Insurance advice, independent of placement.

What is the difference between an advisor and a broker?

Data rules raise the stakes for cyber cover: the UAE’s Personal Data Protection Law, Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021, requires appropriate security for personal data, and breaches bring investigation and notification costs.

Licensed insurance brokers in the UAE are regulated by the Central Bank (CBUAE). They place cover, collect premiums, represent you in claims and are typically paid commission by insurers.

I don’t hold a broker licence and I don’t place insurance. I help you decide what you need, then introduce you to licensed brokers. Any commercial arrangement is disclosed in writing first.

Personal cover

• Health: compulsory for Dubai residents, from basic plans to international family cover. Many people are under- or over-insured for how they actually live and travel.
• Life: beyond the mortgage, covering school fees, a partner’s transition, business succession and estate questions in other countries.
• Home contents: standard valuables limits are often too low for jewellery, watches and art; specified-item cover fixes that.
• Motor: exclusions for off-road use, GCC travel and named drivers, and agency versus non-agency repair for high-value cars.

What cover does a Dubai business need?

Climate risk is no longer theoretical: the UAE recorded 254 mm of rain in under 24 hours at Khatm Al Shakla in Al Ain on 16 April 2024, the heaviest since records began in 1949, according to National Centre of Meteorology data reported by Gulf News. Business interruption cover sized on real recovery times matters.

“…exceptional event in the UAE’s climate history…”

National Centre of Meteorology, on the April 2024 rainfall (via Gulf News)

• Professional indemnity: often bought at the legal minimum rather than sized against your largest engagement.
• Directors and officers: personal protection for directors, increasingly relevant as governance and tax scrutiny grow.
• Cyber: incident response, regulatory investigations and third-party claims, including obligations under the UAE PDPL.
• Business interruption: the April 2024 Dubai floods showed many businesses were underinsured. Size it on revenue and realistic recovery time.

What should expat families check?

• International health cover wording: country exclusions, US cover, elective treatment.
• Medical evacuation and repatriation, not always included in health plans.
• School-fee protection if a parent dies, falls critically ill or must relocate.
• Life cover that works with inheritance rules in your home country.

How it works

1. Discovery (free, 30 minutes): current cover, exposures, gaps and overlaps.
2. Written review (fixed fee): exposure analysis and prioritised recommendations, yours to keep.
3. Broker introductions: one or more licensed brokers; comparing quotes is encouraged.
4. Periodic review (optional) as life and business change.

This is general information, not regulated advice.