Latest news with #AIMCongress2025
Zawya
01-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Global manufacturing portfolio leads innovation at AIM Congress 2025
Abu Dhabi, UAE: The Global Manufacturing portfolio at AIM Congress 2025 concluded with outstanding success, reinforcing its vital role in shaping the future of smart manufacturing under the theme: ' From Industry 4.0 to 5.0: Leveraging Technology & Advancing Smart Factories.' The portfolio delivered deep insights into the transformation of manufacturing ecosystems, product innovation, operational efficiency, and sustainability. Discussions highlighted the industry's commitment to minimizing manual processes, optimizing resource utilization, ensuring worker safety, and boosting productivity and competitiveness. A standout highlight of the portfolio was the focus on the pharmaceutical industry as a pioneering force of innovation. By embracing smart manufacturing, data analytics, automation, and technologies from the Fifth Industrial Revolution, pharmaceutical companies are accelerating research and development, improving product quality, reducing waste, and meeting the growing demand for affordable, sustainable medicines. Moreover, advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things have proven essential in enhancing supply chain resilience and global health security, ensuring rapid and efficient responses to future health challenges. The tremendous success of the Global Manufacturing portfolio was made possible thanks to the invaluable support of our esteemed partners: Julphar (Lead Partner), Modern Pharmacy (Diamond Partner), Global Pharma LLC (Diamond Package), Quest Vitamin Middle East (Associate Partner), MSD (Silver Partner), Life Pharma (Gold partner package), ADMD (Silver Partner), Vieco (Silver Partner), J&J (, Novartis (Diamond Partner), Biogen (Associate Partner), Servier (Silver Partner), Tabuk Pharmaceuticals (Associate Partner), City Pharmacy (Silver Partner), Gulf Drug (Silver Partner), Hikma (Silver Partner), Safe care/Pure Pharma(Silver Partner), and PHRMAG (Round Table partner). showcased their latest innovations and advanced technological solutions in smart manufacturing, automation, and data analytics. Their booths witnessed significant visitor engagement, with attendees showing great interest in the displayed technologies, reflecting the vital role these companies play in driving innovation and promoting sustainability in the pharmaceutical industry. The support of these partners has embodied a true model of collaboration and innovation, reinforcing the position of the Global Manufacturing Hub as a pioneering platform for advancing digital transformation and promoting sustainable practices in the pharmaceutical industry within the United Arab Emirates. These active partnerships have contributed to accelerating the development of the industrial sector, while emphasizing the critical role of the pharmaceutical industry in supporting national economies and strengthening global health security. In this context, the pivotal role of the Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE) has emerged clearly, as it coordinated efforts among stakeholders and supported initiatives aimed at developing the regulatory and legislative infrastructure — positioning the UAE as a regional hub for pharmaceutical manufacturing. This strategic collaboration also marked an important step toward growing the pharmaceutical sector and creating an investment-friendly local environment that fosters advanced solutions to enhance quality of life. AIM Congress 2025 looks forward to building on this success, continuing to drive the global conversation on industrial innovation, sustainability, and resilience for years to come.
Arabian Business
11-04-2025
- Business
- Arabian Business
Global experts map future of investment, smart cities at Abu Dhabi's AIM Congress 2025
The AIM Congress 2025 concluded in Abu Dhabi earlier this week after three days of high-level discussions focused on reshaping global investment landscapes, smart city technologies, and international trade partnerships. The event, which attracted more than 25,000 participants from 180 countries, highlighted the UAE's growing influence as a strategic investment hub and showcased emerging technologies transforming urban environments. Smart city development emerged as a central theme of the congress, with panels exploring how artificial intelligence, 5G connectivity and renewable energy are creating more sustainable and resilient urban centres. 'Human-centric strategies must remain at the core of technological implementation,' said Akram Awad, Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group, during a panel on smart cities. 'The Middle East has a unique opportunity to build cities that balance innovation with quality of life.' The convergence of technologies supporting smart city development was a recurring theme, with Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), emphasising that 'renewable energy forms the backbone of truly sustainable urban environments.' A separate panel explored how 5G technology is transforming urban governance and service delivery, with Jawad Abbassi, Head of MENA at GSMA, noting regional readiness for advanced telecommunications infrastructure. Economic challenges Zayed bin Aweidha, CEO of Abu Dhabi Investment Group (ADIG), warned of potential global economic turbulence during a Leaders' Panel on future manufacturing trends. 