Property prices in Dubai have fallen sharply, the geopolitical situation is tense, and yet the Emirates are investing massively in AI. Together with Baris, our international financial advisor, I looked into the question: Does investing in Dubai still make sense right now, and what does it have to do with our holding?
First day in Dubai, a good 40 degrees, reasonably well rested. I meet Baris, a very good friend and at the same time the financial and investment advisor to our holding. We want to hear what things look like in Dubai right now, what investment opportunities there are and what you can actually do at the moment. No sales pitch, just an honest look.
On the road with Baris in Dubai, June 2026. Not investment advice, just our view as entrepreneurs.
Who Baris is and why he advises our holding
We met in 2016 or 2017 in Frankfurt, at an IT company we both worked for. We quickly realised that we think alike and want more than a permanent job. Within a year we had both quit. I went freelance, then set up on my own and built the holding. Baris was very successful as a freelancer, did a lot of trading on the side and found the rules for it in Germany so complicated that he moved to Dubai. Today he is married there, earns his money mainly from trading and recently started his own YouTube channel.
Baris advises our holding on all investment questions: shares, trades, property, every opportunity that comes up. A holding is about building wealth. I live in Germany, Germany is and will remain my home of choice, and I see things differently from someone who looks at the whole world from Dubai with a very international perspective. It is exactly this outside view that helps us handle our money properly. Because I have to focus on making sure our companies grow. And money that just sits in the account is dead money. How we handle profits in the operating business is in my post on the numbers of our IT consultancy (German).
Ghost town? What we saw on the ground
We all followed the global political situation, and Dubai itself was affected. In Germany the line was: Dubai is empty, a ghost town. We were stuck in traffic. Baris says what the media show is totally exaggerated. His parents in Germany sent him all sorts of things, but it was never that bad, and he feels as safe as ever. If he had not told me there had just been a war here, I would not have noticed. The traffic is all there.
Prices down 30 percent: Opportunity or risk?
We drive to the Jumeirah Bay Islands, where Baris wants to show me a few properties that have become cheaper because of the situation. His assessment:
Price drop: Around 30 percent on property, and on rents too.
Outlook: He does not expect it to fall any further, because there have been no real attacks for months and the situation is calming down.
The investor’s logic: It is not about whether you like a place, but about where you have a strategic advantage. Whoever waits until everyone comes back and prices rise by 50 percent again pays the high prices along with them.
Sometimes Baris only advises, sometimes we invest together. With him I run the model that we like to go full risk together, with careful thought of course. No risk, no return. For me this is not a private decision, I do not want to move to Dubai tomorrow. But regardless of all the controversial opinions, Dubai is a very interesting place and will remain one. Right now in particular, with these prices, you can make a good investment and build a foothold in the Gulf region.
Why a base in Dubai matters for us as an AI company
This is the point that goes beyond returns. If you operate in the AI space in the Gulf region, want to win contracts or work with the government and bring German quality here, you need a base on the ground. It does not work from Germany. And setting up a company in the Emirates is easy; as a German in particular you are welcome, because people know the quality is right. What the Emirates and Qatar are planning on AI, I put into context in my post on AI governance and the global competition (German).
Investing money blindly is just as dangerous as leaving it sitting there. It takes the right strategy and the right partners. Would you invest in Dubai right now? Tell me on LinkedIn or below the video on my YouTube channel. By the way, one of the boats in the marina has to be called SFM one day.
Frequently asked questions
Is this post an investment recommendation?
No. I describe how we think as entrepreneurs and as a holding, and what our advisor on the ground makes of the situation. Every investment depends on your situation, your place of residence and your appetite for risk, and belongs in front of your own advisors.
Why does a German holding invest abroad at all?
Because a holding is meant to build wealth, and capital sitting in an account loses value. An international view reveals options you cannot see from Germany. For us there is the added fact that a base in the Gulf region is necessary for AI projects with governments and corporations there.
How safe is Dubai after the events?
Our impression on the ground in June 2026: heavy traffic, normal life, no ghost town. The assessment of the security situation is up to each individual, though, and it can change.
Property prices in Dubai have fallen sharply, the geopolitical situation is tense, and yet the Emirates are investing massively in AI. Together with Baris, our international financial advisor, I looked into the question: Does investing in Dubai still make sense right now, and what does it have to do with our holding?
First day in Dubai, a good 40 degrees, reasonably well rested. I meet Baris, a very good friend and at the same time the financial and investment advisor to our holding. We want to hear what things look like in Dubai right now, what investment opportunities there are and what you can actually do at the moment. No sales pitch, just an honest look.
Who Baris is and why he advises our holding
We met in 2016 or 2017 in Frankfurt, at an IT company we both worked for. We quickly realised that we think alike and want more than a permanent job. Within a year we had both quit. I went freelance, then set up on my own and built the holding. Baris was very successful as a freelancer, did a lot of trading on the side and found the rules for it in Germany so complicated that he moved to Dubai. Today he is married there, earns his money mainly from trading and recently started his own YouTube channel.
Baris advises our holding on all investment questions: shares, trades, property, every opportunity that comes up. A holding is about building wealth. I live in Germany, Germany is and will remain my home of choice, and I see things differently from someone who looks at the whole world from Dubai with a very international perspective. It is exactly this outside view that helps us handle our money properly. Because I have to focus on making sure our companies grow. And money that just sits in the account is dead money. How we handle profits in the operating business is in my post on the numbers of our IT consultancy (German).
Ghost town? What we saw on the ground
We all followed the global political situation, and Dubai itself was affected. In Germany the line was: Dubai is empty, a ghost town. We were stuck in traffic. Baris says what the media show is totally exaggerated. His parents in Germany sent him all sorts of things, but it was never that bad, and he feels as safe as ever. If he had not told me there had just been a war here, I would not have noticed. The traffic is all there.
Prices down 30 percent: Opportunity or risk?
We drive to the Jumeirah Bay Islands, where Baris wants to show me a few properties that have become cheaper because of the situation. His assessment:
Sometimes Baris only advises, sometimes we invest together. With him I run the model that we like to go full risk together, with careful thought of course. No risk, no return. For me this is not a private decision, I do not want to move to Dubai tomorrow. But regardless of all the controversial opinions, Dubai is a very interesting place and will remain one. Right now in particular, with these prices, you can make a good investment and build a foothold in the Gulf region.
Why a base in Dubai matters for us as an AI company
This is the point that goes beyond returns. If you operate in the AI space in the Gulf region, want to win contracts or work with the government and bring German quality here, you need a base on the ground. It does not work from Germany. And setting up a company in the Emirates is easy; as a German in particular you are welcome, because people know the quality is right. What the Emirates and Qatar are planning on AI, I put into context in my post on AI governance and the global competition (German).
Investing money blindly is just as dangerous as leaving it sitting there. It takes the right strategy and the right partners. Would you invest in Dubai right now? Tell me on LinkedIn or below the video on my YouTube channel. By the way, one of the boats in the marina has to be called SFM one day.
Frequently asked questions
Is this post an investment recommendation?
No. I describe how we think as entrepreneurs and as a holding, and what our advisor on the ground makes of the situation. Every investment depends on your situation, your place of residence and your appetite for risk, and belongs in front of your own advisors.
Why does a German holding invest abroad at all?
Because a holding is meant to build wealth, and capital sitting in an account loses value. An international view reveals options you cannot see from Germany. For us there is the added fact that a base in the Gulf region is necessary for AI projects with governments and corporations there.
How safe is Dubai after the events?
Our impression on the ground in June 2026: heavy traffic, normal life, no ghost town. The assessment of the security situation is up to each individual, though, and it can change.
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