Spear’s Review

Ali-Abbas Merali is a partner and head of the investment solutions group in Azura Partners’ Middle East office, working alongside Middle East CEO Mohamed Virani.

The Dubai outpost has been thriving since opening in 2021, Merali says, and has further benefited from Abu Dhabi-based alternative investment manager Lunate’s involvement. (Lunate, which has more than $115 billion in assets under management, acquired a stake in the firm in 2025.)

Being ‘in front of clients’ and providing them with ‘solutions that are best suited for the time’ are core to Merali’s investment ethos, and he is an avid proponent of using technology for information sifts in order to remain delivering top-quality client service.

Before joining Azura Partners, Merali held UHNW client-facing positions at Julius Baer, Standard Chartered, HSBC and Citi.

Adviser Profile

Ali-Abbas Merali is a partner at Azura Partners and is based in Dubai.

With over 20 years of experience, Ali-Abbas has worked with UBS, Citigroup, HSBC and Julius Baer. During his tenure at Julius Baer from 2014 to 2021, Ali-Abbas held the role of head of key clients EMEA. He achieved recognition as being among the top 20 global performers in the organisation.

‘With over $3.1 trillion in assets under management, family offices are becoming a major force in private wealth, shaping investment strategies and influencing markets worldwide. At Azura Partners we specialise in guiding investors through this shifting landscape, offering bespoke solutions across both private and public markets,’ Ali-Abbas says.