Mark Chahwan, CEO of Sarwa: 'AI can be a copilot in wealth management'
The Lebanese co-founder of the first fintech in UAE to manage more than $1 billion in assets said that human decision-making should remain central in this field.
L'OLJ / Interview conducted by Philippe HAGE BOUTROS,
08 June 2026 10:46
Founded in 2017 by Lebanese entrepreneurs, Sarwa became the first fintech founded and operating in the United Arab Emirates to surpass $1 billion in assets under management this spring, boasting an automated investment advisory platform (robo-advising) that later evolved into a hybrid model. L’Orient-Le Jour spoke with its co-founder and CEO, Mark Chahwan.In May, you announced that Sarwa became the first fintech founded in the Emirates to exceed $1 billion in assets under management in less than 10 years. Can you walk us through this journey?We founded the company in 2017. I was working in consulting and had gone through Accenture, Jad Sayegh came from a high-frequency hedge fund, and Nadine Mezher had a strong background in marketing and strategy, notably with the Dubai government, where she had lived for more than ten years.At the...
Founded in 2017 by Lebanese entrepreneurs, Sarwa became the first fintech founded and operating in the United Arab Emirates to surpass $1 billion in assets under management this spring, boasting an automated investment advisory platform (robo-advising) that later evolved into a hybrid model. L’Orient-Le Jour spoke with its co-founder and CEO, Mark Chahwan.In May, you announced that Sarwa became the first fintech founded in the Emirates to exceed $1 billion in assets under management in less than 10 years. Can you walk us through this journey?We founded the company in 2017. I was working in consulting and had gone through Accenture, Jad Sayegh came from a high-frequency hedge fund, and Nadine Mezher had a strong background in marketing and strategy, notably with the Dubai government, where she had lived for more than ten years.At the...
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