflects a preference to avoid the higher risks associated with investments during periods of market volatility, as well as the ambition of leading family offices to pursue larger deals at both local and international levels, which typically require strategic partnerships.

The session also highlighted the growing role of family businesses in the Middle East in this global shift towards high-value partnership deals, including their increasing participation in multi-party venture capital transactions inside and outside the region.

During the first six months of 2025, UAE family offices closed venture capital investment deals worth around $3 billion (around Dhs11 billion), behind only the US and the UK in PwC’s family office rankings for VC transactions.

Participants stressed the importance of developing new governance models that can manage the global exposure of family investment portfolios and redefine approaches to risk tolerance. They also emphasised the need for mechanisms to regularly update asset allocation decisions in line with family businesses’ evolving investment objectives and requirements.

WAM