OUR CAPITAL · ABU DHABI

Why your capital is safe

AED 1.2T
GDP · SCAD 2024
54.7% non-oil: your sector does not ride the oil cycle.
AA
SOVEREIGN RATING · S&P 2026
Stable outlook, reaffirmed March 2026, on a deep sovereign balance sheet.
0%
PERSONAL INCOME TAX · UAE MOF
Salaries, dividends and gains are untaxed personally.
#1
SAFEST CITY · NUMBEO 2026
Ten consecutive years at the top of the index.
2B+
CONSUMERS WITHIN REACH
GCC, India, Africa and Asia within an eight-hour flight.
4.14M
POPULATION · SCAD 2024
Young, growing and home to 200+ nationalities.
01

The Financial Strength Behind the Plan

Long-horizon investment needs a counterparty that will still be solvent, stable and consistent decades out. That is a ratings question, not a slogan.

AA / A-1+
SOVEREIGN CREDIT RATING · S&P 2025
Stable outlook; among the strongest rated sovereigns in the region.
US$1.7T+
SOVEREIGN WEALTH BASE
Deep sovereign capital behind infrastructure and co-investment.
54.7%
NON-OIL SHARE OF GDP · SCAD 2024
Diversification is delivered, not projected.
The Financial Strength Behind the Plan
02

Protections written into law, not policy.

Each protection in plain terms first; the exact instrument sits in the stamp, so counsel can go straight to source.

01
Own it outright
Commercial Companies Law 32 · 2021

You can own your company outright in most sectors, and it is yours in law.

02
Foreign capital is protected
FDI Law 19 · 2018

Foreign investors are treated like local ones, and invested capital is protected in law.

03
Disputes can stay private
Arbitration Law 6 · 2018 · New York Convention

If a dispute ever happens, you can resolve it privately and the outcome is enforceable in over 170 countries.

04
Personal data is protected
Data Protection Law 45 · 2021

The rules for handling personal data match what international companies already practise.

05
An English-language legal home
ADGM · English common law

You can base your company in a legal system that works in English, with rules international investors already know.

06
Outcomes travel
New York Convention · Acceded 2006

A dispute outcome won here is enforceable in more than 170 countries, and the same protection applies in reverse.

07
Country-to-country protection
Bilateral investment treaties · Extensive network

Agreements with other countries add a further layer of protection: your assets cannot simply be taken, and unfair treatment can be challenged.

03

Capital Moves Freely

Capital Moves Freely
100%
FOREIGN OWNERSHIP
In most sectors, onshore and in the zones, you own what you build.
CCL 32 · 2021
100%
PROFIT REPATRIATION
Profits and capital can leave whenever you choose, in full.
UAE FDI FRAMEWORK
0%
WHEN PROFITS LEAVE
When your profits leave the country, the UAE generally takes nothing on the way out.
UAE MOF
140+
DOUBLE-TAXATION AGREEMENTS
Agreements with over 140 countries stop the same profit being taxed twice.
UAE MOF TREATY LIST
04

A Strong Environment for Returns

Diversified non-oil growth on the demand side; deep local capital pools on the exit side.

A Strong Environment for Returns
ADX

The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, one of the region’s largest listed markets by capitalisation.

ADGM

A regulated common-law financial centre for funds, asset managers and holding structures.

Sovereign investors

Institutional co-investment capacity behind the emirate’s long-term strategies.

Private markets

A growing base of venture, private equity and private credit active in the emirate.

STRUCTURE IT YOUR WAY
01
Regional headquarters
02
Holding company structures
03
Treasury and financing hubs
04
Intellectual property structuring

The effectiveness of each structure depends on regulatory compliance, tax residency and operational substance.

NEXT STEP
Put the case to your counsel.

ADIO will arrange a briefing covering structures, protections and precedents relevant to your mandate.