Older and young adults are equally digitally savvy, increasingly using social media and AI for investment advice.
● Older adults show higher exposure to crypto, commodities, and cash.
● Younger investors favour future-facing sectors. Mature investors are more likely to support industries that are well established in the UAE.
● Both groups share the same top three investing goals: to achieve financial independence, to supplement income, and to provide long-term security.
There is an age-old debate on the generational divide when it comes to managing money. It often starts with familiar assumptions: the young are impulsive, the old play it too safe; the young are more tech-savvy, the old are not so plugged in.
But eToro shows a more nuanced picture, according to its latest UAE Retail Investor Beat survey data comparing investors aged 18-34 with those aged 35-62.
The survey found that older investors are just as digitally savvy as younger investors. Both groups use social media for financial advice at almost the same rate, as 39% of younger investors and 38% of older investors do so. Trust in AI for investment recommendations is also nearly identical: 76% of younger investors and 75% of older investors have acted on a recommendation by an AI engine. Rather than being concentrated among the youth, social media and AI usage has risen across both age groups from August 2025, the last time the survey was conducted.
A sharper distinction lies in older investors being more likely to seek financial advice from online platforms or brokers (57% vs 52% of younger investors), while younger investors are more likely to consult family, friends, colleagues and industry peers (67% vs 60% of older investors), suggesting a more social and interpersonal approach to decision-making.
Differences in allocations
It may come as a surprise that older investors show higher exposure to crypto (56% vs 53% of younger investors), commodities (61% vs 52%), but also cash (50% vs 46%). Allocations to equities and bonds, both foreign and local, are broadly equal between both age groups. This suggests a more barbelled approach among older investors, who may be pairing higher-risk assets with typically less-volatile ones, rather than simply playing it safe.
In terms of the sectors that UAE investors are currently invested in, the most popular ranking is the same across both age groups – financial services, followed by real estate and energy – but some sectors are more popular among one age group than the other.
Younger investors have a greater preference for technology (36% vs 32% of older investors), healthcare (26% vs 23%) and renewables (26% vs 24%), whereas older investors prefer energy (42% vs 38% of younger investors), financial services (51% vs 48%) and mining (28% vs 26%). This points to a younger investor base backing future-facing sectors linked to innovation and sustainability, while the more mature investors are more likely to support industries that are well established in the UAE.
Josh Gilbert, Market Analyst at eToro added: as they are earlier on in their investment journey, naturally younger investors are more likely to plan to invest in a wider array of sectors in the future to keep diversifying their portfolio. The sector they are most likely to invest in within the next three months is renewables (45%), while for older investors it is communications (40%).
Communications, including social media and telecoms companies, stands out as a point of equal conviction, with 27% of each age group currently invested and another 40% planning to invest in the next three months. While this feels almost instinctive among younger investors, its presence in older investors’ portfolios reflect the trust in the digital, social, and media ecosystems they are turning to for advice.
Investment goals suggest financial independence first, fun on the side.
Likewise, the two groups share the same top three investing goals: to achieve financial independence, to supplement income, and to provide long-term security. However, there are still some divergences. Older investors are much more likely to invest to beat inflation (27% vs 23% of younger investors) and to supplement income (52% vs 44%).
On the other hand, younger investors are more likely to invest for fun (15% vs 11% of older investors), to retire early (19% vs 15%) and to generate capital for a future payment (28% vs 25%). So despite choosing to invest for fun, younger investors are also balancing it out with long-term financial planning.
Still in the wealth-building phase of their investing journey, 59% of younger investors increased contributions to their portfolio over the past three months (vs 55% of older investors), and even more plan for increases in the next three (68% vs 62%). A small minority of each group (9% of younger investors, 8% of older investors) decreased portfolio values in the past three months, against the backdrop of recent geopolitical tensions in the region.
Settling the debate.
The data shows that old assumptions are becoming outdated. The tide has turned. Social media, artificial intelligence and crypto are no longer the territories of young investors alone. Older investors are part of the digital mainstream now.
What stands out is that both groups are leaning into markets right now, with both younger and older investors looking to increase portfolio exposure. In an environment where markets have been anything but straightforward, with geopolitical noise, rate uncertainty and volatility a constant backdrop, it suggests investors are here for the long-term.
Furthermore, younger investors are not simply impulsive, and older investors are not simply cautious. Both are adapting to a more digital, diversified investment landscape, just in different ways.
Settling the debate, then, is recognising that age shapes investment behaviour in more nuanced ways than stereotypes allow.
Written by Josh Gilbert, Market Analyst at eToro