Dubai: Emirates NBD announced the global investment outlook for 2026 themed 'Eyes Wide Open'. Maurice Gravier, Group Chief Investment Officer, Wealth Management at Emirates NBD, presented the outlook at a media roundtable hosted at Emirates NBD's offices in Dubai CommerCity, with media representatives and senior officials from Emirates NBD in attendance.
According to Emirates News Agency, Gravier and his team began with a retrospective of 2025, highlighting excellent returns supported by a clear investment roadmap established by the previous theme, the 2025 'Winds of Change'. This strategy yielded US$ returns between 13% and 20%. Gravier stated, "Our strategies outperformed global peers by our widest margin ever."
Opening the discussion for 2026, Gravier noted that the new year would be characterized by deep tech-driven transformation and a shifting global balance of power, resulting in clear opportunities, especially for the long term, but also risks. He observed, "Everywhere we look, we see limits being tested by the combination of AI expansion with geopolitical antagonism. Fiscal and social limits immediately come to mind. Geopolitical red lines will be probed, while alliances and rivalries alike are reshaped. Financial limits, from equity valuations to government and projects funding, will also be tested, as will investors' nerves."
While discussing the macro themes of gold, AI, and emerging markets, Gravier emphasized the need for vigilance and selectivity. He stated, "First, portfolio construction and risk management are paramount. We have reshuffled our strategic asset allocation to ensure portfolios always point to the long-term destination quintessential to wealth management. It is built to protect capital over defined horizons (3, 5, and 7 years) and is diversified enough to provide options to act upon adverse events."
Gravier expressed the expectation of positive returns overall, especially in the first months of the year, highlighting the importance of finding the right opportunities below the headline asset allocation with granular analysis.