The 29th Edition of the Global Family Office Investment Summit convened February 4-5, 2026, at the Mandarin Oriental Jumeira in Dubai, marking a decade of influence in private capital circles. More than 300 family offices gathered for what has become one of the world’s most influential private capital gatherings. Dubai itself now commands attention as a wealth management powerhouse. The emirate recently attracted more than 2,000 millionaires as net inflows after its successful pandemic response strategy, cementing its status as a premier destination for global capital.
Held under the patronage of Sheikha Jawaher Bint Khalifa Al Khalifa, this milestone Global Family Office Investment Summit 2026 event brought together entrepreneurs, private investors, and decision-makers focused on long-term value creation. We’re seeing Dubai transform into something extraordinary—a financial ecosystem where generational wealth meets next-generation innovation.
Anthony Ritossa Summit Dubai Celebrates 10-Year Legacy
Founded by Anthony Ritossa, the Summit Series was built on bringing together visionary entrepreneurs and patient, generational family capital in an environment designed for alignment. The Anthony Ritossa Summit Dubai has evolved dramatically since its inception. What started as intimate conversations has grown into a global platform spanning three continents, facilitating meaningful relationships and significant investment activity across real estate, private equity, venture capital, technology, and healthcare.
“Ten years in, what matters most are the relationships built quietly and sustained over time,” Ritossa explained. His approach focuses on substance over spectacle. The Dubai Investment Conference 2026 format deliberately cultivates genuine connections rather than transactional encounters. Attendees consistently describe the experience as transformative.
The 10-year anniversary edition features a highly curated agenda of private roundtables, fireside discussions, and invitation-only investment conversations complemented by exclusive receptions and the Family Office Lifetime Achievement Awards. These elements honor leaders who exemplify both commercial success and social responsibility.
Dubai Investment Conference 2026 Attracts Global Capital
Over the past decade, Dubai has emerged as a global crossroads for wealth, innovation, and long-term thinking, making it a natural home for a gathering dedicated to multigenerational impact. The numbers tell a compelling story. The UAE’s bankable wealth hit $1 trillion in 2024 and is on pace to grow to $1.5 trillion by 2028, according to Boston Consulting Group data.
This growth trajectory positions Dubai as a magnet for sophisticated capital. Dubai hosts 75% of the region’s family offices, offering access to $3 trillion in private wealth. That concentration creates unique opportunities for collaboration and co-investment among participants at the Global Family Office Investment Summit.
Beyond wealth concentration, Dubai offers infrastructure advantages. St. James’s Place, the UK’s largest wealth manager, recently launched its first Middle East office in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)—a global financial hub housing over 410 wealth and asset management firms as of end-2024. This institutional buildup supports increasingly complex deal structures.
Family Office Investment Trends 2026: Navigating Complexity
The landscape facing family offices has shifted considerably. Geopolitics is now the top risk, cited by 64% of family offices, according to J.P. Morgan’s 2026 Global Family Office Report. Yet despite this acknowledged uncertainty, most maintain disciplined allocation approaches.
Family Office Investment Trends 2026 reveal interesting contradictions. While 65% of family offices intend to prioritize AI, this focus is not yet fully reflected in their portfolios. Many lack exposure to growth equity, venture capital, or infrastructure—precisely the asset classes central to technological advancement. This gap presents opportunities for managers who can bridge ambition and execution.
Family offices are expected to push deeper into private markets and international investments in 2026, while next-generation leaders drive greater adoption of technology and demand more transparency in operations. This generational shift influences both investment strategy and operational philosophy. Younger family members bring different expectations around impact, transparency, and technological integration.
The Global Family Office Investment Summit provides a venue for families to share insights on these evolving priorities. Peer learning accelerates adaptation in ways that formal research cannot replicate.
Wealth Management Dubai: Institutional Maturity Arrives
Wealth Management Dubai has undergone remarkable professionalization. What came next was a “professionalization of family offices,” accelerated by recent growth in the number of ultra-high-net-worth investors in the region, increasing demand for more structured and institutionalized wealth management approaches, according to Ali Janoudi, Head of New Markets at Lombard Odier Group.
