Welcome to the Holborn Assets Community

I am currently seeking new employment and have utilised a well known UAE job seekers website to enter my details onto. I found out today that Holborn Assets in Dubai viewed my details and CV on the 15th February 2015, and then used the data to cold call me yesterday, 16th February 2015.

The company will be brought to task as I have raised a complaint with a number of UAE institutions.

Best to avoid any company that cold calls you, especially if they use this form of inappropriate behaviour. It is also wise to ensure that they are licensed to operate with the Dubai FSA or other centralised authorities.

My experience with Holborn Assets in Dubai is very negative. They advised me to invest in a fund scheme and a pension with very high fees, both of which involved a locking money in for years and big penalties for withdrawing the funds.

The only reason they push these products is for large commissions. Due to the high fee rates being charged (up to 3%), they have to invest in more high risk funds to make a reasonable return. People who think that are getting a good service, don't understand how much more money they are losing from the heavy fees and commission!

There are lots of websites that have bed reviews for Holborn Assets - search for yourself. I blame myself for not doing a thorough check of their credentials.

To sum it up they are a talentless set of thieves.

I have recently returned to the UK from Dubai and can say this about ALL financial services companies in Dubai including Holborn Assets where I worked. They all want to sell you something that firstly benefits them.

The longer they sell you a savings plan for the more they earn..the penalties for leaving before you complete the term are huge.

They also try sell you more risky funds which again pay them a huge commission and when the *** hits the fan you are on your own. So glad to be back in England and making an honest living again...Steer clear and send your savings home and avoid all the sales *** you hear....

Holborn Assets claims to never cold call its prospective clients. However, having seen first hand how they operate I would like to expose this as false.

Instead of being honest like the Devere's of Dubai and just straight out cold calling, Holborn has set up a bank of telephones, rigged to appear to call through a London landline number. They'll then pretend to be calling from a third party company that would like to recommend you to one of their partners in Dubai. This will always be Holborn.

This would be fine if it wasn't an integral part of their marketing position to not participate in such tactics.

Daylight robbery, don't go anywhere near them. They put me into commission driven products and funds that were high risk and high commission paying.

Bob the owner is Ex RAF and supposedly a devote christian, he should be ashamed of himself. They have never responded to complaint or even consider what they have done with my hard earned money. DONT NOT USE THEM or DEVERE they are as bad as each other.

I was put into the IQS 17,000gbp this promptly lost me 12k gbp and I had to pay exit charges based on the original which they wont pay back to me. I was put into a generali personal portfolio bond which is not a suitable pension investment account due to high transaction fees, high commissions paid to the *** bag IFA and they dont seem to care as well.

Truly a shocking company.

Holborn Assets - Dubai based 'financial advisory' service is at best amateur, hiring 'independent financial advisors' with little or no experience in their fields and are incentivised to to sell investment products against ridiculously high targets.

Seemingly the 'Christian' run firm had been missing targets in 2014, hence setting its commission based staff super high targets - if met consultants were in for a chance of winning flights and tickets to the World Cup Finals in Brazil - all well and good if the IFAs don't brag and broadcast this information across social media channels and mention it to their clients. Surely financial advice should be about giving the best possible to support to your client - not flogging products to anyone that will buy them in the hope of a trip to Brazil!

Mr Alwyn Owens an "advisor" from Holborn Assets lost me 52000 GBP.

He advised I transfer my UK pension through Brooklands UK and he invested it in a hedge fund. I've lost it all in less than two years.

Holborn Assets couldn't care less and if the only good to come of this is that you steer clear of these bunch of weasels then take the heads up.

Not only was the advice I was given by Mr Owens disastrous but his complete lack of management of the situation in neglecting to try and mitigate my loss is the second reason I would not recommend anyone have anything to do with Holborn Assets.

The commissions charged and surrender penalties I would incur by surrendering the policy now would wipe out every penny of my hard earned pension.

I am reporting this case in the UK and Dubai to the regulatory authorities.

John Brennan

I'm 26% down since 2011 whereas had I left my pension where it was in the UK I would be about 20% up. They have ruined my pension, through poor advice and obscene fees!

They do not act in the interest of the investor and believe me I'm in investments myself and can't believe how *** I have been. Who pays the commission only advisors to fill out forms, who do you think the end client yes us. So if you transfer 100k they get 8% commission! is that fair?

I don't think so.

Daylight robbery assisted by Generali, Zurich, Skandia, Friends Provident, Royal London and Brooklands trustees. Anyone who thinks they aren't being ripped off I would challenge that any day to confirm that you are and I know you are.

I was conned into transferring my British Pension worth 52000 GBP by Mr Alwyn Owens of Holborn Assets.

He subsequently "invested" my hard earned funds into what turned out to be a hedge fund motivated by the high comissions he received.

My fund has lost 80 percent in 18 months.

I have tried to arrange a meeting with Robert Parker CEO of HOLBORN ASSETS and despite several requests for a meeting he is ignoring my communication.

I am therefore launching an investigation through Dubai CID and the fraud squad in the UK.

I suspect foul play.

my advice..next time you receive a cold call from "financial advisor" (trailer trash) call the Police..

From: reports@***.com

To:

Dear John,

Wednesday 12th March 2014

The IQS Performance Fund was down -3.45% on the day, with an estimated USD 147.28 per share, down -4.73% in March and down -31.71% in 2014 YTD.

The IQ-A programme for its allocation of The Fund's assets was down -1.31% on the day, and down -0.60% in March and down -10.63% in 2014 YTD. IQ-A positions by sectors are as follows:

I contacted an advisor of Holborn Assets back in 2009. I was advised to put a large amount of money in bonds with Friends Provident International.

It was supposed to be low risk, earn around 10% a year and easily cover fees of the bonds. As part of the investment, I also needed money placed on a short term deposit account. I was completely mis-sold this latter part as they placed it as part of the original bond and so it attracted early redemption fees, admin fees etc for a simple savings account I could have opened personally anyway. And the admin and support was appalling.

So many mistakes and conflicting advice. No follow up, no original documentation received. Then to top if all off last year (2013) one of the main schemes they advised to invest in turned out to be one of the many scam and fraudulent investments run by Peter Drake.

Any advisor with half a brain would have seen these investments were dodgy but all they wanted was the very very large commissions. Now they ignore letters of complaint and have basically lost me masses of money.

I asked this company holorn assets in dubai and was advised by a welsh person called aywyn owens to take out a 20 year savings plan with a company called Friends Provident international. I told him that i had just moved to dubai from the uk to work for emaar i was only on a short term contract.

i was unsure how long i would be in dubai. he told me it didnt matter because if i went back to the uk i could stop the payments with no penaly. i signed up for 2,000 dollars a month thinking all would be ok. my contract finished and i went back to the uk and could not afford to carry on the savings plan.

i tried to contact alwyn and holborn assets to stop the plan but was advised i could not or i would loose all my money. i had paid in just over 36,000 dollars. i eventually got hold of the owner of the company a chap called Bob Parker who simply said there is nothing he can de.

i have been ripped off and alwyn and lost the money i would have had while working in dubai. stay well clear of hoborn assets in dubai they are *** men