The UAE officially opened its national pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka on Sunday, unveiling a space that blends Emirati heritage with innovation and global collaboration.
The pavilion, in the Empowering Lives Zone of the world's fair, was inaugurated with senior Emirati officials present, including Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Special Envoy to Japan, and Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of State.
The event is taking place until October 13 and follows the success of Expo 2020 Dubai.
“Here in Osaka, we are proud to share how the UAE is translating ambition into tangible progress – expanding access to energy, investing in clean technologies, advancing the skills and knowledge of people, nurturing industrial transformation and driving solutions that leave no one behind,” said Dr Al Jaber.
“Together with our partners in Japan and beyond, we look forward to forging new pathways for a sustainable, inclusive future.”
The pavilion, inspired by UAE’s date palm tree, features a striking forest of 90 columns made from agricultural date palm waste and crafted using traditional Japanese woodwork techniques.
Rising up to 16 metres, the columns anchor a structure that reimagines Areesh, traditional Emirati architecture, in a modern context.
The pavilion was designed by the Earth to Ether Design Collective, a team of Emirati and Japanese creatives.
Visitors can explore a multisensory journey that highlights the UAE’s advancements in space exploration, healthcare innovation and sustainability.
The exhibits include immersive multimedia installations and artistic displays that aim to deepen understanding of the country’s future-focused ambitions.
Ms Al Kaabi said the UAE’s participation builds on decades of international engagement through global platforms such as Expo.
“It is particularly meaningful to return to Osaka, where Abu Dhabi first took part in a World Expo in 1970,” she said.
“The UAE pavilion reflects not only who we are but also who we are becoming, as a nation rooted in its heritage and guided by the possibilities of the future.”
Youth ambassadors
A team of 46 youth ambassadors, including 24 Emiratis, will serve as guides at the pavilion, offering visitors insights into the UAE’s culture, global partnerships and innovations.
They are fluent in seven languages, including Arabic, Japanese, English and Mandarin, reflecting the country’s international outreach.
Partnerships and national vision
The UAE pavilion is supported by a range of national partners reflecting the country’s strategic priorities.
Adnoc, Space42, PureHealth and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi are among the organisations contributing to the pavilion’s programming and content.
Over the course of the six-month expo, the pavilion will host a variety of forums, workshops and cultural activities focused on themes such as sustainability, mobility, youth and innovation.
A pavilion restaurant will serve Emirati cuisine, while a concept shop will showcase UAE-based designers.
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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.”
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