Skip to content
Review_ Private Banks

Private Banks

Coutts

Coutts for UAE residents: a UK private bank that serves clients living abroad, run from the UK or the Crown Dependencies. What to ask first.

Last reviewed: Next review due: February 2027

Book a Discovery Call with AES

Summary

Coutts is a London private bank founded in 1692 and part of NatWest Group. NatWest's Private Banking & Wealth Management business, which includes Coutts and, since 2026, Evelyn Partners, reported assets under management and administration of £132.4 billion at 30 September 2026.

AES found no Coutts office in the UAE (checked November 2026). In 2015, RBS, now NatWest Group, sold Coutts International, including its Middle East entities, to Union Bancaire Privée; those entities transferred in October 2015. It does serve clients who live outside the UK, describing its international offer as designed for people who live and work across borders, and it has a separate relationship fee for clients who live and are domiciled outside the UK. New clients need at least £3 million in investments or savings, or borrowing of at least £3 million; WealthBriefing reported in April 2026 that this had been raised from £1 million.

Pros

  • Serves internationally based clients, including people working abroad who plan to return to the UK
  • The UAE is listed as a country of residence on its join form
  • An offshore option through Coutts Crown Dependencies in Jersey and the Isle of Man

Cons

  • No Coutts office in the UAE found (checked November 2026), so the relationship would be run from the UK or the Crown Dependencies
  • Coutts does not give tax advice, which matters for clients with lives in more than one country

Key facts at a glance

Checked on 10 November 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this review.

Fact Detail
Official website Coutts, international clients
UAE presence No office found (checked November 2026). Coutts International, including its Middle East entities, sold by RBS to UBP in 2015
Regulated entity Coutts & Co, authorised by the PRA and regulated by the FCA and PRA (FRN 122287)
Minimum to become a client £3m in investments or savings, or £3m borrowing (reported in Apr 2026 as raised from £1m)
Fees Relationship fee for clients living and domiciled outside the UK £125 a month, waived at £3m or more; FX commission up to 1%. AES could not confirm investment management fee rates from published material; ask for them in writing
Offshore option Coutts Crown Dependencies (The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited), Jersey and Isle of Man; tariff listed in Sources
Investment approach Three-pillared philosophy to preserve and grow wealth across generations; own multi-asset funds include Coutts Managed Funds and Personal Portfolio Funds

If you live in the UAE: what to look at before you sign

AES found no Coutts office in the UAE, so a relationship would be run from the UK or through Coutts Crown Dependencies in Jersey or the Isle of Man. That can suit families whose finances are still centred on the UK. Ask how your account would be treated while you are resident in the UAE, which entity would hold your assets, and what would change if you moved again.

Ask for the investment management fee in writing alongside the monthly relationship fee that would apply to you, and for the share of the proposed portfolio in Coutts' own funds.

Questions worth asking any private bank:

  1. Which entity and booking centre will hold my assets, and which regulator and compensation scheme apply?
  2. What is my all-in annual cost, in money and as a percentage, including fund charges, FX spreads and product fees?
  3. How much of the portfolio will be in the bank's own funds or products?
  4. How is my private banker paid, and does that pay depend on what I buy or borrow?
  5. What happens to the relationship if I leave the UAE?

Ask for the answers in writing. They make any two offers directly comparable, and show how well each fits your plan.

Our view

For a British professional in Dubai, Coutts is a familiar name, and it does look after clients who live outside the UK, including people working abroad who plan to return. If your financial life is still anchored in the UK, through property, a business or children at school, that continuity has, in AES's view, real appeal.

The trade-off is distance. AES found no Coutts office in the UAE, so the relationship would be run from the UK or the Crown Dependencies, and Coutts does not give tax advice. In 2020 it announced that it would withdraw from clients living in the European Economic Area, which shows that services for people living abroad can change. Ask which entity, law and protections would apply to you. Ask how an account would work while you live in the UAE, what share of a portfolio would be in Coutts' own funds, and what the investment management fee would be in writing.

In AES's view, a trusted British name for a British life. If your life is now in Dubai, ask how well a London relationship fits it.

In AES's view, planning for decades begins with your purpose, and only then asks which products serve it. That is a useful lens for any private banking relationship, whichever bank it is with.

If you already bank with Coutts, or are considering doing so, a no-obligation AES Second Opinion can examine how the overall arrangement fits your financial plan, including its investment approach, costs and structure.

FAQs

  • Does Coutts have an office in Dubai?
    • No. AES found no Coutts office in the UAE (checked November 2026). In 2015, RBS sold Coutts International, including its operations in the DIFC, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, to Union Bancaire Privée (Lenz & Staehelin), and its Middle East entities became part of UBP in October 2015 (UBP).
  • Can I keep my Coutts account if I move to Dubai?
    • Coutts says its international team supports UK clients who want to move abroad, and typical international clients include people working abroad who plan to return to the UK (Coutts). It charges clients who live and are domiciled outside the UK a relationship fee of £125 a month, waived at £3 million or more; UK-based clients pay £100 a month, waived at £500,000 or more (Coutts). Ask which applies to you. Its services can change: in 2020 it announced that it would withdraw from clients living in the European Economic Area (International Adviser). Ask Coutts directly how your account would be treated once you are resident in the UAE.
  • What is the minimum to become a Coutts client?
    • Coutts asks new clients to hold at least £3 million in investments or savings, or to borrow at least £3 million, within three months of joining (Coutts). WealthBriefing reported in April 2026 that this was raised from £1 million (WealthBriefing).
  • What is Coutts Crown Dependencies?
    • Coutts Crown Dependencies is the trading name of The Royal Bank of Scotland International Limited, based in Jersey and the Isle of Man (Coutts Crown Dependencies). It says it serves UK resident, non-resident and international clients (Coutts Crown Dependencies). Its published tariff is listed in Sources.
  • Who regulates Coutts?
    • Coutts & Co is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, firm reference number 122287 (Coutts).

Sources

Other private banks reviewed

Message us