This maturation manifests in multiple ways. Governance structures have tightened. Business-owning families are paving the way on governance, with 48% establishing formal structures compared to 40% of non-business-owning peers. That formalization reflects both growing complexity and intergenerational transition pressures.
Technology adoption accelerates alongside organizational sophistication. They are investing in strong foundations: clean data, trusted analytics, clear reporting, robust security, and transparent governance. These basics enable better decision-making under uncertain conditions. They also facilitate succession planning by creating shared visibility across generations.
Wealth Management Dubai benefits from regulatory innovation. DIFC’s family office regulations provide clarity around establishment requirements, operational standards, and fiduciary responsibilities. This framework attracts international families seeking predictable legal environments.
Private Equity Family Office Allocations Expand
Private Equity Family Office allocations reflect confidence in illiquid strategies despite market volatility. Alternatives represent 42% of participating families’ portfolios, with more than half of respondents bullish on private credit and infrastructure, with nearly one-third citing plans to increase allocations to each asset class in 2025-2026, BlackRock’s 2025 Global Family Office Report found.
This allocation pattern differs from traditional institutional approaches. Family offices embrace longer time horizons and concentrated positions. They can tolerate illiquidity in ways that pension funds and endowments cannot. That flexibility unlocks deal structures unavailable to more constrained capital sources.
Direct investing has grown particularly popular. Sourcing and managing direct investments ranks among the top strategic priorities, alongside managing liquid financial assets and structuring estate planning. Direct deals provide control, transparency, and the opportunity to add operational value beyond capital provision.
The Global Family Office Investment Summit facilitates these direct relationships. Entrepreneurs pitch to decision-makers without intermediary filters. That immediacy accelerates due diligence and deal execution when interests align.
HNWI Investment Forum Dubai: Strategic Conversations
The HNWI Investment Forum Dubai format emphasizes quality over quantity. The summit represented some $4.5 trillion in investor wealth from sheikhs, royal families and leading businesses from more than 30 countries. This concentration of decision-making authority enables efficient capital deployment.
Attendees value the curated nature of interactions. “This conference draws very particular [people]—it draws decision makers from the highest level from all around the world, and allows you access to those decision-makers,” noted Haydn Hammond, Director at Invictus – New World Holdings Sales.
The HNWI Investment Forum Dubai covers diverse investment themes. Topics span blockchain and digital assets to fintech, Web3, healthcare, real estate, venture capital, private equity, and co-investments. This breadth reflects the diversification strategies that characterize sophisticated family office portfolios.
Philanthropic priorities receive significant attention alongside investment discussions. “What makes this Summit truly distinctive is its emphasis on impact alongside investment,” according to H.E. Claudia Pinto, Head of Philanthropy & Sustainability. Many families view social responsibility as integral to legacy preservation rather than separate from wealth management.
Dubai Family Office Opportunities: Infrastructure and Innovation
Dubai Family Office Opportunities extend beyond traditional asset classes. The emirate’s strategic positioning creates unique access points for regional and global investments. “Dubai sits in a strategic wealth corridor between Asia and Europe,” offering geographic advantages for portfolio diversification.
Infrastructure investment attracts particular interest. More than 70% currently have no investments in infrastructure, even though AI’s advancement depends on data centers and digital infrastructure. This gap represents a significant opportunity for families willing to commit capital to long-duration assets with steady cash flows.
Real estate remains a cornerstone allocation for many offices. Dubai’s property market combines established legal frameworks with continued demand growth. “The UAE, and particularly Dubai, still has a lot to offer to HNWIs, with its continued investments in luxury real estate, diverse entertainment options, innovative technology, and stable political environment. Golden, green and investor visas are just the beginning of a new era to attract talented students, skilled people and wealthy investors,” explained Shailesh Dash, founder of Dash Venture Labs.
Venture capital exposure has increased as families seek exposure to innovation. During the first six months of 2025, UAE family offices closed venture capital investment deals worth around $3 billion, behind only the U.S. and the UK in family office rankings for VC transactions, according to PwC data.
