Aldar CEO says affordable lifestyle central to Abu Dhabi’s next growth chapter

Abu Dhabi: Aldar Properties is placing affordability at the center of its next growth cycle, with plans to expand access to integrated, high-quality communities across Abu Dhabi as population and demand surge.

“We’re partnering very closely with the state, represented by the Department of Municipalities and Transport, to tackle this topic, not just affordable housing but affordable lifestyle,” said Talal Al Dhiyebi, Group CEO of Aldar Properties. “What we don’t have is housing in areas underserved in retail, healthcare, education or transport. Even in the affordable segment, it’s important that we bring all of those aspects together.”

Speaking at Abu Dhabi Finance Week, Al Dhiyebi said Aldar’s expansion strategy aims to deliver affordability without compromising livability. “It’s about integrated community, lifestyle development,” he said. “That is going to be one of the biggest areas of growth for our capital as well as third-party capital.”

Aldar, which marks its twentieth anniversary this year, remains one of Mubadala’s most prominent real estate ventures. The company is reinforcing that partnership through new capital platforms and large-scale developments designed to support Abu Dhabi’s evolving urban framework.

Just last week, Aldar and Mubadala launched Aldar Capital, a real assets investment manager that Al Dhiyebi says will “bridge the gap between global capital and Abu Dhabi.” The two groups also announced a Dh60 billion development on North Al Maryah Island, featuring new office space, residential and branded hospitality, and a convention center.

“This fits within Abu Dhabi’s urban framework, the same framework started in 2008 with the 2030 vision,” Al Dhiyebi said. “Now we’re planning for the next decade or two.”

Beyond traditional residential and community projects, Aldar is expanding into logistics and credit markets to capitalise on Abu Dhabi’s industrial and financial diversification.

“Logistics is one that we’ve been very bullish about,” he said. “We’ve taken some baby steps, but we want to take bigger and bolder moves when it comes to logistics, particularly warehouses, to fuel Abu Dhabi’s economic diversification efforts and industrial strategy.”

Al Dhiyebi also identified private credit as a rapidly growing sector complementing conventional lending. “The rise of private credit has been a globally rising theme,” he said. “We concentrate more in real estate credit, and that’s what we’re investing in. With everything that’s going to happen here, we’re going to need the banks, but they’re also going to need private credit.”

He added that Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) provides a regulatory environment conducive to these emerging investment themes. “ADGM creates the right frameworks to attract these sectors,” he said.

While Aldar continues to invest internationally, including ventures in the United Kingdom and Egypt, Al Dhiyebi said the company remains primarily focused on opportunities in the UAE.

“When you believe what Abu Dhabi has done, what you’ve seen, what it’s going to do in the next five or ten years, it makes it very difficult to allocate capital anywhere else from a risk-adjusted basis,” he said. “The majority of our capital is going to be dominated in the UAE and places closest to us.”

Al Dhiyebi said Aldar’s agenda reflects Abu Dhabi’s broader objective of creating sustainable and inclusive growth for the next generation. “This is part of Abu Dhabi’s next economic cycle,” he said. “Aldar Capital and the North Al Maryah development fit squarely within that framework.”