Dubai – Sharikat Mubasher: The Emirates Development Bank (EDB) has launched the ‘Emirates Growth Fund (EGF), a new AED 1 billion equity platform designed to scale up UAE-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Officially unveiled at the fourth ‘Make it in the Emirates Forum’, the fund will target high-growth companies in key sectors such as manufacturing, food security, healthcare, and advanced technology, according to an official press release.

EGF aims to bridge the funding gap for SMEs that have outgrown early-stage investment but remain underserved by traditional private equity. The fund will provide minority equity stakes ranging from AED 10 million to AED 50 million, along with strategic guidance to help founders scale operations, improve governance, and build globally competitive businesses.

The initiative supports the UAE’s Operation 300bn strategy, which seeks to raise the industrial sector’s GDP contribution to AED 300 billion by 2031.

According to Sultan Al Jaber, EDB Chairman, the fund represents “a bold, future-focused step” toward building industrial resilience and supporting founder-led innovation in the UAE.