'Current economic indicators point to a potential economic crisis that may be more severe than the 2008 crisis, given that markets were in better shape at that time,' bin Aweidha said. He noted that recent tariffs imposed by the US administration could exacerbate already challenging economic conditions, adding further pressure on the global economy. Addressing the future of manufacturing, bin Aweidha explained that Industry 5.0 focuses on human-machine integration for sustainable productivity, while Industry 6.0 moves towards advanced AI and comprehensive digital transformation. However, he cautioned that achieving these advanced stages may prove difficult amid current financial pressures. 'In the event of another global economic crisis, many companies, especially those with uncollected debts, are likely to go bankrupt,' he warned. Bin Aweidha also discussed corporate migration trends, noting that companies increasingly seek markets with lower operating costs, leading to movement from high-cost economic environments to more favourable ones. Trade partnerships take centre stage Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, used the congress to outline the country's investment priorities and showcase its growing role as a global investment power. 'The UAE will continue to champion investment as an essential catalyst of development – where investment is geared towards expanding opportunities, unlocking potential, forging new industries, and driving prosperity,' Al Zeyoudi said in his opening remarks. He highlighted the UAE's position as the 16th largest source of foreign investment globally, noting the country deployed $22.3 billion to international projects in 2023 alone. These investments span sectors from renewable energy to agriculture, with over $50 billion invested in clean energy projects across six continents. The minister also participated in a roundtable on international trade agreements, where he emphasised the UAE's Comprehensive Economic Partnership programme, which has concluded 27 deals, with eight already in force. International engagement The congress facilitated numerous bilateral discussions between UAE officials and international delegations. Al Zeyoudi held meetings with government representatives including Rustam Minnikhanov, Prime Minister of Tatarstan, and Hua Yuan, Vice Mayor of Shanghai, alongside trade ministers from across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, the Balkans and Oceania. Interest from Indian businesses was particularly notable. Ali AlKaitoob, CEO of Investment and Promotion at Ajman Chamber, said: 'India remains one of our most significant trade and investment partners, particularly in light of the CEPA agreement signed with the UAE.' He noted increasing interest from businesses looking to use the UAE as a gateway to India's market. 'We've seen growing interest from firms seeking to capitalise on the strategic advantages CEPA offers for expansion.' Belarus also established a presence at the congress, with an exposition featuring the Free Economic Zones of Mogilev, Gomel-Raton, and Brest. The Belarusian delegation, which included National Bank Chairman Roman Golovchenko, showcased opportunities for creating production facilities in Belarus. The event hosted specialised investment forums dedicated to various countries and regions, alongside a TradeTech Forum co-hosted with the World Economic Forum. Diverse programme offerings The congress featured eight main portfolios covering Foreign Direct Investment, Global Trade, Startups and Unicorns, Future Cities, Future Finance, Global Manufacturing, Digital Economy, and Entrepreneurs. Pre-congress workshops addressed practical topics including municipal investment promotion, B2B sales strategies, market access for SMEs, and venture capital approaches. These sessions provided attendees with tangible tools for navigating the evolving investment landscape. The AI World Championship, described as 'a unique competition format where artificial intelligence becomes not only a tool, but also the main driving force,' showcased AI solutions across sectors including healthcare, finance, and logistics. Future outlook As the congress concluded, it reinforced Abu Dhabi's position as a strategic hub for global investment conversations and highlighted the UAE's dual focus on inbound and outbound investment strategies. The event's forward-looking agenda covered emerging investment trends including health equity challenges, local production enhancement, and the integration of artificial intelligence in city governance. With participation from both established economic powers and developing markets, the AIM Congress 2025 demonstrated the increasingly interconnected nature of global investment landscapes and the central role the UAE is playing in facilitating cross-border economic collaboration.
