Sipping coffee under the stars, sat on sprawling dunes in the middle of a dreamy desertscape — this is a scene straight out of the UAE's winter calendar. Pop-up desert cafes are making a comeback.
Although some of the old favourites have yet to reopen, a new winter pop-up has launched in Sharjah, signalling an exciting al fresco desert season in the coming months.
My Space Cafe is located in the Al Madam area, which is about a 40-minute drive from Downtown Dubai.
The cafe features al fresco seating scattered across the desert, playing into the specific novelty of such venues. Perch yourself on rocking chairs, or an Insta-friendly wooden swing. Guests also have the option to enjoy the desert experience indoors — at mini enclosed stalls peppered across the cafe.
Desert dining has grown in prominence over the years as UAE residents often escape to picturesque dunes away from the hustle of the city. Adding food and drinks to the mix, pop-up cafes have introduced a novel way to enjoy the sunset or a night out in the desert, previously only popular among overnight campers.
My Space Cafe, for instance, offers speciality coffee in a selection of hot and cold variations. Visitors can also indulge in sweet treats such as molten chocolate and coconut cake.
My Space Cafe is open daily from 3pm to 1am. For more details, email contact@myspacecafe.co
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
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