ABU DHABI, October 20, 2026: The United Arab Emirates has formally signed an agreement to host the 2029 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group in Abu Dhabi, bringing one of the world’s most prominent gatherings of financial policymakers back to the country.
The agreement was signed on October 18 at the close of the two institutions’ 2026 annual meetings in Bangkok, according to a World Bank Group announcement.
Who signed the agreement?
UAE Minister of State for Financial Affairs Mohamed bin Hadi Al Hussaini and Central Bank Governor Khaled Mohamed Balama signed on behalf of the UAE. World Bank President Ajay Banga and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva signed for their institutions.
The decision to hold the 2029 meetings in Abu Dhabi was announced earlier, in April 2026. The October signing formalised the hosting arrangement rather than representing a new selection of the host city.
Why the meetings matter
The annual gatherings bring together finance ministers, central bank governors, development officials, economists and representatives from businesses and civil society. Discussions typically address economic growth, financial stability, development finance and international cooperation.
Abu Dhabi’s hosting role places the UAE at the centre of those discussions at a time when policymakers are confronting debt pressures, geopolitical uncertainty and the effects of new technologies.
A return to the UAE
This will be the second time the UAE has hosted the IMF and World Bank annual meetings. Dubai previously hosted them in 2003.
Preparations for the 2029 gathering are expected to involve coordination between the UAE authorities and the two international institutions.
Sources: World Bank Group, October 18, 2026; IMF, April 10, 2026.
