HSBC Appoints Sami Abouzahr as Head of International Wealth and Premier Banking for UAE and Middle East

HSBC appointed Sami Abouzahr as Head of International Wealth and Premier Banking for the UAE and Middle East, effective immediately, the bank said. Abouzahr relocates from Hong Kong, where he has served as Head of Investments and Managed Solutions, Wealth and Premier Solutions, since July 2025. EIN Presswire reported the appointment on October 21, 2026.

Abouzahr's Move From Hong Kong to the UAE

Abouzahr has been with HSBC for over 20 years in senior wealth roles across the group's two home markets, according to the announcement. He brings 20 years of international leadership experience across wealth management, asset management and banking.

Selim Kervancı, CEO of HSBC Middle East, North Africa and Türkiye, said: "Sami's deep wealth management expertise and his understanding of the needs of affluent and high-net worth clients – built across Asia and our international network – make him the right leader to capture the significant opportunity in the region as we continue to invest in our people, products and infrastructure."

Abouzahr said: "HSBC's international network gives us an unrivalled ability to connect clients here to global opportunities. I look forward to building on the strong momentum in the business as we reposition the Middle East as a leading wealth hub for the Group."

Omar Al-Ansari, Head of International Wealth & Premier Banking at HSBC in Qatar, said the appointment demonstrates HSBC's continued investment in the region and reinforces its commitment to bringing global wealth capabilities closer to clients.

HSBC's Regional Wealth Build-Out

In 2026, HSBC opened Qatar's first Wealth Centre in Msheireb Downtown Doha, according to the announcement. The bank also launched enhanced Premier Wealth services and significantly increased the number of frontline colleagues dedicated to serving affluent customers.

According to akta.pro company records, HSBC launched its Tokenised Deposit Service in the UAE in June 2026, adding the UAE dirham to a live tokenised deposit network spanning Hong Kong, Singapore, Luxembourg, the UK and the US. The same records show HSBC announced a multi-year strategic partnership with Google Cloud in June 2026 targeting more than 200 AI use cases over two years.

Earlier HSBC Moves in the Region

On October 20, 2026, HSBC Group CEO Georges Elhedery reaffirmed the bank's commitment to the Middle East, North Africa and Türkiye region, citing an $872 billion pipeline of individual project packages, Zawya reported.

On October 19, 2026, Sajith Premadasa expressed concern over reports that HSBC's Global Service Centre in Sri Lanka could relocate to the Philippines, potentially losing 3,000 direct and 500 indirect jobs, Daily Mirror reported.

On October 16, 2026, HSBC had deployed over half of its $1 billion startup fund within a year, with 70-80% going to B2B and B2C commerce platforms, The Times of India reported, citing global innovation banking head David Sabow.