UAE investors bought AI and crypto assets on dips during the US-Iran conflict
Comparative news, according to Cointelegraph, during the US-Iran conflict, UAE investors chose to buy AI and digital assets on dips rather than reduce their overall positions. According to eToro data, in the first quarter, UAE users increased their holdings of a number of software and AI infrastructure stocks with sharp stock price pullbacks. eToro market analyst Josh Gilbert said that UAE investor behavior is dominated by long-term themes rather than risk aversion. The most obvious sign is that the AI infrastructure and software sectors — ServiceNow (+125%), Super Micro Computer (+65%), Adobe (+54%), and Oracle (+38%) have all achieved significant gains in the context of market pressure. In terms of crypto assets, Strategy Inc. remains the eighth-highest stock held by UAE investors, showing a continued allocation of crypto-related assets.
Deutsche Bank's April 13 report indicated that the conflict is more likely to strengthen rather than weaken the region's demand for AI, cybersecurity, and sovereign digital infrastructure; however, it also quoted reports that Amazon cloud service data centers in the UAE and Bahrain have been attacked, and the planned 1GW Stargate campus in Abu Dhabi has also been threatened. The report also pointed out that the Gulf region's sovereign wealth fund managed a total of about 5 trillion US dollars in assets in 2025, and Abu Dhabi-related institutions are one of the most active sources of funding in the global AI field.
The overall operation of local crypto businesses in Dubai has remained normal. Ben El-Baz, managing director of HashKey MENA, told Cointelegraph that based on the cloud trading and escrow system, the overall business remains normal; Binance also confirmed that the vast majority of employees chose to stay behind, but Token2049 Dubai has been postponed until 2027. The Dubai Virtual Asset Supervisory Authority (VARA) continues to advance the regulatory framework for activity types. Sean McHugh, head of market security at VARA, said that in times of pressure, serious market participants are looking for the clearest regulatory environment rather than the most relaxed regulatory jurisdiction.
