Rizwan Sajan is an Indian entrepreneur based in Dubai and the founder and chairman of Danube Group, a United Arab Emirates built business spanning building materials distribution, home solutions, and real estate development. His trajectory is often described through a “trade to brand” arc: starting with a small trading operation, scaling supply and distribution across the region, then translating that platform into property development with a mass market positioning.

Sajan moved to Dubai in 1993 and began working in a hardware store. In the same year, he established Danube as a small trading firm. Over time, the company expanded beyond its original base into a wider network serving customers across the Gulf, with activity and operations extending outside the UAE in markets including Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, India, and China.

Building a scaled group

In a profile published by the UAE Ministry of Economy and Tourism, Sajan is described as having started in 1993 with “a few thousand dirhams”; the same official source cites Danube’s revenues at AED 5.13 billion and lists his net worth at $2.5 billion. The profile also records recognitions including a placement in Forbes Middle East’s “Top 100 Indian leaders in the UAE” list (ranking 12th in that mention), alongside the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Excellence Award.

As Danube grew, its operating logic stayed anchored in distribution: widening product lines, building repeat B2B demand, and using procurement and logistics scale to compete on availability and turnaround. This model, common among Dubai based trading houses, created a platform that could absorb adjacent verticals without abandoning the group’s original strengths in sourcing and inventory.

Danube Properties and the “1%” narrative

A more visible public phase of Sajan’s career began with the creation of Danube Properties in 2014. The company’s official leadership profile describes its purpose as delivering “affordable luxury” in Dubai, with an emphasis on customer oriented development.

In market positioning, Danube Properties became closely associated with its “1% payment plan,” promoted as a way to reduce the monthly barrier to entry for buyers. Danube’s own materials present the plan as a signature offering, while regional media has referenced it in the context of supporting first time buyers through smaller monthly installments and structured pre-handover payment schedules.

CSR and workforce development

The Ministry profile also links Sajan to the establishment of the Danube Welfare Society as part of the group’s CSR agenda, describing it as providing free training courses focused on language skills and career development for unskilled workers.

Across more than three decades in the UAE, Sajan’s biography illustrates a pattern seen in several Dubai based conglomerates: begin with trade, build a distribution machine, then translate scale into branded consumer facing businesses. His prominence rests less on a single “breakthrough” moment than on consolidating multiple verticals under the Danube name, while keeping the center of gravity in operational execution and repeat customer demand.