How Dubai's Richest Kids Spend Their Billions

Over the past 50 years, Dubai has become the epicenter for lavish living in the Middle East. An oil boom and relaxed tax laws have made it a haven for the world's rich and famous. Now, the emirate is starting to experience generational wealth with children born to ultra-rich parents. Today, we're looking at the lives of the richest kids in Dubai. Rashid Saif Balhassar, better known by his alias Money Kicks, is renowned for his unreal lifestyle which he shares daily with his 1.6 million Instagram followers and 2.2 million YouTube subscribers. And his fans tune in to watch him mingle with celebrities and high-rollers alike. Lionel Messi, Shah Rukh Khan, and Salman Khan are among some of the names on his speed dial. They all want to spend time on our family farm and see our tigers, Balhassar told a Dubai-based paper. Sometimes I have to say no. I don't have the time, and it is tiring. The 16-year-old has many possessions that the average person could never dream of. Among his many Instagram flaunts is his Ferrari F12 Berlinetta with its 6.3-liter V12 engine, which he got wrapped in a Louis Vuitton Supreme Collaboration print. Now the sad part, he will not be able to drive the powerful car until he turns 18 because that is the legal driving age in Dubai. He even lives in a mansion in the UAE that has its own private zoo filled with over 500 exotic animals. Inside the private zoo, you'll find lions, tigers, panthers, leopards, cheetahs, giraffes, and even bears. Balhassar revealed that the zoo isn't open to the public, the family don't make a profit from it, but there's some concern regarding how the animals are treated. So where did all this money come from? His father, Saif Ahmed Balhassar, is one of the richest people in the country, having an estimated net worth of $2.2 billion. Balhassar owns many companies in various sectors like energy, transportation, trading, real estate, advertising, technology, education, etc. Balhassar also owns Dubai's largest swimming pool construction company, which received seven awards at the Masterpools Guild Excellence Awards in 2011. Rashid has followed in his father's footsteps and, like many people with inherited wealth, is launching his own clothing brand where shoes are sold for more than $30,000 each. Money Kicks is the proud owner of a vast shoe collection hosting limited edition Yeezys, Bapes, and Air Jordans, all stored in bespoke cases and reported to be worth an estimated $1 million. Mo Vlogs is the face of vlogging in the Middle East. The 23-year-old, whose real name is Mohamed Bayragdari, shot to fame largely thanks to his fanatical interest in the luxury cars of Dubai. With almost 8.5 million subscribers on YouTube, he commands a powerful following in his native Dubai, with videos regularly getting millions of views and more than 1 billion total channel views. Most of his views center around his everyday life. However, his daily life is much more exciting than the average person because he flies around the world and rubs elbows with celebrities. It also can't be denied that a major chunk of Mo Vlogs' viewership comes from automotive enthusiasts who are there to witness some amazing cars. If his own enticing duo of the Mustang and Huracan aren't enough, Mo often visits various car events that feature beauties like the Bugatti Veyron, Pagani Zonda, a Nissan GTR, and many other vehicles. Mo Vlogs also uses very clever branding in order to entice new fans. For example, he was recently looking out for a new car to replace the Ford Mustang and repeatedly mentioned considering the Nissan GTR and the Ferrari 458. A couple of days later, he rented out a yellow Ferrari 458 Spyder, parked it in his garage where, ideally, his Mustang is parked, and used the title, I got a Ferrari. Obviously, this would make people think that he finally went for a Ferrari as his next car. However, he did mention in the video that the car was rented. Unlike Money Kicks, Mohamed didn't come from an ultra-wealthy family, but his success as an influencer has earned him more than $7 million. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, better known as Sheikh Hamdan, is the Crown Prince of Dubai. Though he is technically not a kid, the 37-year-old prince grew up in the lap of luxury and flaunts his wealth whenever possible. Obviously, Hamdan attended all of Dubai's most prestigious schools before getting a master's degree at the London School of Economics. But the Sheikh is beloved by most of Dubai's residents, who view him as down-to-earth and approachable despite his startling net worth of more than $400 million. He is also famous for his love of animals. His 8.8 million Instagram followers have witnessed his love for camels, dogs, fish, and many other creatures. He is also a huge supporter of education in his home emirate. Sheikh Hamdan is president of Hamdan bin Mohammed Smart University, founded in 2009. With a focus on business and health studies, the university offers a mix of online and in-person teaching. And his title is not just a formality. Hamdan presides over several high-level government entities that play a vital role in supporting the economy and labor market in the UAE, such as Dubai Municipality, Al Maktoum Foundation, Dubai Aluminum and Dubai Natural Gas Company Limited, Dubai World Trade Center, and others. But this doesn't prevent him from breaking out of his routine and traveling the world. Just this year, he's traveled to the USA, New Zealand, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, and Italy, among many others. Those holidays don't tend to take place on a beach with an ice-cold coconut water, though. Sheikh Hamdan