Abu Dhabi to enhance trade and investment ties with United States

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.

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 of 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, organised 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 capitalisation exceeding $300 billion, and featured more than 100 one-on-one meetings with leading US institutional investors managing assets of over $10 billion. Recognised 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, said: “We are proud of our strong and evolving partnership with the United States. This visit has enabled us 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, our trade and investment ties with 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 per cent and US companies starting to do business in Abu Dhabi witnessed a 52.9 per cent CAGR. Mutual investments are also increasing and expanding, supercharging growth across various sectors and industries, and creating thousands of jobs.’’

Al Zaabi added: “This steady and impressive growth reflects the depth and strength of our cooperation with the US, and we remain committed to enhance it further, enabling businesses and investors to grow, thrive, and expand.’’

The Abu Dhabi Investment Forum (ADIF) in New York, organised 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, organised 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 $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.

Meanwhile last week the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry has signed two cooperation agreements with the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce and the Texas Association of Business, as part of the Abu Dhabi economic delegation’s visit to the United States.

These agreements aim to open new opportunities for Abu Dhabi’s business community, strengthen the UAE private sector’s presence in the US market, and support economic and investment partnerships in line with the objectives of the Abu Dhabi Chamber’s 2025–2028 roadmap.

WAM