BUSINESS VOICE ISSUE 53 . JUNE 2021 Homegrown companies flying the UAE flag by manufacturing world-class products locally Investment:SMEs: Abu Dhabi Mubadala is attracting Investment the mostCompany’s exciting record start-ups profit in theand worldgrowth P18 P06 Gaming: How Abu Dhabi is developing an entire gaming ecosystem P26 Sustainability: Masdar’s 15-year legacy of incredibleclimate impact milestones milestones P30 P30 ﻣﻨﺼﺔ رﻗﻤﻴﺔ ... ﺳﻌﺎد اﻟﻤﺘﻌﺎﻣﻠﻴﻦ Customer Happiness Digital Platform ﺧــﺪﻣــﺎت إﻟــﻜــﺘــﺮوﻧـﻴﺔ Online Services Abu Dhabi دﻟﻴﻞ أﺑـﻮﻇـﺒـﻲ اﻟﺘـﺠــﺎري Commercial Directory ﻓـﻌــﺎﻟـﻴـﺎت وﻣــﺆﺗـﻤـﺮات Events & Conferences ﺗـﺴــﺠـﻴـﻞ اﻟـﻤـﻮردﻳـﻦ Suppliers Registration ﺧـﺪﻣـﺎت ﻗــﺎﻧـﻮﻧـﻴــﺔ Legal Services ﺧﺪﻣﺔ اﻟﻮﺳﺎﻃﺔ اﻟﻮدﻳﺔ Amicable Mediation ﺧﺪﻣﺔ ﻣﺮاﺟﻌﺔ اﻟﻌﻘﻮد Contracts Review ﺧــﺪﻣــﺔ اﻻﺳــﺘـﺸــﺎرات Consultancy Service ﺧﺪﻣﺔ اﻻﺳﺘﻌﻼم ﻋﻦ اﻟﺮﺳﻮم Service Cost Calculator www.abudhabichamber.ae 2 . BUSINESS VOICE ﻏـﺮﻓـﺔ أﺑـﻮﻇﺒﻲ اﻟــﺮﻗــﻤـﻴـﺔ Abu Dhabi Digital Chamber FOREWORD From new laws and policies to incubator and The UAE’s dedication to nurturing and supporting accelerator programmes to facilitate business new and future corporate champions is mirrored in its development, the UAE is dedicating resources, time impressive standing in international competitiveness and effort to transform the country into a launchpad indexes related to entrepreneurship. According to the for SMEs. It’s a strategy that’s paying off. Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre, the By placing particular emphasis on supporting UAE ranked among the top 20 countries in the world entrepreneurs in recent years, Abu Dhabi now has in 16 entrepreneurship indexes last year. one of the most dynamic SME sectors in the world. For example, the IMD World Competitiveness A place where innovation can succeed and inspire Yearbook ranked the UAE second in entrepreneurship, and with varied and diverse government and private while the World Economic Forum’s Global sector initiatives fuelling its entrepreneurship Competitiveness Report placed the UAE fourth in culture, Abu Dhabi can offer SMEs tangible growth its Venture Capital Availability Index and fifth in its opportunities, greater market access and flexible Growth of Innovative Companies Index. regulatory frameworks that enable them to better It’s an impressive track record and proof that the serve customers. UAE is indeed one of the world’s most pioneering Thanks to its forward-thinking approach, Abu Dhabi countries in the SME sector. is attracting the most exciting start-ups in the world, Similarly, the UAE has become a world leader as evidenced by the latest firms to join the Emirate’s in sustainability thanks to Abu Dhabi company tech ecosystem at Hub71. Masdar. As the renewable energy company As part of its new intake, Hub71 has welcomed celebrates its 15-year anniversary – and a legacy SpaceChain – a start-up building the world’s first peppered with remarkable achievements – blockchain satellite constellation and the first space I congratulate Masdar on its pioneering climate technology start-up to join the thriving community. action journey. This comes at a time when the UAE Space Agency I look forward to witnessing how Masdar’s renewable is forming a new strategy to encourage growth energy solutions will positively impact the UAE and within the national space sector. As part of its plans, the world in years to come. the agency is also looking at ways to empower entrepreneurs and advance the role of SMEs within Mohamed Helal Al Mheiri the sector in line with the UAE’s space ambitions. Director General, Abu Dhabi Chamber BUSINESS VOICE published on behalf of Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry by Motivate Publishing MANAGEMENT & EDITORIAL Tel: +971 2 617 7419 ADVERTISING AND MARKETING Tel: +971 2 617 7406, +971 4 427 3414, PO Box 662, Abu Dhabi, UAE. E-MAIL [email protected] | [email protected] WEBSITE www.adcci.gov.ae ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION Abu Dhabi and abroad: AED100 or its equivalent, in addition to postage cost Media One Tower, Dubai Media City, PO Box 2331, Dubai, UAE T: +971 4 427 3000 F: +971 4 428 2261 A Motivate Connect Publication motivatemedia.com; [email protected] The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the magazine or The Abu Dhabi Chambers of Commerce and Industry JUNE 2021 . 