Abu dhabi: A high-level economic delegation from Abu Dhabi, led by the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED), has signed agreements with business, financial, and advanced technology powerhouses to further enhance the strong trade and investment ties with the United States.
According to Emirates News Agency, during a 3-day visit to New York, the delegation engaged in meetings with business and investment leaders in the US, exploring collaboration opportunities. The visit witnessed the inking of agreements to enhance cooperation in different sectors and areas including startups, family businesses, SMEs, digital infrastructure, new energy, advanced manufacturing, and financial services.
Led by Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of ADDED, the delegation comprised over 100 senior representatives from government and private sectors including Ghannam Al Mazrouei, the Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) Group, Hamad Sayah Al Mazrouei, Undersecretary of ADDED, Badr Al Olama, Director General, Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), Rashed Lahej Al Mansoori, Director General, Abu Dhabi Customs, and Shamis Al Dhaheri, Second Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Abu Dhabi delegation engaged in over 40 meetings with top government officials as well as key businesses and investors. Senior officials and executives from the delegation also participated in the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) Investor Conference in New York, organized by the Exchange in collaboration with Morgan Stanley.
The event brought together 15 of Abu Dhabi’s largest listed companies from diverse sectors, with a combined market capitalization exceeding USD 300 billion, and featured more than 100 one-on-one meetings with leading U.S. institutional investors managing assets of over USD 10 billion. Recognized among the world’s top 20 exchanges and one of the fastest growing globally, ADX is cementing Abu Dhabi’s position as a dynamic and resilient leading financial hub.
Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of ADDED, expressed pride in the strong and evolving partnership with the United States. He noted that the visit has enabled the delegation to build more collaborative initiatives to harness new trends, mega shifts, and technological transformations witnessed by the global economy.
Backed by five decades of fruitful cooperation, trade and investment ties between Abu Dhabi and the US continue on an upward trajectory. In the past five years, Abu Dhabi’s non-oil trade with the US grew by 28.4% and US companies starting to do business in Abu Dhabi witnessed a 52.9% CAGR. Mutual investments are also increasing and expanding, supercharging growth across various sectors and industries, and creating thousands of jobs.
Al Zaabi added that this steady and impressive growth reflects the depth and strength of cooperation with the US, and there remains a commitment to enhance it further, enabling businesses and investors to grow, thrive, and expand.
The Abu Dhabi Investment Forum (ADIF) in New York, organized in partnership with ADIO and ADGM, provided a suitable platform to senior executives, institutional investors, and officials to explore new opportunities for bilateral partnership and investment through dedicated panel discussions on Abu Dhabi’s high-growth sectors.
The Family Business roundtable, organized by Abu Dhabi Chamber and the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU), highlighted the Emirate’s ongoing economic transformation, showcasing investment opportunities, and reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s role as a global business and investment hub.
The Abu Dhabi Chamber convened high-level meetings between leading Emirati family businesses and American companies, advancing partnerships across technology, clean energy, logistics, manufacturing, real estate, infrastructure, finance, and the food industry. These sessions strengthened channels for investment, knowledge exchange, and long-term cooperation.
In 2024, bilateral trade between the UAE and the US rose 8.5% to USD 34.4 billion, cementing the UAE’s position as the largest US trading partner in the Middle East, with trade spanning all 50 US states and supporting over 184,000 jobs.
Recently, Abu Dhabi has committed to invest $1.4 trillion in the US economy over the next decade, focusing on AI development and infrastructure, energy, advanced manufacturing, technology and innovation, space and aviation.