🇦🇪👌 How Sarwa Built One of the UAE’s Smoothest Fintech Products
CPO Robin Harb shares the product principles behind Sarwa’s seamless design and steady growth + a special bonus for anyone building in fintech.
It’s officially summer, and so is the heat here in the UAE 😅
And while most are packing up for some well-deserved travels, I’ve been thinking about product craft. Not the glossy kind, but the quiet, thoughtful details that make a fintech product feel effortless.
This week’s guest gets that better than most. Robin Harb, CPO of Sarwa, joined me for a conversation on what it really takes to build trust-first products in a regulated space - and why clarity often beats cleverness.
We cover onboarding friction, tiny UX wins, and how Sarwa has scaled from robo-advisor to full trading platform without losing its core. If you’re into product thinking, this one’s for you.
PS - if you missed the previous Q&As, you might also like Careem Pay’s fintech playbook and Ziina’s journey to becoming a UAE fintech unicorn.
PPS — Don’t miss the bonus at the bottom of the article
There’s a treasure trove of 7 internal Sarwa documents shared by CEO Mark Chahwan - including their Series A deck, Growth Strategy, and a guide on how to get a UAE fintech licence. It’s gold for anyone building in fintech.
🇦🇪👌 How Sarwa Built One of the UAE’s Smoothest Fintech Products
Meet Robin, Sarwa’s CPO
Robin Harb is Chief Product Officer at Sarwa, where he leads the vision and evolution of the platform - from robo-advisory roots to its full-featured investing and trading capabilities. Before this, he spent over two years at McKinsey & Company as a consultant. Robin brings a structured, craft‑first approach to building regulated, trust‑focused fintech in the UAE market.
You can connect with him on LinkedIn.
Sarwa’s interface feels both simple and smart. How do you make UX decisions when clarity and complexity collide?
Our core principle is clarity without clutter. We ensure that every screen includes all the essential information a user needs but nothing more. Tooltips are used to explain financial terms without overwhelming the primary interface. If a screen feels crowded, we haven’t simplified enough.
For example, in our options trading feature, when placing an order we clearly explain technical terms like "stock collateral" or "cash collateral" and display the relevant values available to the user. The goal is for the user to feel fully informed without being overloaded even in more advanced products.
Your onboarding stands out for its ease. What did you choose to leave out - and why?
While most of our onboarding requirements are defined by regulation, we obsess over how that information is presented.
We simplify data entry through:
Sliders and tappable options over text inputs
Breaking forms into multiple short screens with smooth transitions
Progress indicators that help users feel in control
The goal is to remove any friction so users can easily go through a regulated onboarding flow that might otherwise feel like paperwork.
You’ve talked about the power of micro UX touches. What’s one tiny interaction you’ve obsessed over that paid off?
One example is the animated chart transitions when switching timelines. A small touch, but users have directly messaged us about how smooth and "premium" it feels a reminder that users do notice details.
Another is the "Trade" button interaction. Tapping it triggers a micro-animation that expands into buy, sell, and options choices. It turns a functional action into a delightful one.
We also use Lottie animations to explain order types when a user places an order for the first time. Visual storytelling reduces friction and improves understanding where terms can get intimidating quickly and could be more difficult to understand.
Investment platforms need trust. What product decisions helped you earn it?
We focus on three pillars to build trusts:
Transparency → All fees and product mechanics are clearly explained in the app.
Simplicity → If users understand what’s happening, they’re more likely to trust the platform.
Education → Through in-app tips, content, webinars, and community sessions.
I believe that at Sarwa, given we started as a robo-advisor first, we always have the mission to build long-term wealth for our customers. That trust carried over as we launched Sarwa Trade and other products users already knew our mission was aligned with their best interest of building wealth through time.
Outside of product building we also carry those principles as we've been sharing more and more information about Sarwa as a business and educational content via our different channels and building a trustworthy customer excellence team. To build trust it is important to have a holistic approach from the product, to the content.
