Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Chairman of Investopia, launched on Thursday the second edition of Investopia annual conference 2023 in Abu Dhabi.

The conference brings together over 2000 participants investors, government officials, thought leaders and entrepreneurs. The event comes in partnership with SALT, the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development and Crypto.com.

This year’s event has included 35 sessions and roundtables, where more than 100 speakers including investors, thought leaders, and decision makers are discussing topics including institutional asset allocation, AI, emerging markets, venture investing, digital assets, mobility, biotechnology and more.

The event theme is focusing on “Envisioning Opportunities in Times of Change” and three sub-themes: Envisioning Opportunities in Today’s Economy, The Future of the Wealth of Nations, and Growth Opportunities in Times of Decarbonization.

During the opening session, Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri said: “The UAE now is in the business of doubling economic growth, incoming foreign direct investment, and investment outflows.”

“The 100% full foreign ownership led to a significant increase in the demand of international companies to work in the UAE, reaching 300,000 companies, which would generate a revenue of Dhs2.2 trillion ,” He added.

Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Managing Director and Group CEO of Mubadala, said: “Our focus on disruptive innovation in the UAE shapes our future economic base and creates solutions that benefit others. It is why our plans to supercharge our growth are underpinned by collaboration, creating opportunities for people, and driving solutions to pressing global challenges.”

“Mubadala’s role is to help advance the nation’s globally connected economic base by investing and partnering in the most promising and challenging sectors across over fifty countries,” he added.

Anthony Scaramucci, founder and chairman of SALT, and Investopia’s strategic partner, said: “The UAE has done a great job at investing in and attracting fintech talent due its effective balance between common-sense regulation and enabling innovation. The global financial sector has the largest market capitalization of any industry in the world, and financial technology threatens to upend the status quo.”

Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED), said “At this epochal moment for the world economy, it is important to bring key players in the global investment community together to discuss ways to deal with challenges and factors shaping the future. As a founding member of Investopia, the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development aspires to advance the rapidly evolving economic landscape Organizing”.

“Over the past years, Abu Dhabi has taken a remarkable journey of phenomenal transformation, driven by the wise vision of our leadership and fueled by the ambition of economic diversification and today we are experiencing our golden era- what we are seeing is the rise of a Falcon Economy,” he added.

“Our economy continues to be a dominant force, driven by our leadership’s clear vision, agile policies, and robust regulatory and legal frameworks with the aim of encouraging and promoting both foreign and domestic investment (DDI and FDIs). Our rapid economic growth along with the growing confidence of the international community to live, invest, and thrive in Abu Dhabi. This phenomenal expansion has been led by the growth of various non-oil sectors of our economy and as a result of the collaborative efforts of the public and private sectors,” he concluded.

Sessions included: Uncovering the Potential of South-South Investments in Emerging Markets, Fintech Revolution, Growth Opportunities in Today’s Economy, Mobilizing New Economies, Reimagining Regional Economic Development Through Finance, Venture into Untapped Markets: Private Growth Investing, Food Security in Times of Climate Change, Trends in Family Wealth, Innovations in Precision Healthcare, Beyond Borders: Harnessing the Power of Global Trade for Investment & Growth, and How Blockchain Will Change Finance.

In addition, the event is hosting a series of closed roundtables by UAE Canada Business Council, Business Finland, and WAM, in addition to investment meetings that brought together global financial and non-financial institution leaders to discuss areas of collaboration and investment opportunities. Investopia also witnessed new partnerships, in addition to new projects in the health-tech sector.

It is also worth noting that 56% of the participants in Investopia conference 2023 come from within the UAE and 44% from abroad (more than 100 nationalities), 75% from Private Sector while 13% from Public Sector, and 6% representing academia and students, in addition to 6% from other international organizations and diplomatic missions.