G42, the leading Abu Dhabi-based technology company, and Viola, Israel’s leading technology investment group with over USD 5 billion in assets under management, today launched Global Valley, a talent-as-a-service platform that meets the ongoing worldwide demand for top tech talent. The joint venture between G42 and Viola is supported by the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and will offer clients access to ready-to-go, end-to-end R&D and tech excellence centres.

Global Valley will be one of the biggest employers of high-skilled tech talent in the region, sourcing exceptional employees globally across a variety of skill sets. Bridging the world’s long-term tech talent gap, Global Valley offers access to specialised resources, complementing Abu Dhabi’s deep existing talent pool and capability while also developing the local tech sector.  

Global Valley covers the resourcing requirements across the entire employee life cycle from acquisition to management and payroll, providing coverage across both standard technology roles as well as more niche requirements such as artificial intelligence and machine learning specialists. The teams based in Abu Dhabi will be a mix of global technology talent and Emirati professionals and serve as a natural extension of their clients’ core teams.

Eng. Abdulla Abdul Aziz AlShamsi, Director General of ADIO, said: "The strength of Abu Dhabi’s innovation ecosystem and abundance of talent make the UAE capital the ideal base for Global Valley. The company will meet the increasing worldwide demand for top technology talent, supporting companies in the UAE, Israel and around the world to innovate and grow. Global Valley also builds on the enthusiasm generated by the Abraham Accords, which continues to create important collaborations in sectors focused on innovation and advanced technology.”

Despite a short-term easing, the world will continue to face a shortage of highly skilled tech workers in the coming years. One study by Korn Ferry estimated that by 2030 there will be a global talent gap of approximately 85 million employees in the Telecommunication, Media and Technology sector alone, creating headwinds on economic growth.  Entities such as Global Valley will be key in plugging the tech talent gap and driving economic progress across industries and markets.

Peng Xiao, Group Chief Executive Officer of G42, said: “For years now, Abu Dhabi has championed cutting-edge innovation and digital transformation to diversify its economy and improve the quality of life for its residents, establishing itself as a top destination for tech talent and investments. By helping address the global tech talent shortage, Global Valley is poised to further strengthen the local ecosystem, fueling unparalleled innovation and propelling Abu Dhabi to new heights as a dynamic hub for technological advancement and business prowess. We look forward to collaborating with ADIO and Viola to empower the next generation of exceptional business and tech leaders in the Middle East and beyond.”

“Abu Dhabi has been at the forefront of discussions around AI, even before it became popular. Being a key player in the market, G42 remains committed to driving advancements in AI and technological innovation, together with its partners. Through Global Valley, we are poised to unlock limitless opportunities, spur groundbreaking innovations, and solidify the region's position as a prominent destination for tech talent and investment,” continued Xiao. 

Global Valley expects to operate from multiple sites around Abu Dhabi, including Al Ain, in collaboration with local partners. Alongside direct employment opportunities, Global Valley will offer UAE nationals internships, exchange programmes and collaborations with local universities.

Avi Zeevi, Co-Founder & General Partner at Viola, said: “We’re proud to continue the road paved by the Abraham Accords agreements and to build a joint venture that will leverage Israel’s innovation ecosystem. We believe this initiative will have a major impact on the development of the region. Technology will continue to be a significant force of transformation globally, and this is the time to invest in the infrastructure that will provide tech companies, in Israel and globally, with the best-of-class tech talent to fuel their future growth and support their activities in the region.”

Global Valley further advances collaboration between Abu Dhabi and Israel since the Abraham Accords. The joint venture between G42 and Viola follows recent collaborations between ADIO and Israeli companies Liquidity Group and OurCrowd. FinTech company Liquidity Group became the first Israeli company to join ADIO’s Innovation Programme, establishing an R&D centre in the UAE capital. OurCrowd is significantly expanding its Abu Dhabi operations with a new venture capital office and AI tech hub enabled by ADIO.

NEOPLY, a leading South Korean blockchain technology company, is to establish its global headquarters in Abu Dhabi with support from the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), underscoring the UAE capital’s appeal as a magnet for innovation-driven companies. NEOPLY is joining ADIO’s Innovation Programme, which supports the growth of tech-focused industries in the UAE capital.

NEOPLY provides a decentralised finance (De-Fi) platform and a variety of services based on blockchain technology. Its global headquarters in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) will be called H-Lab and benefit from the international financial centre’s advanced regulatory framework and thought leadership in the virtual assets space.

Abu Dhabi has proved to be a popular destination for innovative South Korean companies in recent years. To support investors, ADIO opened an office in Seoul in 2021 and has worked with companies including Bespin Global, H2O and K-BTS Consortium to establish or expand their Abu Dhabi operations. The opening of H-Lab follows discussions between ADIO and Neowiz Holdings, the parent company of NEOPLY, about establishing its blockchain activities wholly from Abu Dhabi and benefiting from ADGM’s robust regulatory framework that enables effective blockchain and digital assets innovation.

