Emirates Development Bank announced this week that it will host the ‘Current of Growth’ exhibition from October 14 to 15 at the Abu Dhabi Energy Center, where more than 100 locally manufactured products will go on display for free. The two-day event will offer visitors a detailed look at the UAE’s expanding industrial and innovation ecosystem through items that many may not realize are developed domestically. According to a report by Gulf News, the exhibition brings together business success stories with cutting-edge technologies that support the country’s economic diversification goals.[[1]](https://gulfnews.com/business/retail/uae-made-electric-bikes-firefighting-drones-and-smart-farms-go-on-show-in-abu-dhabi-1.500686290)
The exhibition will feature electric motorcycles, autonomous firefighting drones, medical devices, smart farming solutions powered by solar technologies and construction materials produced from fungi and date-palm waste. A WAM statement distributed on behalf of the bank noted that these exhibits underscore the breadth of local manufacturing capabilities across healthcare, advanced technology and sustainable materials. Admission is free with the venue open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., allowing the public to interact directly with the innovations on show.
Ahmed Mohamed Al Naqbi, chief executive officer of Emirates Development Bank, tied the initiative to the bank’s mandate in a statement released this week. The exhibition aligns with efforts to direct financing toward sectors that drive industrial development and local production. Emirates Development Bank data shows the lender has committed AED 30 billion over the past five years to more than 1,000 companies in strategic areas including manufacturing, renewables and food security.
That financing has produced measurable results for the national economy, with an estimated AED 14 billion direct contribution to GDP and the creation of more than 50,000 jobs, a Bitesize Business Breakfast Podcast interview with Al Naqbi indicated. The bank has also helped attract around AED 10 billion in foreign direct investment while mobilizing additional project value exceeding AED 70 billion. These figures reflect EDB’s role as a central financier in the UAE’s push to reduce reliance on oil revenues through expanded industrial capacity.
Emirates Development Bank has pursued complementary programs that reinforce the exhibition’s themes, including the recent launch of the EDB Future Founder Programme aimed at students aged 17 to 21. The initiative provides workshops and simulations to build entrepreneurial skills among young nationals, the bank said in a July announcement. Separately, EDB graduated cohorts from its MIITE accelerator for industrial startups earlier this year, demonstrating sustained support for innovation that the October exhibition will place on public view.
The event arrives as the UAE continues to advance its national industrial strategy, with regulatory approvals already secured for satellite internet services and other technologies that complement the displayed products. Industry assessments place the regional satellite communications market on a growth trajectory that matches EDB’s investment priorities across multiple verticals. Public access to the exhibition is expected to raise awareness of these domestic capabilities among residents and potential partners alike.
