Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi wealth fund L’imad Holding is offering to buy out minority shareholders in the city's port operator, valuing the firm at 31.8 billion dirhams ($8.66 billion). This deal is expected to bolster the emirate's infrastructure efforts and could help it bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

Presight, an Abu Dhabi-listed company, reported a 30% jump in its 2Q profits and a 36% increase in revenue to AED 713 million due to contract renewals and international growth. The company's CEO, Thomas Pramotedham, discussed the company’s future plans with Bloomberg.

Coinbase has selected Abu Dhabi to spearhead its global effort concerning tokenized assets. This move outlines a significant strategic push by Coinbase into this new market area.

Adnoc Gas Plc is considering constructing a new gas export facility outside the contested Strait of Hormuz. This initiative represents Abu Dhabi’s effort to build infrastructure, aiming to circumvent the critical waterway that was largely shut during the Iran war.

The UAE has emerged as a major regional power through military interventions in Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and Sudan, strategic investments in infrastructure and defense, and alliances with global powers. However, shifting geopolitical dynamics, including U.S. disengagement and regional power vacuums, raise questions about the sustainability of its assertive strategy.

Civil servants are offered extra holidays and bonus pay for accepting 'hardship posts' in exotic locations such as Bali, the Maldives, and Abu Dhabi. The incentives aim to attract staff to these designated posts.

Abu Dhabi has abandoned its attempt to establish a global oil benchmark, with Adnoc reverting to pricing its crude against the Dubai benchmark. This decision follows issues with Murban futures exposed during the Iran war.

Telegram's CEO and co-founder Pavel Durov has been labeled 'terrorist' in Russia for refusing to comply with censorship demands. He was present at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi on October 25, 2025.

Binance has launched new commodity options for gold and silver through its Abu Dhabi-regulated ADGM exchange. These options allow traders to gain exposure to gold and silver prices via Binance's regulated platform.

The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) has 10,018 active businesses, a 30% increase over the past year, with regulated financial services firms rising 16% and AI/fintech/innovation firms growing 39%. Despite regional competition and disruptions from the Iran war, the DIFC's workforce reached 50,200, with new office developments like the Zabeel District planned for 2040.

Insilico Medicine, a biotech firm, leverages Abu Dhabi's AI computing resources to develop a non-opioid painkiller candidate, its second from the UAE facility. The drug, nearing human trials, could revolutionize pain treatment and is part of Abu Dhabi's broader strategy to attract biotech innovation through investments and infrastructure.

Jeff Zucker's Banijay Entertainment, formed through an $8 billion merger with All3Media, is backed by UAE-based RedBird IMI. The partnership aims to leverage the UAE's investment in media to expand global content creation. The new entity spans 25 countries and includes a vast library of programs like MasterChef and Survivor.

Kuwait agreed to a $16 billion deal with Blackstone, Brookfield, and KKR, granting the investors a 49% stake in a joint venture with Kuwait Oil Company for a 20.5-year lease on the country's oil pipeline network. The investment is the largest foreign deal in Kuwait’s history and aligns with Gulf strategies to attract capital, with Blackstone also opening an office in Kuwait.

Indonesia's economic tsar Luhut Pandjaitan aims to transform Bali into an international financial center. He uses the example of kamikaze drones in Abu Dhabi to emphasize the urgency of the initiative.

DP World plans two new ports in Fujairah, UAE, to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, linking them to Dubai via a logistics network. Fujairah's strategic access to the Indian Ocean and projects like an Abu Dhabi oil pipeline are fueling its growth as a maritime and export hub.

Abu Dhabi's Mubadala Capital is participating in a tokenization initiative, and Coinbase has acquired a stake in an onchain fund. The move highlights growing institutional interest in blockchain-based financial products.

Coinbase, along with KAIO, partners with Mubadala Capital (a Abu Dhabi-owned fund) to tokenize its private markets fund as a regulated asset, marking the first instance of a major U.S. publicly listed company using tokenized assets for on-chain treasury management. The token will operate on Coinbase's Base blockchain and others like Solana and Sui, aiming to expand investor access beyond traditional private equity channels.

Mubadala Capital, based in Abu Dhabi, is increasing its investment in Brazil's medical schools by adding a medical university to a new US$900 million Brazil fund.

The Supreme Court of India declined to intervene in the Delhi High Court's decision to cancel tenders for outsourcing Consular, Passport, and Visa services at Indian missions in Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Singapore, and Canberra. The High Court had previously quashed the tenders related to these services.

The White House supports Argentinian soccer players' right to free speech, and Abu Dhabi is constructing a $10.9 billion wellness island. Additional international news is covered in the article.

