Sheikh Maktoum Meets Barclays CEO to Boost UAE Finance

Photo: Dubai Government Media Office

His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is the First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Finance, met with C. S. Venkatakrishnan, the Group Chief Executive of Barclays Bank, one of the world’s top financial companies. The meeting took place at Sheikh Maktoum’s office in Dubai.

During the meeting, Sheikh Maktoum spoke about the UAE’s vision to make its financial system even stronger, more advanced, and more competitive on a global level. He discussed how working closely with banks like Barclays could help create new opportunities for growth. This could happen by using Dubai’s strengths in areas like strong infrastructure, supportive regulations, and digital development.

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Sheikh Maktoum also said that Dubai plays an important role as a hub for international banks and companies who want to grow their business in the Middle East and other fast-growing regions.

“We want to build long-term partnerships with major global financial companies like Barclays. These partnerships will help improve the UAE’s financial system and also support our country’s larger economic goals. We are ready to support these companies in growing their business here in the region and even beyond. This fits with the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, which aims to double Dubai’s GDP and make it one of the top three cities in the world for economy and among the top four global financial hubs by the year 2033,” Sheikh Maktoum said.

Barclays is a major international bank with over 325 years of experience. It offers services in personal banking, business banking, credit cards, and investment services. The bank operates in over 40 countries and has around 85,000 employees. Its main office in the Middle East is located in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

Several important Dubai officials also joined the meeting. These included:

• His Excellency Abdulla Al Basti, Secretary General of The Executive Council of Dubai

• His Excellency Abdulrahman Saleh Al Saleh, Director General of Dubai Finance

• His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism

• His Excellency Essa Kazim, Governor of the Dubai International Financial Centre

The meeting showed Dubai’s strong commitment to working with leading global financial companies and growing its role as a key financial center in the world.