Mirwais Azizi

Mirwais Azizi (born 1962) is a Dubai-based Afghan Businessman.^[1][2][3] He is the chairman of Azizi Group of companies, which he founded in 1989 with a presence in realty, banking, investment, and hospitality.^[4] He is also the chairman of Azizi Bank,^[5][6] which he established in 2006 in Kabul, Afghanistan, with $7.5 million in equity capital and has since reached up to $80 million.^[7]

Mirwais Azizi
Born	Mirwais Azizi 1962 (age 62–63) Laghman, Afghanistan
Alma mater	Kabul University
Occupation	Founder-chairman of Azizi Groups of UAE-Afghan & Azizi Bank
Years active	Since 2000 -
Known for	Founder of Azizi Bank
Children	7
Family	Azizi Family

Azizi is currently building Burj Azizi,^[8] the second-tallest tower in Dubai.^[9] He was featured in the list of "Arabian Business 100 Inspiring leaders in the Middle East" in March 2018.^[10][11]

He is regarded by many Afghans as Afghanistan's richest man, who handled as much as 70% of the petroleum products sold in Afghanistan, reported by Asia Sentinel.^[12]

Early life and education

Azizi was born in Laghman of Afghanistan. He graduated in Law from the University of Kabul.^[13] He left Afghanistan in 1988.^[14][15]

Career

In 2007, Mirwais Azizi established Azizi Developments.^[16] A year prior, he founded Azizi Bank, which became one of the largest commercial financial institutions in Afghanistan.^[5] He also acquired Bakhtar Bank (now Islamic Bank of Afghanistan)^[17] which is one of the fastest growing banks in Afghanistan.^[11]

Azizi Developments started selling off-plan properties in Dubai until the 2008 financial crisis. The majority of buyers could not continue payments and Azizi instructed that their deposits be handed back.^[18]

In 2013, Azizi Developments resumed the construction of projects.^[19] Presently, the company has more than 200 projects under various stages of development with a current portfolio in Dubai valued over AED 45 billion.^[20] The Azizi Hotak Group, which he started with an initial investment of $80 million, operates in 10 countries.^[14]

He has served on the board of trustees for American University of Afghanistan, the first non-profit higher education institution in Afghanistan.^[11][13]

Mirwais Azizi owned a number of companies such as Azizi Investments,^[21] Azizi Developments,^[19] Azizi Bank,^[16] Bakhtar Bank (now as Islamic Bank of Afghanistan) to name a few.

Personal life

He is married to Parigul, with whom he has 7 children, including Farhad Azizi, Fawad Azizi, and Jawad Azizi.^[13]

Further reading

• The Report: Dubai 2016. Oxford Business Group. 17 October 2016. p. 152. ISBN 9781910068687.
• Hamid Wahed Alikuzai (11 October 2013). A Concise History of Afghanistan in 25 Volumes, Volume 1. Trafford Publishing. p. 891. ISBN 9781490714479.