Abu Dhabi (Arabic for Father of Gazelle) is the largest emirate of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in terms of land (81%) and oil reserves (94%) and is therefore home to the country’s largest assets and SWFs. Of UAE’s US$ 456 billion economy (2023), 68% is contributed by Abu Dhabi, 26% by Dubai, and 6% by the Northern Emirates.
One cannot understand the investment landscape of Abu Dhabi and how this city got to lead the world in terms of SWFs, without learning some basics about its history. It all…