The fifth consecutive edition of Investopia Dialogues was launched in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, bringing together over 500 leaders, senior officials, investors, and entrepreneurs from the UAE and India. The event was held on 23 July 2026 and attended by H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism and Co-Chair of the Investopia Board of Trustees; H.E. Bhupendrabhai Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat; and H.E. Abdulrahman Mohammed Alhawi, Undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Investment and President of Investopia. The dialogues aim to strengthen bilateral economic and investment partnerships while exploring new opportunities in future-oriented and sustainable sectors, in line with global economic shifts and growth driven by knowledge, innovation, and advanced technologies.
UAE companies and sovereign wealth funds are set to deepen their India investments with several significant announcements expected in coming months. According to The Economic Times, Mohammad Alhawi, undersecretary at the UAE ministry of investment, described India-UAE ties as having evolved from a trade partnership into an investment partnership. The next phase will be defined by long-term capital flows in both directions, with UAE companies looking very seriously at India and senior leadership teams consistently visiting India throughout the year to evaluate opportunities. As per the latest reports, the number of Indian companies in the UAE surged by 109% between 2020 and 2025, with H.E. Bin Touq confirming that by H1 2026, the number of Indian companies operating in the UAE reached 290,222, reflecting 16.7% growth compared to the same period in 2025. The UAE accounts for more than 70% of total investment inflows from GCC countries into India, while nearly 4,000 new Indian companies joined Dubai Chamber of Commerce during the first quarter of 2026.
The UAE has invested approximately ₹20,800 crore ($25.6 billion) in India between 2000 and 2026, accounting for around 70% of all Gulf investments into India. As reported by The Economic Times, Alhawi stated that this investment trend is expected to continue with exponential growth over the coming years. Bilateral trade has already crossed $100 billion, with both governments targeting to grow it to $200 billion by 2032. During the Investopia event, H.E. Bin Touq held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Bhupendrabhai Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat, to discuss prospects for enhancing economic cooperation between the UAE and Gujarat, exploring new partnership opportunities in priority sectors such as advanced manufacturing, logistics, food security, and tourism. The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority's commitment to explore up to $1 billion with the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund exemplifies the deepening partnership between the two nations.
Artificial intelligence has emerged as one of the biggest pillars of the investment partnership, with cooperation expanding beyond technology investments to jointly developing AI infrastructure. According to The Economic Times, Alhawi cited the partnership between UAE's G42 and India's C-DAC to build a supercomputing cluster for India's AI Mission. The session titled "Building Gujarat's AI Economy" explored opportunities to develop a comprehensive artificial intelligence ecosystem by boosting investments in data centres, computing capabilities, and digital infrastructure, supporting Gujarat's ambition to become a regional hub for technology, innovation, and advanced manufacturing. The discussion also highlighted opportunities for UAE–India collaboration in AI and advanced technologies, emphasising the importance of forging strategic partnerships that attract high-quality investments and build digital infrastructure capable of supporting the rapid growth of the digital economy.
Beyond AI, the UAE is prioritizing investments in food security, including agriculture and food processing, logistics, industry, and financial services. The "Frontier Industries" session explored opportunities for collaboration across advanced manufacturing sectors, including semiconductors, industrial engineering, automotive manufacturing, and advanced materials. Participants discussed the need to accelerate knowledge transfer, technology partnerships and smarter production chains to enhance the competitiveness of both economies. The "Food Security and Agri-Value Chains" session examined opportunities to deepen cooperation in modern agriculture, food processing, AgriTech, cold chain infrastructure, and logistics, supporting sustainable food supplies while strengthening supply chain resilience. The "Tourism, Sports, and the Experience Economy" session highlighted opportunities to expand collaboration across tourism, aviation, hospitality, and sports and entertainment events. The "The New Financial Corridor" session examined strengthening collaboration between the UAE's and India's financial centres, enhancing regulatory frameworks, and improving market connectivity to facilitate cross-border capital flows.
Addressing concerns over geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, Alhawi said Indian businesses remain cautiously optimistic about the UAE and view the current situation as a temporary disruption rather than a structural concern. According to The Economic Times, he emphasized that the fundamentals of the UAE economy remain strong, encouraging long-term capital flows. The Investopia event is part of a series of engagements organised by Investopia across key international strategic markets, as part of its 25 global dialogues, which aim to advance global economic dialogue and explore future opportunities, reinforcing the UAE's position as a global hub for economic and investment cooperation across the new economy and future-focused sectors.
