His yearbook at Middlesex University Dubai reads “I will be a millionaire before I hit 30”, and at 25 Luxy, the millionaire dating app, has verified his annual income at $1 million. Ibrahim Hanif got his big break with a high-risk shorting strategy that produced him AED 898,000 net – still a far cry from a million-dollar net worth let alone a million-dollar income.
It is the series of steps that followed this massive payday that contributed to his current portfolio. For one, Ibrahim did not upgrade his lifestyle and, in fact, kept a day job as a marketing manager. He employed all of his net earnings from the deal, as mentioned earlier towards a unique investment strategy.
“Only invest if you can lock gains in 3 months,” he sums up his strategy. Locking gains is a concept where the investor earns back the initial investment while the difference stays in the vehicle for long to medium-term capital gains. It is not the strategy that is rare, but the presence of legitimate vehicles that allow such investments. This aspect is where Ibrahim’s routine of meeting one stranger a day, pays off.
By turning networking into a habit, he increases the odds of him coming across opportunities that regular investors do not have access to. One such odd investment under the Ibrahim Hanif HQ umbrella is a roster Instagram accounts, bought in 2017 and rented out to college graduates who pay a percentage of every influencer payout they receive.
“It is a win-win. I got my money back in a month, and now the bloggers make money for their content, and I get a percentage for cutting out all the hard work needed to reach the visibility required to be a paid influencer.”
Digital media properties have remained 10% of IHHQ’s portfolio. Multi-journal business contributor William H. Morris finds that Hanif has consistently entered markets at the right time, and shorted select businesses within them, on his way out. This tactic, and doubling down on what is working till there is a drop in ROI, has made Ibrahim’s formula as powerful as it is risky. With 90% of the fund’s investments still undisclosed, there is no evidence that the overall strategy is based on locking gains at three months, or in timing markets – and exiting with a short. It, ultimately, is Ibrahim’s account and is up to the reader to conclude whether he or she is confident enough in mimicking the strategy on their own.
About the author:
Trisha P. Noronha is an indian business writer based in Kuwait. Her 15 years of writing experience encompasses investing, personal finance, and forex trading.