Eng. Abdulla Abdul Aziz AlShamsi, Director General of ADIO said: "Abu Dhabi’s enabling environment, coupled with the availability of world-class infrastructure and skilled talent, has positioned the UAE capital as a leading destination for investment in the Middle East. NEOPLY joins a wave of other innovative South Korean companies choosing Abu Dhabi as the catalyst for their next growth phase. They are joining a thriving innovation ecosystem and bringing new ideas and solutions to life in the UAE capital."

Founded in 2018, NEOPLY is the blockchain arm of Neowiz Holdings, a prominent South Korean gaming venture. The company will create specialised jobs in blockchain technology and further add to the development of the sector in the UAE capital and beyond. H-Lab will also work with Abu Dhabi universities to develop programmes and scholarships related to blockchain, Web 3.0, and De-Fi.

Jinho Park, Chief Operating Officer of NEOPLY, stated, "With ADIO's support, we are establishing our global headquarter in the heart of Abu Dhabi, which fills us with great anticipation for our financial innovation in the Middle East." He emphasised, "With the active support of ADIO, the collaboration with ADGM, and the infrastructure of Abu Dhabi, we are committed to setting new standards in the global blockchain industry."

NEOPLY’s H-Lab will work with ADGM to support its development of a sound and progressive regulatory framework for DeFi, with the aim of becoming one of the first regulated DeFi providers in the world. The Korean blockchain company is looking to participate in the ADGM’s Digital Lab and collaborate closely with ADGM’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) to build a framework for the DeFi industry that both mitigates risks to consumers and the financial industry and lets new business models develop that can improve consumers’ experiences and outcomes.

In 2018, ADGM became the first jurisdiction globally to introduce a comprehensive regulatory framework for the regulation of exchanges, custodians, brokers, and other intermediaries engaged in virtual asset activities. This framework is part of ADGM's ongoing commitment to bolster the economic diversification of Abu Dhabi and the UAE through innovation and sustainable initiatives and position itself as a destination of choice for virtual asset investors.

Working with ADIO, the private sector can access long-term, commercially sustainable opportunities to grow with Abu Dhabi. These include access to Abu Dhabi’s land bank, large scale government infrastructure projects, and growth-enabling support. Alongside an office in Seoul, ADIO’s global network covers Beijing, Frankfurt, London, New York, Paris, San Francisco, and Tel Aviv.

ADIO’s AED 2 billion ($545 million) Innovation Programme supports businesses in innovation-focused sectors like AgTech, financial services, health services and biopharma, ICT, industry and tourism. Launched in 2020, the programme is a catalyst for the development and diversification of Abu Dhabi’s economy through the increased participation of innovative private sector companies.

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To apply for your Virtual Licence, visit Abu Dhabi Business Centre’s website and select “Abu Dhabi Virtual Licence”.

Abu Dhabi’s Virtual Licence enables non-resident foreign investors to easily obtain an economic licence to do business in Abu Dhabi.

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Government land in Abu Dhabi is available to private investors via Musataha partnerships, which grant investors Musataha rights to develop a particular plot of land for a defined time period.

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Government land in Abu Dhabi is available to private investors via Musataha partnerships, which grant investors Musataha rights to develop a particular plot of land for a defined time period.

The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), in collaboration with the Department of Municipal and Transport (DMT), has pre-qualified nine companies for Phase 2 of its Road Lighting LED public-private partnership (PPP) project tender.

The project, which forms part of the Abu Dhabi Road Lighting Programme, includes the finance, supply, installation, operation and maintenance of 135,742 LED energy-efficient luminaires in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. It will result in significant electricity savings of almost 2,400 million kWh, equivalent to a reduction of approximately 76 percent in power consumption, over the 12-year concession period.

The project is being procured in accordance with the PPP Law, ADIO’s Partnership Projects Guidebook and its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Policy.

ADIO has now concluded its bid evaluation process as part of the Request for Qualification (RfQ) phase and has pre-qualified the following companies: CRCCI (China Railway Construction Corporation International); Dussman Gulf; DUTCO Construction; EDF (Electricite de France); EESL/Hansa Energy Solutions; Orascom; Saif Bin Darwish; Shikun and Binui; and ST Engineering.

The companies hail from eight countries, including the UAE, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Israel and Singapore.

Pre-qualified bidders will be invited to participate in the next stage of the procurement process and submit detailed proposals in response to a Request for Proposal (RfP).

ADIO is the central Abu Dhabi government hub managing the facilitation, development and procurement of all infrastructure projects delivered through a PPP framework in Abu Dhabi, in line with its mandate to support private sector investment in the emirate. Find out more about ADIO’s infrastructure projects here: https://www.investinabudhabi.gov.ae/en/Infrastructure-Partnerships

DMT aims to encourage investment in Abu Dhabi through partnerships with the private sector. It facilitates projects related to its expertise in cooperation with strategic partners to ensure integration and knowledge exchange.In collaboration with Department of Municipal and Transport, ADIO has pre-qualified nine companies for Phase 2 of Road Lighting LED PPP project tender.