Scottish entrepreneurs and businesses will gain direct access to
investment opportunities and partnerships in the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) under a new agreement to be signed by Deputy First
Minister in Dubai today.
The deal creates opportunities for Scottish business to connect
with UAE investors by attending trade events including UAE's
Flagship Investopia event in March. Scotland will also host an
Investopia Global event in late 2026. This follows the successful
first Investopia Global in Edinburgh in December 2025.
The agreement supports joint ventures between small and
medium-sized businesses in both countries, with knowledge sharing
and training programmes to help Scottish firms expand globally.
Regular meetings between Scottish and UAE officials will identify
opportunities across key sectors.
Deputy First Minister said:
"This agreement opens doors for Scottish businesses of all sizes
to grow and succeed on the international stage.
“By connecting our entrepreneurs with UAE partners and investors,
we are creating real opportunities for jobs and prosperity across
Scotland. This is about practical support that will help Scottish
companies compete and thrive in global markets.
“Attracting global investment into Scotland is crucial to growing
the economy, a key priority of this government. We set out
efforts in the draft Scottish budget to boost business and
entrepreneurial growth and new initiatives such as the First
Minister's Start Up Challenge are backing business to deliver.”
UAE Undersecretary of the Minister of Investment H.E. Mohammad
Abdulrahman Alhawi said: “This Memorandum of Understanding
reinforces the Ministry of Investment's commitment to building
lasting and meaningful partnerships with leading global
economies. This agreement builds on sustained engagement between
the UAE and Scotland across government, businesses and investors,
including most recently through Investopia, and reflects our
shared ambition to translate dialogue into tangible outcomes.
“We look forward to deepening this partnership further and
creating high-quality investment opportunities that benefit our
respective business ecosystems and support long-term, sustainable
growth.”
