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Review_ Private Banks

Private Banks

Rothschild & Co Wealth Management

Rothschild & Co Wealth Management in the UAE: a family-controlled group with a DIFC office since 2024 and a deal to take on LLB's Middle East team.

Last reviewed: Next review due: February 2027

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Summary

Rothschild & Co is a family-controlled group whose records begin in 1769. Its Wealth and Asset Management business reported record assets under management of €143 billion at the end of 2025, of which €101 billion was in Wealth Management.

In the UAE, Rothschild & Co Wealth Management Middle East Limited has been licensed by the DFSA in the DIFC since June 2024, to advise on financial products, arrange deals in investments, arrange custody, and arrange and advise on credit. The office was announced as fully operational in November 2024. In September 2025, Rothschild & Co Bank AG agreed a deal with Liechtensteinische Landesbank to take on its Middle East wealth business, including around 20 staff, under a referral agreement.

Pros

  • Family-controlled group with a long-term approach to investing
  • DFSA-licensed wealth management office in the DIFC since 2024
  • Discretionary, advisory and Lombard lending from its Swiss private bank

Cons

  • The DIFC company advises and arranges; it is not licensed to hold client accounts itself, so ask where your assets would be booked
  • No published fee schedule for UAE clients found (checked November 2026)

Key facts at a glance

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

Fact Detail
Official website Rothschild & Co Wealth Management
UAE presence Rothschild & Co Wealth Management Middle East Limited, DIFC, licensed by the DFSA since Jun 2024: advising and arranging
Ownership Family-controlled group; records begin in 1769
Wealth and asset management scale Wealth and Asset Management assets under management €143bn at end-2025, of which Wealth Management €101bn
Services Discretionary and advisory mandates; Lombard lending and real estate financing (Swiss private bank); private banking in Guernsey. Ask which are available to UAE residents
Fees No published UAE schedule found. Schedules for other booking centres are listed in Sources
Recent changes Sep 2025: deal to take on LLB's Middle East wealth business, including around 20 staff

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

The DIFC company's DFSA permissions do not include accepting deposits or providing custody, so ask which entity would hold your account, where it would be booked, which regulator and protections apply, and how the relationship would continue if you left the UAE.

Ask for the all-in annual cost in writing, and for the share of the proposed portfolio in Rothschild & Co's 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

Rothschild & Co brings a family-controlled, long-term approach to wealth management, describing its aim as preserving and growing clients' wealth and managing their money as if it were its own. Its DIFC office, licensed in 2024, and its 2025 agreement to take on LLB's Middle East wealth team give it a growing presence in Dubai, and for families who value that heritage and continuity it is, in AES's view, a credible option.

The practical questions are about structure and cost. The DIFC company advises and arranges, so ask which Rothschild & Co entity would hold your account and where it would be booked. AES found no published fee schedule for UAE clients; schedules for its other booking centres are listed in Sources. Ask for the one that applies to you, and for the share of a proposed portfolio in Rothschild & Co's own funds.

In AES's view, heritage and a long-term mindset are real strengths. Make sure the structure, and the cost, fit your plan as well.

In AES's view, serious wealth planning starts with the whole picture: investments, structures, pensions, protection, succession and the life those assets are meant to support. The test is whether the products serve that plan, rather than the products defining it.

If you already bank with Rothschild & Co, 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 Rothschild & Co have an office in Dubai?
    • Yes. Rothschild & Co Wealth Management Middle East Limited has been licensed by the DFSA in the DIFC since June 2024 (DFSA), and the office was announced as fully operational in November 2024 (International Adviser).
  • What can Rothschild & Co's DIFC office do?
    • The DFSA register lists its permitted activities as advising on financial products, arranging deals in investments, arranging custody, and arranging and advising on credit (DFSA). Accepting deposits is not among them, so ask which entity would hold your account.
  • What was the LLB deal?
    • In September 2025, Rothschild & Co Bank AG agreed to take on Liechtensteinische Landesbank's Middle East wealth management business, including around 20 staff, structured as a referral agreement (Zawya; PwC).
  • What services does Rothschild & Co Wealth Management offer?
    • Its Swiss private bank offers discretionary portfolio management and advisory mandates, alongside Lombard lending and real estate financing (Rothschild & Co). Its private banking for international clients is based in Guernsey (Rothschild & Co).
  • What does Rothschild & Co Wealth Management charge?
    • AES found no published fee schedule for UAE clients (checked November 2026). Schedules published for Rothschild & Co's other booking centres are listed in Sources. Ask for the one that applies to you.

Sources

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