Mid East Info
10-04-2025
- Business
- Mid East Info
Strategic Development Fund and QuantCube Technology Launch Joint Venture to Support the Growth of AI-Powered Economic Intelligence in the UAE
Strategic Development Fund (SDF), an Abu Dhabi based investment company wholly owned by EDGE Group PJSC, and QuantCube Technology, a Paris-based expert in real-time macroeconomic intelligence, announced today that they have entered into an agreement to establish a joint venture in Abu Dhabi. The announcement, made during the AIM Congress 2025, reflects a shared ambition to align with the UAE's focus on artificial intelligence and data-driven decision-making. The joint venture, to be jointly owned by SDF and QuantCube Technology, will build on QuantCube's advanced capabilities in alternative data and AI to deliver real-time, actionable economic and financial intelligence. Designed for institutional investors, corporates, financial institutions, and government agencies across the region, the platform will support strategic planning, forecasting, and data-driven decision-making. In addition to macroeconomic and financial analytics, the partnership will enable dynamic tracking of global supply chains and physical asset flows, leveraging QuantCube's real-time nowcasting and geospatial data tools to support operational readiness and strategic insight. By combining powerful AI-driven analytics with deep regional integration, this collaboration aims to unlock new use cases and broaden access to advanced intelligence solutions for organizations navigating increasingly complex environments. 'This joint venture with QuantCube reflects our commitment to introducing innovative technologies that can be customized, implemented, and delivered across different industries in the region through the UAE, providing them with strategic and financial value,' said Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Chief Portfolio Management Officer, SDF. 'As a strategic investor in QuantCube, we recognized significant potential in applying this capability across various sectors to optimize supply chain management. This joint venture is an opportunity to unlock and bring advanced, AI-powered and customizable data & analytics solutions and insights to the UAE and regional markets – making timely intelligence more accessible to private and government clients.' 'We are excited to collaborate with SDF, one of our strategic shareholders in QuantCube, to bring our nowcasting expertise to the UAE and wider region,' said Thanh-Long Huynh, Co-Founder & CEO, QuantCube. 'Through this joint venture, we aim to deliver innovative solutions that provide institutions across various industries with timely, accurate insights and forecasting analytics. These capabilities will help drive their growth within the region's thriving economy and support more informed, strategic decision-making in a rapidly evolving global landscape.' The joint venture builds on SDF's initial investment in QuantCube in 2022, which was followed by further investments over the past few years, and reflects SDF's continued confidence in the company's capabilities. By establishing operations in the UAE, the partners aim to make AI-powered nowcasting tools and alternative data analytics available to decision-makers in the region. As the collaboration evolves, the joint venture is well positioned to enable data-informed strategies and broaden the use of advanced analytics as practical tools for organisations navigating an increasingly complex regional landscape. About Strategic Development Fund (SDF): Strategic Development Fund (SDF) is an Abu Dhabi-based investment company, wholly owned by EDGE Group PJSC. Established in 2019, SDF focuses on generating financial returns and fostering economic impact within the UAE's strategic sectors. The company invests in dual-use and commercial technologies across areas such as aerospace, advanced mobility, autonomous systems, robotics, and artificial intelligence. By leveraging global partnerships, SDF accelerates the growth of its portfolio companies and fosters the development of cutting-edge technologies within the UAE. Additionally, SDF contributes to enhancing critical supply chain resilience, aligning with the UAE's vision for innovation and economic diversification. About QuantCube Technology: QuantCube Technology uses artificial intelligence and big data analytics to deliver real-time macro-economic insights. The firm operates one of the largest alternative data lakes in the world, processing more than 14 billion data end points. Sources encompass news, social media, satellite data, professional networks and consumer reviews, as well as international trade, shipping, real estate, hospitality, telecoms and goods and prices data. QuantCube's macro nowcast indices, on variables including economic growth, inflation, employment and international trade, correlate highly with official data and significantly beat the consensus. Financial institutions using QuantCube data benefit from real-time insight, often ahead of official numbers, which they can use to inform their investment strategies. Headquartered in Paris, QuantCube employs a diverse international team of data scientists with expertise in multilingual NLP, deep learning and machine learning techniques. The company's shareholders include SDF and Moody's and its R&D in computer vision has been partially funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) and French government space agency CNES.
Zawya
10-04-2025
- Business
- Zawya
HE Al Zeyoudi highlights UAE's commitment to advancing global trade and investment partnerships at AIM Congress 2025
HE Al Zeyoudi: 'Our engagements at AIM Congress 2025 have reaffirmed the UAE's unwavering commitment to developing trade and investment partnerships that catalyze economic growth and contribute to sustainable global development.' Abu Dhabi, UAE: His Excellency Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, has promoted the UAE as a leading investment hub during his participation in the AIM Congress 2025, hosted in Abu Dhabi from April 7th to 9th. Throughout the 14th edition of the AIM Congress, HE Al Zeyoudi engaged in a series of high-level talks and panel discussions, exploring strategic investment opportunities and fostering partnerships with global stakeholders. The AIM Congress 2024, under the theme 'Mapping the Future of Global Investment: The New Wave of a Globalized Investment Landscape – Towards a New Balanced World Structure,' included more than 350 dialogue sessions, and featured 900 speakers and experts from around the world, serving as a platform for global policymakers, business leaders, and investors to convene and discuss key issues shaping the global economic landscape with the objective of creating a