EDB Opens Abu Dhabi Office To Attract Gulf Investment Into Central Asia

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 10. The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) is setting up a new investment platform aimed at attracting capital from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to projects across Central Asia, Trend reports via EDB.

As part of this effort, the bank has opened a representative office in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the UAE capital's international financial centre. The opening ceremony was attended by ADGM Authority CEO Salem Al Darei and EDB Chairman Nikolai Podguzov. According to the bank, the Abu Dhabi office will allow it to work more directly with regulators, sovereign wealth funds and other institutional investors in the Gulf.

A specialized infrastructure credit fund will form a central part of the new platform. Registered under ADGM jurisdiction, the fund will focus on debt financing of EDB-backed infrastructure projects in Central Asia and is intended to provide Middle Eastern and international investors with a structured, regulated means to invest in the region.

The bank's move follows a year of increasing engagement with Gulf markets. In 2025, the EDB placed two dirham-denominated bond issues: a $50 million equivalent offering on the Astana International Exchange in April, and a $54 million equivalent placement in the UAE in June with the participation of First Abu Dhabi Bank and the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.

To note, a joint forecast by the EDB, the Islamic Development Bank and the London Stock Exchange projects Islamic banking assets in the region to reach $6.3 billion by 2033, with sukuk issuance expected to grow to $5.6 billion.

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