UAE voted to host World Bank-IMF 2029 annual meetings: H.H. Sheikh Mohammed

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced that the UAE has won the voting rights for the 2029 annual meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The annual meetings will be held in Abu Dhabi in October 2029.

The decision, Sheikh Mohammed said in a post on social media, reflects the global confidence in the UAE, affirming "the UAE's entrenched financial status, and embodies the efficiency and capabilities of its people". 

"These global meetings... bring together central bank governors and finance ministers from 190 countries, representing a key platform for shaping global financial stability policies and crafting the future of the international economy," His Highness explained. 

He concluded by expressing pride at the country's "economic and financial cadres, of its growing stature, and of the world's confidence that grows more solid day by day".

في تصويت اقتصادي عالمي يعكس الثقة الدولية، ويؤكد المكانة المالية الراسخة لدولة الإمارات، ويجسد كفاءة وقدرات أبنائها… فازت دولة الإمارات باستضافة اجتماعات مجموعة البنك الدولي وصندوق النقد الدولي لعام 2029 في العاصمة أبوظبي.

هذه الاجتماعات العالمية، التي تضم محافظي المصارف…

— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) April 10, 2026

The decision was made in a vote by the Boards of Governors of the two institutions.

The last time the annual meetings of both institutions were held in Dubai in 2003.

These meetings bring together central bankers, ministers of finance and development, private sector leaders, and a wide range of stakeholders across civil society, media, and academia to discuss the most pressing issues, including global economic financial stability and job creation.

It's usually held for two consecutive years at the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund headquarters in Washington DC and every third year in one of the institutions’ member countries.

The official signing ceremony for the hosting rights for the UAE will be done during the 2026 Annual Meetings in Bangkok.