Berlin, September 2026 : The United Arab Emirates has announced plans to invest 40 billion euros ($46 billion) in Germany across strategic sectors including artificial intelligence, energy and technology, as UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan undertakes his first official visit to the country since 2019.
The investment commitment was announced by Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, who accompanied Sheikh Mohamed during his two-day visit to Germany. Al Jaber said the planned investment reflected the UAE's ambition to deepen its longstanding strategic and economic partnership with Germany.
“Germany has been an important strategic and economic partner for decades, and the additional 40 billion euros intended investment reflects our ambition to invest in that relationship for the years ahead,” Al Jaber said.
He said the agreements would create opportunities for the UAE to invest alongside leading German industrial and technology companies while strengthening its capabilities in strategically important sectors. The partnerships could also help develop businesses capable of serving growing markets across the Gulf, Asia and Africa.
The latest investment pledge builds on approximately 34 billion euros that the UAE has already invested in Germany, according to Al Jaber. However, specific details about the projects or the sectors that will receive the new investment have not yet been disclosed.
Sheikh Mohamed's visit began on Wednesday and marked his first official trip to Germany since 2019. On Thursday, he was accorded military honours by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin before holding talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the Bundestag.
Discussions with both German leaders focused on bilateral relations and ways to expand cooperation, particularly in economic and development-related areas, according to the UAE's state-run WAM news agency.
Steinmeier also hosted a state banquet for the UAE delegation on Thursday afternoon. The visit was notable as Sheikh Mohamed became the first UAE president to make a state visit to Germany.
The investment announcement comes as economic and geopolitical pressures continue to reshape trade and investment relationships. The UAE is Germany's largest trading partner in the Gulf, with bilateral trade exceeding 13 billion euros ($15 billion) last year.
Germany exported goods worth around 11 billion euros ($12.8 billion) to the UAE, while imports from the Emirates stood at approximately 2 billion euros ($2.3 billion).
The UAE has also emerged as an important market for German defence equipment and frequently ranks among the top 10 buyers of German arms. The two countries have developed economic ties across several sectors, with the UAE investing in areas including chemicals and offshore wind.
The new investment commitment could further strengthen Germany's position as a destination for Gulf capital while providing UAE companies with access to German industrial expertise, advanced technologies and established global supply chains.
The UAE is also an important regional hub for German businesses. More than 2,000 German companies have a regional presence or headquarters in the Emirates, using the country as a base to serve markets across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.
Among the major German companies operating in the UAE are automobile manufacturers BMW and Mercedes-Benz, rail operator Deutsche Bahn, electronics and technology group Siemens, and industrial engineering company ThyssenKrupp.
The proposed 40-billion-euro investment therefore represents a significant potential expansion of an already substantial economic relationship, with artificial intelligence, energy and advanced technology expected to play an increasingly important role in future UAE-Germany cooperation.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
