ECI highlights UAE’s strategic role in reshaping global trade

PRAGUE: Raja Al Mazrouei, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Credit Insurance (ECI), highlighted the UAE’s growing influence as a resilient global trade and investment hub during a high-level panel discussion at TXF Global 2026 in Prague, Czech Republic, from 9th to 11th June, one of the world’s leading conferences dedicated to export finance.

Addressing global policymakers, export finance leaders, and institutional investors at one of the world’s leading export finance conferences, Al Mazrouei outlined how evolving geopolitical and economic dynamics are transforming global trade flows and reshaping the role of export credit agencies in enabling sustainable and diversified economic growth.

She asserted that the changing geopolitical and economic landscape over the past few years has had a profound and direct impact on ECI’s strategy, risk appetite, and operating model.

Today, ECI operates in a vastly different global trade environment from the one that existed when it was established in 2018. Supply chain disruptions, geopolitical fragmentation, and shifting trade corridors have all contributed to a more complex and less predictable global system.

Amid these global shifts, the UAE has demonstrated remarkable agility in positioning itself as a trusted connector between developed and high-growth markets. Through strategic investments in logistics infrastructure, the expansion of its Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) network, accelerated industrial diversification, and strengthened international partnerships, the UAE continues to reinforce its role as a global trade gateway.

ECI has evolved its strategy in line with the UAE’s broader economic transformation agenda. As the UAE’s federal export credit company, ECI’s role extends beyond facilitating trade to enabling strategic economic partnerships that support national diversification and strengthen global competitiveness.

Attendees were informed that one of the most significant shifts has been in ECI’s exposure appetite. ECI has adopted a more forward-looking and calibrated framework that supports UAE exporters and investors pursuing opportunities in high-potential emerging markets aligned with the UAE’s expanding CEPA agenda. Through credit guarantees, risk mitigation solutions, and trade finance instruments, ECI continues to de-risk investments and facilitate greater private-sector participation in strategic sectors including renewable energy, infrastructure, healthcare, digital transformation, and sustainable development.

Currently operating across 30 African countries, ECI has supported projects spanning healthcare infrastructure, hospital construction, emergency response systems, firefighting solutions, technology initiatives, and green energy developments, while also empowering UAE-based SMEs to integrate into regional and global supply chains.

Raja further emphasised that ECI’s operating model has become increasingly data-driven and responsive through the use of advanced analytics, real-time market intelligence, and enhanced risk monitoring systems, enabling the organisation to assess country exposure, sectoral dynamics, and buyer behaviour with greater precision.

She highlighted that SMEs as a central pillar of ECI’s strategic priorities, noting their critical role in driving non-oil exports and innovation-led economic growth in the UAE. Consequently, ECI has enhanced its product offerings and underwriting processes to provide more accessible, flexible, and responsive solutions tailored to growth-oriented exporters.

The audience was also briefed on the growing importance of blended finance structures in enabling transformative projects across sectors including clean energy, advanced manufacturing, sustainable infrastructure, healthcare, logistics, and technology. These projects increasingly depend on partnerships between public and private capital to improve investment viability and unlock long-term development opportunities.

Within this ecosystem, ECI plays a complementary role by providing targeted instruments such as credit insurance, guarantees, and trade finance support that help de-risk cross-border transactions and enhance project bankability.

Meanwhile in May 2026, Raja Al Mazrouei, Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Credit Insurance (ECI), underscored the critical role of export credit agencies in safeguarding trade continuity and strengthening the UAE’s non-oil economy amid rising geopolitical uncertainty and evolving global trade dynamics during the Economy Middle East Summit 2026, where ECI participated as a sponsor.

Raja participated in a panel titled “Investment Horizons: Trade Opportunities in a Growing UAE Economy” at the summit, where she was also recognised in the “Empowering UAE Businesses in Global Markets” category for her leadership in advancing the UAE’s trade and export ecosystem.

During the discussion, Raja highlighted how the global trade environment is undergoing a profound transformation driven by supply chain fragmentation, elevated shipping risks, rising insurance costs, and shifting geopolitical realities.

She said that the current geopolitical uncertainty is no longer an occasional disruption - it has become part of the operating environment for international trade. "In this environment, the role of export credit agencies like ECI has become significantly more strategic than traditional risk coverage. Thus, reinforcing ECI’s commitment and mandate to enable trade continuity, despite volatility," she noted.

Raja also highlighted that despite mounting pressures across global insurance and trade markets, ECI has maintained a balanced approach focused on supporting UAE exporters while preserving market stability. Rather than implementing blanket premium increases, ECI has expanded its exposure appetite and provided greater flexibility around payment terms to help businesses manage liquidity pressures during uncertain periods.

The company further enhanced its underwriting agility and strengthened real-time risk monitoring systems to help businesses maintain liquidity and sustain growth.

SMEs remain a key priority for ECI, given their growing contribution to the UAE’s non-oil export sector and their heightened vulnerability during periods of volatility.

At the same time, ECI is directing greater attention toward future-focused sectors such as surveillance, emerging infrastructure, and advanced industries where export support can create a multiplier effect on national competitiveness.

The panel shed light on how ECI identifies emerging opportunities for UAE exporters, explaining that the organisation’s market intelligence framework goes beyond traditional economic indicators and focuses on the intersection of demand momentum, trade enablement, and risk resilience.

The discussion underscored ECI’s close tracking of rising non-oil trade in sectors where the UAE is strongest—advanced manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, food security, clean energy, and industrial technologies. It also highlighted that the "We the UAE 2031" vision is creating major opportunities for exporters in productivity, sustainability, and future-oriented innovation.

ECI works closely with local and international financial institutions, export credit agencies, and strategic partners to strengthen trade finance ecosystems across emerging corridors. Through its insurance and guarantee solutions, ECI enables exporters to secure working capital, access trade financing, and offer more competitive payment terms.

WAM