Mohammed’s view
From a rather humble beginning as a fintech gathering, Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW) — and the ballooning events happening around it — is becoming the can’t-miss finale in the global calendar of convenings: A celebration of finance, sports, entertainment, and culture in the self-proclaimed “capital of capital.” At its core, it’s a pitch to the world’s financial elite, but has evolved into a marker of the city’s ascendancy.
Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, chairman of ADGM and Abu Dhabi’s economic development department, is leading the effort, with support from top sovereign wealth executives such as Mubadala’s Khaldoon Al Mubarak and ADQ’s Mohamed Alsuwaidi (who also serves as the UAE’s minister of investment). Power players to spot at ADFW: Binance’s Richard Teng, Emaar’s Mohammed Alabbar, hedge funders Alan Howard and Ray Dalio, and Carlyle’s David Rubenstein. Bill Gates will speak and take part in a polio pledge.
There will be a dramatic showdown in the world of Formula 1, with the season finale delivering a rare three-way title race on Sunday. Along with the action on the track, music acts including Benson Boone, Post Malone, Idris Elba — actor, DJ, and Semafor friend — Calvin Harris, Metallica, Katy Perry, and top DJs well beyond my knowledge. Also: museums. And beaches.
Abu Dhabi is launching the first Bridge Summit as well, a media-and-tech forum with an impressive global lineup. Bitcoin MENA tackles the crypto angle, with Strategy’s Michael Saylor, Binance founder CZ, and somehow, Trump’s 2016 campaign manager Paul Manafort.
Notable
- Abu Dhabi’s play to position itself as the “capital of capital” is also an attempt to catch up to Dubai, which opened up to international capital more than 20 years ago, Chloe Cornish and Harriet Agnew write in the Financial Times.