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Officials from the UAE, World Bank Group and IMF convened in Bangkok on the final day of the 2026 Annual Meetings hosted by Thailand to sign the hosting agreement, a joint statement from the institutions said. The pact establishes the cooperation framework needed to organize the October 2029 gatherings, which will draw thousands of participants to Abu Dhabi. Mohamed bin Hadi Al Hussaini, minister of state for financial affairs, and Central Bank of the UAE Governor Khaled Mohamed Balama represented the country at the ceremony alongside World Bank President Ajay Banga and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.
The Annual Meetings convene finance ministers, central bank governors, private sector leaders and civil society representatives from more than 190 member countries to discuss global economic and financial stability, job creation and poverty eradication, the IMF reported. These sessions are typically held in Washington for two consecutive years and rotate to a member country every third year. The IMF assessment placed the 2029 edition as an opportunity to advance dialogue on sustainable development and international cooperation.
Abu Dhabi secured hosting rights after the Boards of Governors of both institutions voted in April 2026, giving the UAE the highest marks in a competitive international evaluation process, according to the Ministry of Finance. The UAE last hosted the Annual Meetings in Dubai in 2003, an occasion that the ministry described as a precedent for the forthcoming event in the capital. The selection process evaluated the country’s institutional readiness, infrastructure and track record in organizing large-scale international conferences.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, welcomed the outcome as recognition of the UAE’s financial standing and organizational capabilities. “These global meetings, which bring together finance ministers and central bank governors from 190 countries, represent a key platform for shaping global financial stability policies and crafting the future of the international economy,” he said. The ruler added that the UAE takes pride in its economic teams and the international confidence that has grown stronger over time.
The UAE’s real GDP grew 6.2 percent in 2025 to Dh1.9 trillion, with the non-oil sector expanding 6.8 percent to Dh1.5 trillion, according to the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre. Construction led sectoral growth at more than 11 percent, followed by finance and insurance at 10.4 percent, the centre’s data showed. This performance underpins the country’s emergence as a trusted partner in global financial governance, including its prior chairing of the World Bank-IMF Development Committee from 2022 to 2024.
Banga praised the UAE’s hospitality and efficient capital flows during the signing ceremony, linking them to the World Bank’s focus on mobilizing private investment for emerging markets. The agreement requires sustained collaboration among the three parties to deliver an event that meets the scale expected for such gatherings, the joint statement added. Preparations will intensify in the coming years to address logistics, content and outcomes aligned with the institutions’ mandates.