Abu Dhabi’s ADIC has hired a former BlackRock Inc. and Macquarie Group executive to lead its real assets business, highlighting the emirate’s capability to attract global investment talent amid regional geopolitical tensions.

Abu Dhabi's three-year study revealed oyster beds cover 7% of its marine environment, using historical maps and turtle tracking. The findings highlight oysters' ecological role in carbon storage and marine biodiversity, alongside historical context of the Gulf pearling industry's decline.

The UAE has heavily invested in AI, integrating it into daily life through apps like TAMM, which automates government services. The country established the world's first AI minister in 2017 and a graduate-level AI university in 2019. Despite regional tensions, UAE leaders remain committed to AI as a key to economic diversification beyond oil.

The US has eased export controls, allowing the UAE to purchase advanced US technologies like AI chips without licenses, a privilege not granted to other Middle Eastern countries. This policy shift is attributed to the UAE's support for the US war against Iran and its position as the largest US trading partner in the region, with the UAE committing over $1 trillion in US investments.

The UAE increased oil production to 4.1 million barrels per day in June, a record high, following its exit from the Saudi-led Opec. This surpasses the previous 2020 peak of 4 million barrels per day and reflects the UAE's move to capitalize on its departure from the energy alliance.

Abu Dhabi's ADNOC Distribution agreed to purchase Shell's 580-station South African network for approximately $1 billion, marking its largest overseas deal. The acquisition is set to close in 2027.

Private placements in the Middle East have surged amid volatility linked to the Iran war. Abu Dhabi is highlighted in the context of this financial activity.

ADNOC Distribution, the retail arm of Abu Dhabi's state oil company, acquired Shell's downstream business in South Africa for $1 billion, securing 580 gas stations and a 10% market share. The deal is part of ADNOC's broader strategy, which includes investments in a Texan LNG project, Argentinian gas blocks, and a $16.9 billion takeover of Covestro, as well as launching a global LNG trading platform targeting 47 million tonnes annually by 2035.

Abu Dhabi's wealth fund plans to take TAQA private. The move involves the privatization of TAQA, a company in which the fund is acquiring control.

The UAE's oil exports reached a record 3.7 million barrels a day in June, driven by its exit from OPEC and measures to avoid Iranian threats in the Strait of Hormuz. Tankers used transponders turned off and a pipeline to Fujairah to bypass the chokepoint, though Gulf crude exports remain below prewar levels.

Abu Dhabi’s MGX has raised $49 billion for one of the largest AI funds ever. The funding highlights significant investment in artificial intelligence development.

Abu Dhabi has proposed a new pricing model for offshore oil. The initiative focuses on adjusting pricing strategies for offshore oil operations.

The UAE's first passenger train, departing from Fujairah, brought enthusiastic travelers to Abu Dhabi, where they enjoyed the sunrise and new amenities during their desert journey.

Italy's Eni and Abu Dhabi's XRG have each secured a 32% stake in three Vaca Muerta gas blocks, supporting Argentina's initiative to boost LNG exports. The agreement involves YPF's Vaca Muerta gas assets.

Covestro's CEO warns the EU must protect specific sectors to avoid an exodus. The Abu Dhabi-owned German company announced investments of up to €4 billion in China and the UAE.

US-based nuclear energy startup Nano Nuclear aims to resume its partnership with the UAE to develop small modular reactors (SMRs) after delays caused by the Iran war. The company signed an agreement with EHC Investment, linked to UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Zayed, and is exploring potential investments and dual listings in Abu Dhabi. Discussions with Saudi Arabia about SMRs and plans for a first reactor in Illinois by 2030 are also mentioned.

Abu Dhabi's Mubadala has engaged Santander to find buyers for its controlling stake in MetroRio, the company operating Rio de Janeiro's subway. The sale involves the entity that manages the Rio Metro system.

Abu Dhabi's efforts to establish the UAE as a global AI and digital infrastructure hub through the UAE AI Strategy 2031 are facing pressure due to the war with Iran. The UAE is recognized for its business resilience amid these challenges.

Abu Dhabi-listed Burjeel Holdings issued a $500 million Islamic bond, part of a $1.5 billion borrowing plan delayed by the Iran war. The bond attracted three times the supply in demand, primarily from international investors, signaling thawing Gulf debt markets. Proceeds will refinance existing debt and fund research and clinical trials.

The UAE will launch its passenger rail network next week, connecting Abu Dhabi to Fujairah for 55 dirham ($15) trips. The route is part of the stalled GCC Railway project, aiming to link Gulf countries by 2030, with economic projections highlighting potential $40 billion gains from a high-speed Abu Dhabi-Dubai line and a planned Doha-Riyadh airport connection by 2031.