is a little more adventurous than that, whether it means skydiving, cliff diving, snorkeling, or spearfishing. And as if he didn't have enough hobbies, Hamdan is also an avid writer. He is known for his romantic and patriotic poems in Arabic. He publishes his poems under the name Ali Mohammed is one of the most iconic and influential fashion bloggers in Dubai. He has more than 40,000 followers on Instagram and frequently posts himself wearing designer brands like Prada, Gucci, and Fendi. He also has lucrative endorsement deals with many establishments around Dubai. For example, he posted a photo of himself lounging in the infinity pool at Vida Hotels in Dubai. The upscale hotel not only gave him a complimentary stay, they also gave him several thousand dollars for the Instagram promotion. He also snapped up a 1.5 million dollar Bentley. This was a huge accomplishment, as he mentioned on his Instagram. He grew up poor and felt thankful for the new set of wheels. According to his post, one of the highlights of my career so far has been being able to take this beauty for a ride before its official launch in the region. Growing up, I never really had the comfort of luxury. We would commute in an old broken Honda Accord 1991, and I knew one day things would be different. Success is humility and knowing that one day, the broken-down Honda can turn into a Bentley. You just have to believe in yourself, be persistent, and never stop grinding. Speak things into existence, and the universe will listen. He also dropped $10,000 on a plane ticket from Dubai to Cairo, a relatively short distance but extremely expensive, when you do it in style, as Ali did. With 250,000 Instagram followers and almost 90,000 YouTube subscribers, the Badoura twins have a ton of clout around Dubai. Claudia and Lauren Badoura are a perfect representation of the twin-fluencer movement. This involves two siblings breaking into the influencer world together. The Badoura sisters share their social accounts and are seemingly inseparable based on their posts. Though they are actually from a small town in Poland, the sisters now split their time between London and Dubai, where they have a home. They got their start as models in the UK and now have endorsement deals with many beauty brands and clothing companies. Most of their YouTube posts are tutorials regarding makeup, fashion, and getting ready for swanky events. Both beautiful within their own rights, these stunning sisters have collectively made a name for themselves within the social sphere. Because they are often featured as beauty inspiration on blog spots and Instagram feeds, there is no avoiding these glamorous twin sisters. Elsa Adelia is another Dubai-based influencer with a penchant for fashion. This Finnish supermodel has a remarkable collection of summer wear that has caused a splash in the fashion world. She is married to a Lebanese man who introduced her to the Arab world. Since then, she has fallen in love with the region and spends most of her time in Dubai. Offering a lineup of elegant yet cool dresses for the summer season, Adelia ensures that her eponymous label not only mirrors her signature aesthetic but creates pieces which would easily find their way into any style connoisseur's wardrobe. Whether it's the Mykonos or the Venice, the pieces are named after exotic holiday locales, giving you a vacation feel right out of your home city. Her Instagram charts her travels through regions like the Arctic Circle and the Mediterranean. However, most of her pics show her sitting poolside in Dubai, her newfound home. Cara Murray, better known as the Duchess of Dubai, is a British influencer who claims to be living the Dubai dream. She married a wealthy Emirati man and has had two children with him. Most of her account is based around her family life with her two beautiful boys, but she occasionally shows vacation pics, like from a recent trip to Glasgow, Scotland. It's unclear who her husband is, but it's obvious he is swimming in cash. They have a lavish lifestyle living in the heart of Dubai, and their home has scenic views of the entire city. For this British mum, Dubai is the epicenter of her world. Mohammed bin Ahmed Jaber Al-Habi, or Maj, is the best friend of Sheikh Hamdan. The only odd thing is that he is 32 years younger than the Crown Prince. It's unclear exactly why the Sheikh is so enamored with this five-year-old, but it has translated to 500,000 Instagram followers for Maj. Both Sheikh Hamdan and Maj keep posting photographs on Instagram with each other that show how close they really are. Just in case you guys don't know, this is my best friend, Maj wrote in one of his Instagram posts. Another post featured him hanging upside down on a bar with the caption, Hang on no matter what the situation. Alongside him on the bar is Maj, the Prince's best friend. Maj has appeared frequently in the Crown Prince's social media posts and on his personal account. Maj's pictures are predominantly of him with the Prince using the hashtag, The picture, which garnered more than 182,000 likes, is just one of this royal's athletic abilities with his pint-sized friend. Maj is the same gentleman who tipped his hat as he offered his hand to Queen Elizabeth at the Epsom Derby in the UK last year. This moment went viral and earned him numerous British fans in addition to his Dubai consort. His father, Ahmed Jaber A.J. Al-Habi, is a close friend of the Prince, and he spends much of his time traveling the world with his father and the Crown Prince. Until Hamdan has children of his own, it seems like Maj will be the object of his affections whether they're seeing the sights of Italy or hanging out at the pool.