Trade & Investment
From The Report: Abu Dhabi 2017
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Abu Dhabi has long been associated with buy-side investment activity, thanks largely to its success in transforming fiscal surpluses into global investments aimed at ensuring future economic security. However, after two full years of lower oil prices, Abu Dhabi’s attractiveness as a destination for inward investment has become more pertinent, with the government seeing boosting foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows as a useful means of mitigating its spending cuts. The same pressures highlight the importance of diversifying the emirate’s export basket, which is dominated by oil and related products. The UAE’s strong performance in indexes such as the World Economic Forum’s “Global Enabling Trade Report” illustrates Abu Dhabi’s capacity to boost its non-oil export activity, and realising this potential is now a strategic imperative.

This chapter contains interviews with Mohamed Thani Murshed Al Rumaithi, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and Ahmed Al Sayegh, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Global Market.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

In sharp focus: Diversification of foreign trade has become a higher priority
OBG
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Abu Dhabi has long been associated with buy-side investment activity, thanks largely to its success in transforming fiscal surpluses into global investments aimed at ensuring future economic security. However, after two full years of lower oil prices, Abu Dhabi’s attractiveness as a destination for inward investment has become more pertinent, with the government seeing boosting foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows as a useful means of mitigating its spending cuts. The same pressures…

Overview

In sharp focus: Diversification of foreign trade has become a higher priority
OBG
plus

Abu Dhabi has long been associated with buy-side investment activity, thanks largely to its success in transforming fiscal surpluses into global investments aimed at ensuring future economic security. However, after two full years of lower oil prices, Abu Dhabi’s attractiveness as a destination for inward investment has become more pertinent, with the government seeing boosting foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows as a useful means of mitigating its spending cuts. The same pressures…

Interview

Shifting landscapes: Mohamed Thani Murshed Al Rumaithi, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI), on the future specialisations of the public and private sectors
OBG
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Interview: Mohamed Thani Murshed Al Rumaithi How will the public-private partnership (PPP) model impact Abu Dhabi’s private sector? MOHAMED THANI AL RUMAITHI: The distinguishing feature of PPPs in Abu Dhabi is that, unlike other parts of the world, the government here is not facing an imminent shortage of funds. Usually, the raison d’être for PPPs is that the public sector faces budget constraints and needs the financial support of the private sector. We see that the very concept of PPPs is…

Interview

Shifting landscapes: Mohamed Thani Murshed Al Rumaithi, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI), on the future specialisations of the public and private sectors
OBG
plus

Interview: Mohamed Thani Murshed Al Rumaithi How will the public-private partnership (PPP) model impact Abu Dhabi’s private sector? MOHAMED THANI AL RUMAITHI: The distinguishing feature of PPPs in Abu Dhabi is that, unlike other parts of the world, the government here is not facing an imminent shortage of funds. Usually, the raison d’être for PPPs is that the public sector faces budget constraints and needs the financial support of the private sector. We see that the very concept of PPPs is…

Analysis

Innovate to accumulate: The emirate’s new financial free zone features a tailor-made regulatory system
OBG
plus

While the first year of operations for Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) has brought much attention for its licensed financial institutions, and the regulatory and judicial infrastructure within which they operate, 2017 is likely to see more emphasis on the zone’s strategy to develop as a broad-based financial centre. This means pursuing growth beyond the core areas of private banking, wealth management and asset management. A key element of this wider mandate is the development within ADGM…

Analysis

Innovate to accumulate: The emirate’s new financial free zone features a tailor-made regulatory system
OBG
plus

While the first year of operations for Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) has brought much attention for its licensed financial institutions, and the regulatory and judicial infrastructure within which they operate, 2017 is likely to see more emphasis on the zone’s strategy to develop as a broad-based financial centre. This means pursuing growth beyond the core areas of private banking, wealth management and asset management. A key element of this wider mandate is the development within ADGM…

Interview

Growth and innovation: Ahmed Al Sayegh, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), on building an international financial centre in Abu Dhabi
OBG
plus

Interview: Ahmed Al Sayegh How does ADGM aim to position itself among other financial centres in the region? AHMED AL SAYEGH: Many institutions, local and international, recognise that the Middle East and Africa is an important and fast-growing region. Abu Dhabi is a natural hub and gateway to the region. Local stakeholders from the UAE or the wider Middle East are key users of financial services. However, most of these financial services have had to be conducted outside the region. There is now…

Interview

Growth and innovation: Ahmed Al Sayegh, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), on building an international financial centre in Abu Dhabi
OBG
plus

Interview: Ahmed Al Sayegh How does ADGM aim to position itself among other financial centres in the region? AHMED AL SAYEGH: Many institutions, local and international, recognise that the Middle East and Africa is an important and fast-growing region. Abu Dhabi is a natural hub and gateway to the region. Local stakeholders from the UAE or the wider Middle East are key users of financial services. However, most of these financial services have had to be conducted outside the region. There is now…

Analysis

Life begins at 40: Having passed a milestone, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority is looking to future opportunities
OBG
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The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), the emirate’s sovereign wealth fund (SWF) and one of the principal pillars of Abu Dhabi’s economic stability, has come a long way since its foundation in 1976. Having started out in a shared office, where a small staff and a handful of external managers pursued a simple investment strategy based on stock and bond purchases, in 2017 ADIA is the world’s third-largest SWF, according to the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute, with estimated assets…