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An increasingly close bond between the United Arab Emirates and Italy, confirmed by the decision of the Emirati government to organize the European “spin-off” of Investopia in Milan again this year, one of the main economic events in the Middle East, an investment platform global networks founded three years ago in Dubai on the initiative of the Emirati government, aimed at creating a bridge between the international investor community and investment opportunities in the United Arab Emirates, considered not only an important market in itself, but also a strategic hub for the Middle and Near East and Africa.
The second edition of the event was held on Friday 10 May at Palazzo Mezzanotte, headquarters of the Italian Stock Exchange, organized thanks to the partnership between the Ministry of Economy of the United Arab Emirates and EFG Consulting, a strategic consultancy company for internationalization processes with focus on the Middle East.
Over 700 participants at the event
Over 700 people, including politicians, entrepreneurs and investors, attended the event. Also present were the Italian ministers Adolfo Urso (Business and Made in Italy), Giancarlo Giorgetti (Economy) and Daniela Santanché (Tourism), as well as the Emirates Minister of Economy, Abdulla bin Touk Al Marri. The latter held a meeting with Minister Urso on the sidelines of the event, who described to Al Marri the Italian strategy for attracting investments to our country.
In particular, Urso illustrated the mapping carried out by Mimit for investment opportunities by the United Arab Emirates in Italy: 53 projects, located in the Italian regions, in strategic sectors such as aerospace, logistics, real estate, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, fashion and nutrition.
The diversification of the Emirati economy
Al Marri, for his part, reiterated the strategic relevance of the UAE for Italian and European companies: «We are a gate, a gateway to the entire Gulf area and the Middle East and beyond. We are a place where businesses can scale and grow. In 2022 our GDP increased by 7.2% and the interesting aspect is that this data is not linked to oil. We also grew in 2023 and we thought we could grow further.”