MEA Q3 2018

22 MEA MARKETS / Q3 2018 , RIF TRUST Investments is a company dedicated to providing private clients with innovative investment management, second citizenship and legal residency solutions in order to help themachieve their long-termfinancial goals. In July, RIF Trust were named among the winners of the 2018MEA Excellence Awards programme as the Leading Investment Advisor of the Year. On the back of their success, we spoke to the firm’s CEO, Mimoun Assraoui, to find out more about their inspiring approach to investment. The Leading Experts in Citizenship by Investment Solutions RIF Trust Investments have built a reputation on the back of a practised excellence in the investment industry. Since their inception, they have forged an undeniable expertise in second citizenship and legal residency investment solutions that few, if any, can match. Based out of Dubai, they have secured themselves as the go-to experts in a market that offers plenty of opportunity for growth and expansion in the years to come. To start the interview, Mimoun gives a brief overview of RIF Trust and their operations: “RIF Trust is a Dubai-based company dealing with high net worth individuals for all of their citizenship by investment and wealth management needs. We provide a roadmap of the process to gaining a second passport of residence, and then guide our clients through the whole process. We have recently merged with Latitude Consultancy, a leading European firm in the Investment Migration industry who offer industry- leading insight and expertise in private clients and governments. Together, we have expanded our services to encompass CIPs, and also auxiliary services, such as company incorporation, and taxation.” Ultimately, clients remain a top priority for RIF Trust, as it ensures that their services remain utterly client-centric to their core. As Mimoun highlights: “clients are our first priority and our philosophy behind our services is in our name: TRUST. We have a culture of excellence in our organisation where we find the best solutions for our clients based on our strong relationships with governments, lawyers and industry partners. Because we are trusted, and our clients trust us in turn, most of our client based is comprised of returning business and family and friends of previous clients.” The discussion soon moves to the unique challenges and opportunities of working within the United Arab Emirates. The region is known as a hub of business innovation, but, more importantly for Mimoun and RIF Trust, it is the ideal location for 1808ME02 those wanting to access CIP services. “The UAE is largely an expatriate community, similar to many of the Gulf Cooperation Countries, with many third country nationals wishing to access CIP services for ease of travel and for business purposes. This naturally presents an opportunity for our industry, but it is also challenging to ensure that we tailor our services for the individual needs of the clients.” With regards specifically to Dubai, Mimoun understands the importance of the city in driving RIF Trust’s growth: “Dubai has changed drastically over the past three decades, turning into a worthy business focus with a unique and expanded economy. It is also strategically located, business is booming and there’s a strong international presence.” Mimoun continues, speaking for a moment on future developments in the UAE. “The UAE Government recently announced some changes to its immigration sector with long-term Business Investor visas. This will certainly open up the UAE as an attractive business hub to operate out of and allow more investment into the country and region. There are, of course, new residency by investment programmes that have been announced in Moldova and Montenegro, and so we will – in turn - invest energy, time and effort to the residency options.” In his closing comments, Mimoun discusses the future of RIF Trust as it looks to capitalise on their merger with Latitude Consultancy: “Our recent merger means we are growing from strength to strength. Beyond its growing private client practice, Latitude also provides government advisory services, helping countries attract these global elites and their capital to their shores. We are therefore looking at working more on that level, but also across the board with real estate developers and banks, for example. With the support of its international partners and institutional relationships, RIF Trust and Latitude aims to provide genuinely innovative products, competitively priced services and customer-driven, hands-on delivery.”