3 CONTENTS JUNE.2021 P.12 P.40 06 18 OUTSTANDING RESULTS ABU DHABI’S SME DYNAMICS By adopting bold strategies, Mubadala The capital Emirate is attracting the Investment Company ended 2020 most exciting start-ups in the world with record profit and growth thanks to its forward-thinking accelerator programmes that open 12 doors to SME growth opportunities BOND OF FAITH 40 With Abu Dhabi Ports cementing 26 THE RIGHT MOVES its position as a forward-thinking GAME ON! While Abu Dhabi’s real estate and dynamic player in the trade and As the sector grows exponentially, sector reported a buoyant Q1 2021, logistics industry, its recent $1 billion Abu Dhabi is developing an entire property giant Aldar is taking steps 10-year bonds issuance proved gaming ecosystem to increase global capital flows into attractive to global investors the local market 30 P.36 THE IMPACT JOURNEY 44 Renewable energy company MAKING EXCEPTIONAL Masdar’s 15-year legacy is strewn PROGRESS with incredible achievements but Recent multi-billion dollar deals the Abu Dhabi company is looking between the UAE and Indonesia towards the future support the transfer and exchange of knowledge – and ramp up bilateral 36 relations between the two countries MAKE IT IN THE EMIRATES Homegrown companies are 48 flying the flag for the UAE by NEWS manufacturing locally made Key stories from Abu Dhabi products to global standards Chamber of Commerce and Industry 4 . BUSINESS VOICE NEVER MISS AN ISSUE! Keep up to date with the latest economic developments in Abu Dhabi and the UAE Business Voice is the free magazine for members of Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Published monthly – and also available to download on the ADCCI website – its main purpose is to inform, inspire and assist the private sector to grow. Our priority is to help your business HOW TO FIND YOUR FREE COPY! Download Business Voice from Digital readers can subscribe abudhabichamber.ae here JUNE 2021 . 5 00 advert.indd 2 5/24/21 4:36 PM TheThe RouteRoute toto outstandingoutstanding resultsresults ByBy adoptingadopting boldbold strategiesstrategies throughoutthroughout anan unprecedentedunprecedented year,year, MubadalaMubadala InvestmentInvestment CompanyCompany endedended 20202020 withwith recordrecord profitprofit andand growth.growth. 66 . .BUSINESS BUSINESS VOICE VOICE JUNE 2021 . 7 p06-11_Investment.indd 6-7 5/30/21 12:28 PM INVESTMENT The Route to outstanding results By adopting bold strategies throughout an unprecedented year, Mubadala Investment Company ended 2020 with record profit and growth. 6 . BUSINESS VOICE JUNEJUNE 2021 2021 . 7 7 p06-11_Investment.indd 6-7 5/30/21 12:28 PM bu Dhabi sovereign investor Mubadala Mubadala Investment Company has achieved the invested AED2.2 highest Total Comprehensive Income billion in leading pharmaceutical and (TCI) in its history. The sovereign wealth biopharmaceutical fund’s 2020 financial results show that global supply chain Mubadala concluded the year with TCI solutions provider Aattributable to the owner of AED72 billion – an PCI Pharma AED19 billion increase on 2019. The sovereign investor attributed its largest ever TCI to “significant growth” in its public equi- ties portfolio and funds, as well as the company’s assets across various sectors. “We navigated our portfolio through the dramatic macro-economic decline of early 2020 and decided to accelerate the pace of our capital deployment, ending the year with record profit and growth,” said His Excellency Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of Mubadala Investment Company. “In line with our long-term strategy, we increased our investments in sectors where we have high con- “In line with our long-term strategy, viction and with high performing fund managers. Technology and life sciences in particular have we increased our investments in sectors been essential to the world over the last year, and where we have high conviction and with high we see those sectors bringing greater opportunity for deeper investment. We have worked to be well- performing fund managers” positioned in these areas and in key geographies as H.E. KHALDOON KHALIFA AL MUBARAK, MANAGING DIRECTOR the global economy continues to recover.” AND GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, MUBADALA 8 . BUSINESS VOICE INVESTMENT Mubadala is at the forefront of advancing Egon Durban, Abu Dhabi’s diversified globally integrated econ- Co-CEO, Silver Lake omy, with investments in more than 50 countries and across multiple sectors. Last year the fund In India, Mubadala injected AED108 billion of capital into several invested AED4.3 billion into telecoms key projects, several of which underscore its long- company Jio and term investment strategy. AED3 billion into Deepening its commitment to future technol- Reliance Retail ogy, Mubadala pumped AED2.7 billion into its 25-year investment strategy with US-based ven- ture capital firm Silver Lake – a leading global technology investor. Mubadala also acquired a minority equity interest in Silver Lake last year. “As an institution that has long seen the poten- tial of investing in the technology sector, we are excited to partner with Silver Lake to capitalise on major opportunities within and beyond the industry,” said H.E. Al Mubarak at the time. “Technology is the bedrock of the global econ- omy and fundamental to all other sectors that are being significantly digitalised,” he added. “We have been particularly impressed by the “Our goal is to be well positioned to take advan- quality and depth of PCI’s management team, tage of this accelerated digital transformation as well as the company’s strong execution track and its potential, and we believe Silver Lake is record, impeccable values and distinct vision the right partner and that this is an optimal for the long-term development of their business.