Sustaining Startups: Bridging the Financial Gap in the UAE Climate-Tech Ecosystem

A deep-dive into a roundtable discussion co-hosted by Frontier25, HSBC, and Hub71 to explore the financing of the energy transition in the UAE and beyond.

Detailed outcomes and recommendations following a Frontier25 policy hack on methane and air quality, held in partnership with the Global Methane Hub.

Insights from our 25 to 2050: Ideas to Impact forum point to a common goal: meaningful climate action to drive innovation and engage communities.

This report explores the role of Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) in advancing climate resilience across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Developed through data analysis and a closed-door roundtable, it highlights how regional SWFs are shifting portfolios towards clean energy, with investments reaching nearly $2.5 billion in 2022. Led by ADIA, Mubadala, PIF, and QIA, these funds are diversifying into renewables, hydrogen, and storage while signalling a broader move toward emerging climate technologies. Stakeholders emphasised both opportunities and challenges, from gaps in adaptation finance for sectors like water and biodiversity to the need for innovative blended finance models that can de-risk investments and crowd in private capital. The report sets out a forward-looking agenda for SWFs to expand beyond mitigation into resilience and adaptation, aligning fiduciary responsibility with long-term regional climate security and positioning the MENA region as a leader in climate finance.

This report outlines the findings of a closed-door roundtable convened during Make it in the Emirates (MIITE) Week, bringing together senior representatives from government, industry, academia, and finance to examine how Abu Dhabi can catalyse a national piloting programme for climate-deep tech. Developed in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, the Global Climate Finance Centre, UICCA, Hub71, and PwC Middle East, the report identifies the infrastructure, capital, and regulatory gaps that currently limit the scale-up of hardware-intensive climate technologies critical to the UAE’s future economy, including energy storage, green construction materials, and low-carbon industrial processes. Stakeholders reached consensus on the urgency of creating real-world testing environments, aligning regulatory pathways, and de-risking capital-intensive innovation. The report sets out a three-pillar action framework—enabling piloting infrastructure, mobilising tailored financing, and strengthening governance—to guide collective action and investment. It provides a strategic foundation for stakeholders to collaborate on bridging the deployment gap, ensuring that the UAE remains at the forefront of global climate innovation while advancing its Net Zero by 2050 commitments.