Abu Dhabi is fast becoming the next hotspot for American family offices, thanks in part to U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent visit and a broader shift in global wealth strategy. His high-profile meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in May spotlighted the Emirate’s growing appeal to U.S. investors, especially amid a $1.4 trillion investment strategy announced by the UAE earlier this year.
Though Trump’s trip made headlines for its focus on sectors like AI, semiconductors, and clean energy, it also reinforced a quiet but significant trend: a growing number of America’s ultra-wealthy families are choosing Abu Dhabi as a strategic base for cross-border investment and wealth preservation.
Prominent U.S. names like Leon Black and Ray Dalio have already planted roots in the Emirate, drawn by its emergence as a global finance and innovation hub. The shift reflects both opportunity and alignment—Abu Dhabi offers long-term capital access, while U.S. family offices bring agile, alternative investment strategies that complement the region’s traditional business structures.
While family enterprises already dominate the UAE economy—generating roughly 60% of GDP and employing 80% of the workforce—many are now evolving into sophisticated investment arms. This evolution is being shaped in part by growing dialogue between American and Emirati wealth managers, particularly through events like the Family Office Summit, launched in Abu Dhabi in 2023.
The upcoming edition of the summit, set for May 29, will feature closed-door sessions on cross-border strategy, women in wealth leadership, and next-gen disruptors transforming family offices into venture capital and tech-forward engines. Obediah Ayton, chairman of the summit, said the UAE is increasingly interested in adopting the structural flexibility of U.S. family offices.
“Family holdings are powerful but rigid,” Ayton noted. “The U.S. model of family offices is better equipped for diversification, long-term planning, and alternative assets—something the UAE is learning from as it rethinks its own wealth ecosystem.”
Among the high-profile U.S. participants is Dillon Lawson-Johnson of the Guggenheim family, who spoke at last year’s summit about expanding his family’s legacy in the UAE, including the construction of a new museum in Abu Dhabi.
As Trump’s visit renews political and economic ties, platforms like the Family Office Summit are turning that momentum into investment movement—offering a new East-West corridor for private capital, legacy building, and global influence.
