Dubai: eToro, the global multi-asset trading and investment platform, is accelerating its AI-driven transformation. Yoni Assia, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the UAE-licensed platform, discusses the role of AI, its use cases and its impact on investing and trading.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming financial services. How do you see AI reshaping the investing experience for retail investors over the next five years?
Yoni Assia: Over the next five years, AI will give every retail investor access to capabilities that were previously reserved for institutional investors, including tools for portfolio analysis, risk management and personalised insights.
For twenty years, we have been democratising finance. The first decade was about improving access through lower fees and better user experience; the second decade focused on making information more accessible through educational resources. The next decade will be about giving retail investors access to quantitative trading and sophisticated investment tools.
eToro recently unveiled an AI-first investing experience. How will AI-powered tools and agents change the way everyday investors discover opportunities, manage risk and build portfolios?
Yoni Assia: We believe investing is becoming AI-first. That is why we have redesigned the entire eToro experience around intelligence rather than simply adding AI features to an existing platform. Last week, we unveiled a new mobile app featuring agentic trading and sub-accounts, a new desktop platform for active traders, and a growing app store. We were able to build these upgrades so rapidly thanks to AI.
At the centre of the new app is Tori, eToro’s AI agent, which proactively surfaces relevant information instead of leaving users to identify opportunities and risks on their own. It has persistent memory, enabling it to remember a user’s portfolio, interests and previous activity, making the experience more contextual and personalised.
Using Tori, users can also build or copy portfolios managed by AI agents that trade around the clock on their behalf. Most importantly, our AI is built on the real decisions and track records of millions of investors over two decades — a form of intelligence that is difficult to replicate.
Together, these capabilities allow us to create an investing experience that is smarter, more accessible and more personalised to each retail investor’s needs.
What are the biggest opportunities, and risks, that AI presents for trading and investment platforms such as eToro?
Yoni Assia: AI is by far the biggest opportunity I have ever seen. It levels the playing field by giving retail investors access to technology that was previously available only to professionals. It also enables companies like us to innovate much faster and build better products. Retail investors will become the smartest money in the market.
The challenge for AI is trust. Investors need confidence that AI is working with reliable data, operating within clear guardrails, and supporting rather than replacing their decision-making.
Do you believe AI will ultimately democratise sophisticated investment strategies that were once accessible only to institutional investors and wealth managers?
Yoni Assia: Yes, it is already happening. I often say that, in the future, every retail investor will have something akin to a family office or hedge fund working alongside them. AI can analyse markets around the clock, personalise insights and help investors build strategies based on their own objectives. It can absorb the knowledge contained in the books and memos of the world’s leading investors and translate that knowledge into action.
The investor remains in control, but AI dramatically expands what an individual can achieve. That represents a major step forward in the democratisation of finance.
As AI-generated content becomes increasingly prevalent, how can investors distinguish between valuable insights and misinformation when making investment decisions?
Yoni Assia: AI should not replace judgement — it should improve it. The best AI is not designed simply to generate opinions; it should connect investors with trusted, real-time information, challenge assumptions and help people ask better questions. Financial education will remain essential because the quality of investment decisions will always depend on understanding the information behind them.
The UAE has emerged as one of the world's most dynamic fintech and investment hubs. What makes the market strategically important to eToro's long-term growth ambitions?
Yoni Assia: The UAE has created one of the world’s most forward-looking financial ecosystems. It combines global connectivity with a regulatory environment that supports innovation, which aligns closely with eToro’s global expansion strategy. Establishing our presence in Abu Dhabi, a growing fintech hub, and securing our licence from ADGM has enabled us to operate within a trusted and well-regulated ecosystem.
How are investor preferences and behaviours evolving in the UAE and the wider Middle East, particularly among younger, digitally native investors?
Yoni Assia: What we are seeing is that AI adoption is not just a Gen Z or millennial story in the UAE. According to our survey of 1,000 UAE-based retail investors conducted in April, older investors (aged 35–62) are just as digitally savvy as younger investors (aged 18–34). Trust in AI for investment recommendations is nearly identical: 76% of younger investors and 75% of older investors have acted on a recommendation generated by an AI engine. Both groups use social media for financial advice at almost the same rate (39% of younger investors and 38% of older investors). Social media and AI usage have increased across both age groups since August 2025, when the survey was last conducted.
In terms of investment preferences, younger investors favour technology, healthcare and renewable energy, while older investors tend to prefer energy, financial services and mining. This suggests that younger investors are backing future-focused sectors linked to innovation and sustainability, while more mature investors are more likely to support industries that are already well established in the UAE.
How significant is the addition of UAE-listed investment opportunities in helping local investors participate more actively in the country's economic growth story?
Yoni Assia: It plays a significant role. Investors naturally want to participate in the growth of companies and sectors they know well. Our goal has always been to open access to global markets, and that includes making local investment opportunities more accessible wherever possible.
We launched our UAE Economy Smart Portfolio in December to make this even simpler, allowing investors to gain exposure to key ADX and DFM-listed stocks with a single investment.
What initiatives is eToro currently pursuing in the UAE to strengthen its presence and better serve the region's growing investment community?
Yoni Assia: We are working closely with local exchanges, including ADX and DFM, to expand access to UAE-listed investment opportunities. We are also partnering with organisations such as Sahab School to support financial education.
In addition, we are making the user experience more seamless through initiatives such as UAE PASS integration, while remaining active within local financial and crypto communities through events such as Abu Dhabi Finance Week and Bitcoin MENA. We are also strengthening our brand through premium sporting partnerships and bringing our investor community together through exclusive client events.
Together, these initiatives reflect our long-term commitment to supporting the UAE’s ambition to become a global leader in fintech and investing.
How do you see the UAE's regulatory environment supporting innovation in fintech, digital assets and AI-driven investing?
Yoni Assia: Innovation works best when it is supported by clear and forward-looking regulation. The UAE has invested heavily in creating an environment where new technologies can develop rapidly while maintaining strong investor protections. Government-led initiatives such as UAE Vision 2031, the National AI Strategy, and programmes such as the DFSA’s Tokenisation Regulatory Sandbox have helped the region emerge as a hub for fintech, digital assets and, increasingly, AI.
Beyond regulation, the UAE’s favourable business environment has attracted top talent in these sectors, and talent is a key driver of innovation. Some of the most popular Pro Investors on eToro have relocated permanently to Dubai.
Looking ahead, how do you see the boundaries between traditional retail investing, social investing and AI-driven wealth management evolving in the UAE over the next five years?
Yoni Assia: What we currently regard as traditional retail investing is already being transformed by digital platforms. The boundary that is increasingly converging is that between social investing and AI.
Retail investors will continue to learn from one another through social feeds and copy trading, but each of them will also be supported by AI agents acting as partners in decision-making, risk management and capital allocation. There is also a new dimension to the social experience on eToro, as users are now building applications with AI-assisted coding tools and publishing them on the eToro App Store for sharing with our global community.
The underlying principle remains the same: we are smarter together. AI is the layer that harnesses this collective intelligence to empower investors.