Edge, the UAE defence conglomerate, has secured three new contracts to supply its products to local and international customers, as it continues to focus on expanding its presence in global markets.
As part of the two international deals, Edge entity SIGN4L — which develops electronic warfare and cyber solutions — will export a number of its V-Protect radio frequency communication jamming systems and Wifinder homeland security solutions.
V-Protect is primarily used for convoy protection to safeguard VIPs, presidential guards, diplomats and military and civil personnel in conflict zones, while Wifinder can be used by law enforcement and security personnel to fight organised crime and terrorism, Edge said on Tuesday.
The third agreement will see a local homeland security entity take possession of SIGN4L’s Activecell solution, a cellular signal analysis system that offers “situational awareness” capabilities.
SIGN4L will manufacture and supply the systems, with deliveries expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of this year, Edge said.
Edge did not disclose who the customers are, nor the value of the contracts, which were announced on the sidelines of the International Exhibition for National Security and Resilience (ISNR Abu Dhabi), currently taking place in the UAE capital.
“Through exporting ‘Made in the UAE’ products globally, Edge and SIGN4L are contributing to Operation 300bn set out by the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology,” Edge said.
The company is developing “a defence industrial base, generating in-country value, developing sovereign capabilities and positioning the UAE as a serious global player within the advanced technology industry”, it added.
As part of the Operation 300bn strategy unveiled last year, the UAE plans to increase the industrial sector's contribution to the country's gross domestic product to Dh300 billion ($81.68bn) by 2031, from Dh133bn in 2021.
In June, MoIAT, Emirates Development Bank and Edge Group signed an agreement to boost manufacturing in the defence sector.
Under the agreement, EDB will provide financing of up to Dh1bn to support and accelerate the industrialisation of Edge’s offerings, while the ministry will support Edge to expand global exports of more than 40 domestically manufactured products and solutions.
Edge's latest contracts are “a testament to our commitment to developing superior solutions that bolster national defence, and further afield to key markets for export”, Waleid Al Mesmari, senior vice president of electronic warfare and cyber technologies at Edge, said.
“We have proven our ability not only to produce systems able to meet complex national defence needs but also to affirm our position in the fiercely competitive international market.”
Set up in 2019, Edge specialises in building advanced technology for weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare, with more than 20 companies under its umbrella.
Last year, the company said it had won contracts to export a range of its products to the US, western Europe and Africa, as part of its ambitions to expand into international markets with locally made solutions.
SIGN4L is also partnering with Israel Aerospace Industries to develop an advanced counter-unmanned aircraft system that can detect and intercept a broad range of threats.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