more prosperous and sustainable global economy. During his welcoming remarks, HE Al Zeyoudi said: 'The UAE will continue to champion investment as an essential catalyst of development – where investment is geared towards expanding opportunities, unlocking potential, forging new industries, and driving prosperity. Now the 16th largest source of foreign investment in the world, allocating US$22.3 billion to international projects in 2023 alone, impact investment is not the future for the UAE, but very much a policy of the present. From vital infrastructure to agriculture, from energy to education, the UAE has and will continue to use its capital to upgrade economies, drive innovation and elevate lives around the world.' Speaking on the successful track record of outbound investment from the UAE, HE Dr Thani cited several key international projects, including over US$50 billion invested in renewable energy projects across six continents and up to US$7 billion on integrated food parks and cold supply chains in India. During the congress, HE Al Zeyoudi participated in a Ministerial Roundtable on 'The Role of International Trade Agreements in Building Open and Inclusive Markets,' where he highlighted ways collaborative frameworks promote sustainable economic growth and effective responses to global trade challenges. Here, HE Al Zeyoudi outlined the success of the UAE's Comprehensive Economic Partnership program, with its 27 deals already concluded, eight of which are in force, and its impact on driving export growth and facilitating strategic investment into high-priority sectors. HE Al Zeyoudi also attended the opening of the third World Local Production Forum, hosted in the UAE in partnership between the Emirates Drug Establishment and the World Health Organization (WHO). HE Al Zeyoudi also engaged in bilateral discussions with senior government officials, including HE Rustam Minnikhanov, Prime Minister of Tatarstan, and HE Hua Yuan, Vice Mayor of Shanghai, and trade and investment ministers from countries representing all corners of the world, including the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Europe, the Balkans and Oceania. The diversity of discussions reflects the UAE's commitment to fostering global partnerships and driving sustainable economic growth through targeted inbound and outbound investment. As AIM Congress 2025 unfolded, it reinforced Abu Dhabi's strategic role as a global investment hub, encouraging innovative approaches to tackle economic challenges. The congress demonstrated the UAE's commitment to being a beacon of opportunity and collaboration in the Middle East and beyond, leveraging technology to shape a prosperous future for the world.
Zawya
10-04-2025
- Business
- Zawya
IFZA partners with Smart City Council at AIM Congress 2025 to support Smart City Sector Growth
Dubai, UAE: IFZA participated in the 14th edition of AIM Congress, held from April 7-9 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), in partnership with the Smart City Council (SCC). IFZA showcased its service offerings at a dedicated stand, reinforcing its strategic alignment with Dubai's goal of becoming one of the top three smart cities in the world. The event served as an opportunity to connect with government stakeholders, investors, and industry leaders, and explore meaningful partnerships that support innovation, digital transformation, and sustainable growth within the smart city sector. As Dubai's most dynamic free zone community, IFZA joined this crucial international platform to highlight its role in supporting smart city growth and promoting Dubai as a global leader in innovation and business development. The event this year was supported by more than 400 local, regional and global partners, offering valuable opportunities for collaboration, networking, investment. IFZA used this stage to further strengthen its position as a key player in the regional business ecosystem, especially in the smart city sectors. Commenting on IFZA's participation at the event, Holger Schlechter, Chief Financial Officer at IFZA said: 'As the global economic landscape evolves, AIM Congress offers an invaluable platform for collaboration, innovation, and forward-thinking dialogue. At IFZA, we believe that smart city development is not just a technological leap — it's a strategic imperative. Our participation aligns with Dubai's ambition to become one of the world's top smart cities and reflects our commitment to empowering businesses that are shaping the cities of tomorrow.' The company's presence extended beyond the exhibition floor as Julia Timms, Chief Commercial Officer - Strategy Ecosystems, led a high-level discussion focused on "Strategic Investments in Hospitality: Maximizing Returns and Enhancing Experiences'. Building on its success at previous AIM Congress editions, IFZA introduced its business setup solutions designed to attract international investment and support long-term partnerships. Throughout the three-day event, IFZA representatives actively engaged in meetings, panel discussions, and networking opportunities - underscoring their commitment to enabling companies in the field of smart cities to thrive in Dubai's dynamic environment. AIM Congress 2025 brought together local, regional, and global leaders through a series of impactful events, forums, and conferences in collaboration with leading international organizations. The event focused on shared global challenges, exploring new markets, and driving sustainable growth. The eight key themes of the event - Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Global Trade, Startups & Unicorns, Future Cities, Future Finance, Global Manufacturing, Digital Economy, and Entrepreneurs - covered a wide range of sectors, from smart agriculture and infrastructure to biotechnology, logistics, tourism, and education. This diverse agenda reflects AIM's commitment to innovation and inclusive economic development. About IFZA IFZA is the most dynamic and truly international Free Zone Community in the UAE, optimising the country's strategic location, world-class infrastructure, and business-friendly environment. IFZA differentiates itself through its multi-national approach, providing personalised business establishment solutions through its network of Government Authorities and Professional Partners. Business Owners and Employees can also benefit from a wide spectrum of value-added services within the IFZA ecosystem, including but not limited to property solutions, visa packages and training and development. The IFZA Business Park offers a wide variety of cutting-edge office facilities tailored to meet each Licensee's individual needs and provides a professional, welcoming environment to greet clients, network with other businesses and thrive.
