Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, has reviewed the Ministry of Finance's 2025 Annual Report, titled 'Financial Efficiency and Global Impact', which charts a year of significant fiscal milestones and growing international standing for the UAE.
The report confirms that the UAE's federal budget for 2025 reached AED71.5 billion, with the government subsequently approving the 2026 Federal Budget Plan at AED92.4 billion, a 29% increase, signalling strong economic momentum and confidence in the country's long-term development trajectory.
Sheikh Maktoum said 2025 marked an exceptional chapter in the UAE's financial journey, with global challenges converted into opportunities for growth. He highlighted the Ministry's expanded role beyond resource management, pointing to efforts in building agile legislation, attracting high-quality investment and deepening public-private sector partnerships.
On the debt markets front, the Ministry's Islamic Treasury Sukuk programme recorded nine auctions in 2025, generating a total issuance value of AED9.9 billion. The year also saw the launch of the Retail Sukuk initiative, opening fractional investment opportunities to citizens and residents from AED4,000 through Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Emirates NBD and Emirates Islamic Bank.
Internationally, the Ministry conducted 29 rounds of negotiations with partner countries, signed six investment protection agreements, and joined multilateral frameworks on crypto-asset transparency and automatic exchange of information. The UAE advanced to 16th place globally in the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook's Government Efficiency Index and retained strong sovereign credit ratings from Fitch, Moody's and S&P Global.
The report also confirmed the UAE's removal from both the EU's high-risk third-country list related to anti-money laundering and Brazil's list of preferential tax regime countries, reflecting growing global confidence in the UAE's regulatory framework.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
