The Department of Finance – Abu Dhabi (DoF): Overseeing the Capital’s Economic Blueprint

Established in 1966, the Department of Finance – Abu Dhabi (DoF) is the government entity responsible for securing the financial sustainability and long-term economic resilience of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Operating directly alongside the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, the DoF balances disciplined fiscal policy with strategic growth, helping transition the emirate toward a diversified, post-oil economy.

Led by Chairman H.E. Jassem Mohammed Buatabh Al Zaabi, the DoF plays a crucial role in managing public funds, optimizing government assets, and implementing financial technologies across the emirate’s public sector.

Core Responsibilities and Strategic Pillars

The DoF’s extensive mandate is managed across several highly specialized core divisions:

1. Performance-Based Budgeting and Fiscal Discipline

The DoF formulates, implements, and monitors the general annual budget for the entire Abu Dhabi government and its executive entities.

The Outcome-Driven Shift: The DoF completed Abu Dhabi’s full transition to a Performance-Based Budgeting (PBB) model. Aligned with international standards endorsed by the OECD, this framework directs dozens of government entities to tie their financial requests directly to measurable target outcomes and public sector impact, replacing traditional historical spending models.

2. Fiscal Policy and Macroeconomic Forecasting

The Fiscal Policy team creates predictive economic models to forecast the financial implications of municipal policies. They run risk scenarios to shield Abu Dhabi’s economy from international market volatility, ensuring macroeconomic stability and safe liquidity buffers.

3. Treasury and Sovereign Accounts

This unit controls the central banking pools of all Abu Dhabi government agencies, secures liquidity for public infrastructure pipelines, and dictates unified, standardized electronic accounting systems to maintain flawless public ledger bookkeeping.

4. Debt Management and Credit Ratings

The Debt Management Office (DMO) oversees Abu Dhabi’s overall sovereign debt portfolio and contingent liabilities. The DMO coordinates the borrowing and bond-issuance activities of major Government-Owned Enterprises (GOEs), aiming for cost optimization while maintaining Abu Dhabi’s exceptionally high international credit rating metrics. Recent high-value sovereign bond issuances are used to strategically capitalize long-term development plans.

5. Government Investments Portfolio

Through the Office of Government Investments, the department establishes the Government Ownership Policy (GOP). It evaluates the performance of Abu Dhabi’s vast investment portfolio, offering data-driven shareholder guidance to the emirate’s leadership on strategic cross-sector projects.

DoF Abu Dhabi At a Glance

Strategic Core	Key Function	Primary Objective
Budgeting Division	Directs the Performance-Based Budgeting framework across 60+ entities.	Maximizes public spending efficiency and transparency.
Debt Management (DMO)	Coordinates public borrowing and builds rating agency relationships.	Optimizes funding costs under premium credit parameters.
Treasury & Accounts	Formulates unified accounting policies and manages central cash pools.	Secures short and long-term liquidity for government expenditures.
Government Revenues	Oversees tax and non-tax revenues across the emirate.	Diversifies state income sources away from pure oil reliance.

Localized Programs: Citizen Housing Support

Beyond global macro-finance, the DoF directly impacts the local community through its Commercial Buildings division. This specialized team manages commercial building and investment land loans granted to UAE citizens within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. By providing financial oversight and accessible structuring for these citizen-centric development projects, the DoF helps expand the local real estate and commercial footprint for Emirati families.

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