US investors looking to capitalise on the fortunes of successful family offices in the UAE are looking to Abu Dhabi as a base, following the high-profile visit of President Donald Trump.
A growing number of US family offices are turning their attention to Abu Dhabi, spurred by high-level diplomatic engagement and transformative investment initiatives.
This shift follows US President Donald Trump’s visit to the UAE, where he met with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, to discuss deepening cooperation in strategic sectors such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, energy, and advanced manufacturing.
UAE Family Office Summit 2025
Donald Trump’s visit builds on the momentum generated by the UAE’s landmark $1.4tn investment strategy, announced in March 2025, targeting US industries over the next decade.
This unprecedented capital commitment is drawing significant interest from America’s ultra-high-net-worth families, who increasingly view Abu Dhabi as a gateway for long-term, cross-border investment.
High-profile names like Leon Black and Ray Dalio have already established family offices in the Emirate, attracted by Abu Dhabi’s ascent as a global hub for finance, innovation, and alternative investments.
Family enterprises are central to the UAE’s economy, contributing approximately 60 per cent of GDP and employing 80 per cent of the national workforce.
Family offices in the region are evolving from traditional structures into powerful investment platforms—partnering with the public sector to drive growth in infrastructure, sustainability, and frontier technologies.
One of the leading platforms accelerating this East-West convergence is the Family Office Summit, which has gained significant traction since launching in Abu Dhabi in 2023.
The December 2024 edition marked early US family office participation, including a keynote from Dillon Lawson-Johnson, a next-generation member of the Guggenheim family.
Speaking during his first visit to the UAE, Lawson-Johnson shared his interest in Abu Dhabi as a strategic base for expanding his family’s global business interests and highlighted their ongoing construction of their famous museum in the city.
The upcoming summit, taking place on May 29, 2025, will explore the distinctions between family holdings and family offices—two often-confused structures with complementary strengths.
The agenda will also delve into cross-border investment strategies and collaborative wealth platforms.
Obediah Ayton, Chairman of the Family Office Summit, said: “Family holdings are common in the UAE, typically comprising multiple operating companies across diverse sectors. However, they often lack the flexibility of a modern family office, which is structured around long-term capital preservation, diversification, and alternative asset strategies.
“The US model has evolved significantly in this space—something the UAE can learn from as it modernises its approach to wealth stewardship.”
This year’s summit will feature high-impact panels and closed-door sessions addressing:
- Next-gen family office disruptors: How rising leaders are transforming the family office model through bold bets in tech, venture capital, and emerging industries
- Women and wealth: Highlighting the growing role of female leadership in driving governance, impact investing, and legacy planning
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