UAE: Abu Dhabi Economy

In late January 2012 the Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee (TDC) launched a new initiative with the goal of stoking innovation and knowledge-based economic development. Known as Takamul – which means “integration” in Arabic – the programme offers financial support and legal guidance to local start-ups, entrepreneurs, and other...

The government’s strong fiscal balance means Abu Dhabi has only needed to issue a limited number of sovereign bonds. When the emirate has sold government securities at all, it has mainly been for the purpose of establishing a yield curve for the private sector.

As the home of the federal seat and the location of the great majority of the UAE’s oil reserves, Abu Dhabi has played a key role in developing the country’s reputation as a major political and economic player. While trade and other economic ties have been central to the UAE’s foreign policy for years, over the past decade energy policy, in...

With a substantial percentage of the world’s oil reserves and a reputation for careful economic and political oversight, Abu Dhabi has become a major regional player in recent years. In 2011 and 2012, despite ongoing political instability in the Middle East and concerns about long-term financial volatility in many Western markets, the emirate’s...

Over the past 40 years Abu Dhabi has grown into a major economic power in the Middle East. A series of ambitious long-term development policies have transformed the emirate, turning it into a regional economic, political and cultural heavyweight. As the capital of the UAE, the bustling city of Abu Dhabi (as opposed to the emirate with which it...

A key aim of Abu Dhabi’s labour policies is to increase participation by nationals in the workforce. The government takes a multi-pronged approach, combining employment quotas enforced at the federal level with emirate-specific policies – including investments in education and training, and job placement programmes – designed to develop an Emirati...