The Future of Global Family Office Gatherings
The Global Family Office Investment Summit continues evolving to meet changing family needs. AI has become embedded infrastructure, generational transition is reshaping the purpose of wealth, and geopolitical fragmentation has made uncertainty the operating baseline. A renewed focus on humanity, identity, and long-term resilience is shaping how families prepare for the decade ahead.
These structural shifts demand forums that go beyond investment product presentations. Families need spaces for strategic dialogue about governance, succession, purpose, and impact. The Anthony Ritossa Summit Dubai creates such an environment through its emphasis on relationship building and long-term thinking.
“The Summit has taught me that true wealth isn’t built in crowded markets, but in quiet conversations with patient partners who think in decades, not quarters,” said Pedro Guerra Alves, Founder of PGA Consultoria – Real Estate, reflecting on a €500 million commitment to Portugal discussed at the gathering.
Looking forward, Dubai’s position strengthens as regulatory frameworks mature and infrastructure expands. Dubai’s appeal as a financial centre continues to grow, underpinned by its strategic location, progressive regulation, and advanced financial infrastructure. Independent wealth managers are capitalising on these strengths, catering to an expanding base of high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals who increasingly demand bespoke, cross-border wealth solutions.
Conclusion: Where Capital Meets Conviction
The Global Family Office Investment Summit 2026 in Dubai represents more than an annual gathering. It symbolizes a fundamental shift in how generational wealth approaches capital allocation, impact, and legacy. As families navigate geopolitical uncertainty, technological disruption, and intergenerational transition, forums that prioritize genuine relationship-building over transactional interactions become increasingly valuable.
Dubai’s emergence as the premier venue for these conversations reflects both its infrastructure investments and its commitment to creating an enabling environment for global capital. With 75% of regional family offices now based in the emirate and assets under management projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2028, the city has established itself as an indispensable hub for family office activity.
For families seeking to preserve and grow wealth across generations while making meaningful impact, events like the Anthony Ritossa Summit Dubai offer irreplaceable opportunities to learn from peers, discover emerging opportunities, and forge the patient partnerships that define successful long-term investing. The next decade will likely see Dubai’s influence continue expanding as more families recognize the advantages of its unique combination of stability, innovation, and strategic positioning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Global Family Office Investment Summit?
The Global Family Office Investment Summit is an annual gathering founded by Anthony Ritossa that brings together 300+ family offices, entrepreneurs, and private investors for curated discussions on investment opportunities, wealth preservation, and multigenerational impact. The 29th edition took place February 4-5, 2026, in Dubai.
Why is Dubai an attractive location for family offices?
Dubai hosts 75% of the region’s family offices with access to $3 trillion in private wealth. The emirate offers zero personal income tax, robust regulatory frameworks through DIFC, strategic positioning between Asia and Europe, and political stability that attracts global capital.
What investment trends are shaping family offices in 2026?
Key trends include deeper allocations to private markets and infrastructure (42% of portfolios in alternatives), increased focus on AI investments despite limited current exposure, geopolitics as the top risk concern, and next-generation leaders driving technology adoption and transparency demands.
How has Anthony Ritossa influenced family office gatherings?
Anthony Ritossa founded the Summit Series on the principle of bringing visionary entrepreneurs together with patient, generational family capital. Over 10 years, he built a global platform spanning three continents that facilitates meaningful relationships and significant investment activity through curated, invitation-only formats.
What is the projected growth of wealth management in Dubai?
The UAE’s bankable wealth reached $1 trillion in 2024 and is projected to grow to $1.5 trillion by 2028, positioning Dubai as the world’s sixth-largest wealth booking center. This growth is driven by regulatory innovation, infrastructure development, and continued HNWI migration to the region.
What role does private equity play in family office portfolios?
Private equity represents a significant portion of family office alternative allocations, with families increasingly pursuing direct investments for greater control and transparency. UAE family offices closed $3 billion in venture capital deals in the first half of 2025, ranking third globally behind only the U.S. and UK.
How are family offices addressing succession planning challenges?
According to J.P. Morgan’s 2026 report, 86% of family offices lack clear succession plans for key decisions. Families are responding by establishing formal governance structures (48% of business-owning families), investing in technology for transparent reporting, and involving next-generation members earlier in investment decisions.