PS - If you’re into real lessons from fintech founders…
Mark Chahwan, Sarwa’s co-founder and CEO, recently launched a newsletter sharing behind-the-scenes reflections from building one of the UAE’s most trusted investment platforms.
Each week, he drops sharp, unpolished insights from real founder conversations, product calls, and tough decisions. No fluff. No trend-chasing. Just honest takes from someone in the trenches.
👉 Subscribe to Mark’s newsletter here if you’re building, investing, or just curious about what it actually takes.
When you decide what to build next, how do you balance feedback, data, and gut feel?
We balance three elements:
Strategic goals e.g., increasing addressable market, customer satisfaction, revenue etc.,
Impact vs. effort What’s the reach (how many user want this improvement? which type of user want it?), what is the impact (what is the customer experience if we don't have this feature? what is the business impact? Does it help us have a competitive advantage?).
Customer voice Collected through surveys, interviews, app store reviews, and our CX team
We look at both qualitative and quantitative feedback, depending on the goal. I’m also a superuser of Sarwa myself using the product daily. That first hand experience sharpens my intuition and helps me empathize deeply with customers when prioritizing and relating to their feedback.
Sarwa operates in a tightly regulated space. How do you stay product-led without slowing down on compliance?
We maintain a close, proactive relationship with regulators. That means:
Engaging them early before launching new features
Aligning incentives focusing on products that genuinely serve customers
Building in safeguards e.g., limiting access to advanced tools until the user demonstrates understanding
This approach allows us to move fast while staying compliant and building a good relationship.
Everyone talks about product-market fit. When did you know Sarwa had it?
We’ve felt it in three waves:
MVP Robo-advisor Launch → Users were willing to fund accounts via international wires just to access it. We ran a survey asking if they’d be disappointed if Sarwa disappeared and over 40% said “very disappointed.” That was an early sign of PMF.
Local Funding → A game-changer. Monthly deposit volume nearly doubled, and engagement spiked. It validated how small infrastructure changes can unlock big growth.
Sarwa Trade Launch → Adoption on day one was very high. Existing users jumped on it immediately, showing that people wanted a unified platform for long-term investing and active trading.
How has the UAE audience shaped the product?
The UAE is a unique market with a majority-expat population and a strong appetite for global investments.
That shaped our roadmap in several ways:
International-first approach → US ETFs and global equities were prioritized over local assets
Halal offerings → Addressing regional demand for faith or ethically guided investment options
Localization → English and Arabic UI to different language preference
Understanding the expat mindset wanting stability, long-term growth, and global access helped us craft a more relevant experience.
If you had to give one piece of advice to product teams building trust-first fintech products, what would it be?
Focus on Simplicity. The more clearly users understand your product, the more they’ll trust it.
This goes beyond UI, it includes how you tell your story, how your brand shows up, and how your support team talks to users.
💜 Special Bonus
Sarwa CEO Mark Chahwan is a strong believer in building in public, transparency, and giving back. Over time, he’s shared a treasure trove of practical resources - invaluable for any fintech founder. Here are a few of the best:
Sarwa’s Series A Deck: the deck that helped Sarwa raise their $8.4M Series A, and the hard lessons that came with it
Sarwa’s playbook on acquiring their first 1000 customers
Sarwa’s growth strategy deck (The strategy they took to go from $1M to $10M ARR)
Sarwa’s playbook on how to get a UAE Fintech license (spoiler: it only took them 8 weeks)
Sarwa’s complete brand guidelines
Sarwa’s investor day full deck (a rare insight into their strategy)
Sarwa board meeting pre-read template
Until next time - Dom 👋
Thanks for reading. Hit reply if you’ve got thoughts – or DM me here if you’re on the web.
About Dom Monhardt, founder of one-fs.com
I am a French technologist and product leader living in Dubai, with 15+ years of experience in building cutting-edge and innovative digital experiences.
I am interested in the intersection of business, design, and technology and am deeply passionate about the fintech and digital banking world.
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