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It’s all about finance for the UAE in the news this week as Abu Dhabi Finance Week gets underway, with a spotlight on Abu Dhabi as a buy-side hub, Mubadala’s CEO, and the Bitcoin MENA conference, which has brought key Bitcoin investors to the emirate.
#1- Bloomberg profiles Khaldoon Al Mubarak, CEO of Mubadala Investment, just a couple of days after he confirmed the sovereign wealth fund had hit USD 330 bn in assets under management. Since taking charge in 2002, Al Mubarak has transformed Mubadala from a domestic investor into a global powerhouse, with USD 24 bn invested across sectors like AI, finance, and healthcare in 2023.
#2- Abu Dhabi has differentiated itself as an emerging buy-side hub amid rising competition between regional — and global — financial centers, Hani Kablawi, BNY’s chairman of international, told Bloomberg (runtime, 6:42) on the sidelines of ADFW. Abu Dhabi has the resources, intent, and capital to attract global talent “in order to invest regionally and domestically,” he said. Dubai remains a recognized sell-side hub, with both cities contributing to the region’s financial growth.
#3- Reuters and Politico are both covering Abu Dhabi’s Bitcoin Mena conference and the attendance of pro-crypto leaders, including key players in US President Donald Trump’s cryptocurrency venture, World Liberty Financial (WLF), like the president-elect’s son, Eric Trump, and Steve Witkoff, co-founder of WLF and the incoming White House envoy for the Middle East.
