About

Hover to meet the UAE leaders shaping
the UAE-US economic partnership.
Yousef Al Otaiba black and white head shot

HE Yousef Al Otaiba

UAE Ambassador to the U.S. and Minister of State. Key architect of UAE–U.S. relations, diplomacy, and economic ties.

HE Khaldoon Al Mubarak small head shot

HE Khaldoon Al Mubarak

Group CEO of Mubadala and senior advisor to the UAE President. Leads global investment initiatives across energy, tech, and finance.

H.H. Sheikh Tahnon bin Zayed Al Nahyan small black and white head shot

HH Sheikh Tahnoun Bin Zayed

UAE National Security Advisor and chair of ADQ, IHC, and G42. A cerebral leader and a central figure driving Abu Dhabi’s strategic investments and AI ecosystem.

Yousef Al Otaiba black and white head shot

UAE Preferred is a storytelling initiative by the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC that spotlights the depth and momentum of one of the world’s fastest-growing economic relationships: the UAE’s trillion-dollar partnership with the United States.

With over $1 trillion already invested  and $1.4 trillion more committed over the next decade,  this isn’t an aspiration. It’s reality, unfolding now.

This campaign highlights how the UAE is partnering with the US to invest in breakthrough technologies and scale innovative businesses. From AI and advanced infrastructure, the newest pillar of this economic partnership, to energy, health tech and manufacturing, this mutually beneficial partnership spans frontier industries driving long-term economic prosperity. 

In 2024, UAE–US bilateral trade reached $34.4 billion, including $27 billion in US exports and a $19.5 billion US trade surplus, the largest in the Middle East and the third largest globally. Representing the third consecutive year of growth, this trajectory has created hundreds of thousands of American jobs across all 50 states, including nearly 166,000 in 2023.

While the past has been impressive, 2025 has marked an acceleration in momentum. In March, the UAE reaffirmed its economic commitment to the US with a 10-year $1.4 trillion investment framework. This signals a clear intent to build on the longstanding UAE-US economic partnership grounded in trust, exclusivity and shared strategic interests.

This partnership moves in both directions

The UAE serves as a strategic hub for over 1,500 US companies expanding into the MENA region — and there are reasons for that. With over 40 multidisciplinary free zones, including globally recognized financial centers like the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the UAE offers a distinct edge: direct access to capital from some of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds — Mubadala, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), and ADQ — along with unrivaled proximity to markets representing over $8 trillion in GDP across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.

Add advanced regulatory frameworks, tax exemptions and a cutting-edge digital infrastructure to the country's location, and it’s clear why the UAE has emerged as an innovation and investment hub for organizations with global ambitions.  

At its core, UAE Preferred captures the scale of that story and its character. It’s about more than capital. It’s about trust between the leadership of both nations, timing in a world on the cusp of a technological transformation and the belief that a meaningful economic partnership done right can drive growth, unlock opportunity and shape a more prosperous future.