ADQ, Turkey Wealth Fund Launch $300m Venture Capital Fund

Signing ceremony between ADQ and Turkey Wealth Fund (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Signing ceremony between ADQ and Turkey Wealth Fund (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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ADQ, Turkey Wealth Fund Launch $300m Venture Capital Fund

Signing ceremony between ADQ and Turkey Wealth Fund (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Signing ceremony between ADQ and Turkey Wealth Fund (Asharq Al-Awsat)

ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company, and Turkey Wealth Fund (TWF) launched Wednesday a $300 million-tech fund, which will invest in venture capital funds and high-growth potential companies in Turkey.

Turkey Technology Fund – ADQ TWF will invest in companies developing emerging technologies or improving existing technologies in significant sectors, such as energy and utilities, healthcare and life sciences, food and agriculture, mobility and logistics, financial services, and education.

Mohamed Hassan al-Suwaidi, the Managing Director and CEO of ADQ, said that launching the fund builds on the broader commitment to investing in the future growth of Turkey the UAE made in late 2021 as both countries continue to advance bilateral trade and investment.

“Turkey is an attractive market with substantial opportunities for investing in vital sectors that align with our areas of expertise.”

By providing access to the national and regional champions in UAE’s portfolio, ADQ will help to unlock even greater value for these companies and funds with high-growth potential, he added.

For his part, Arda Ermut, the CEO and Board Member of TWF, said Turkey has grown significantly in its technology ecosystem over the last few years.

“We believe Turkey Technology Fund – ADQ TWF will give ADQ and TWF access to a pipeline of compelling investment opportunities specialized in next-generation technologies that will contribute to the strategic growth of Turkey’s economy and ultimately reinforce bilateral cooperation between both countries.”

He pointed out that the fund marks the first step taken by the TWF as part of its vision to build a broader $1 billion technology platform to become the reference technology fund accelerating technological growth in Turkey and driving growth in strategic technological sectors critical to Turkey’s development.

Compared to similar funds in Turkey, the Turkey Technology Fund will create a unique added value for the country with its volume and international direct investment dimension and the multiplier effect it will provide for other technology investments, he added.



WTO Slashes 2025 Trade Growth Forecast

Chinese made cars, including Volvo and other brands, are seen at the port in Nanjing, in China's eastern Jiangsu province on April 16, 2025, as they wait to be loaded onto ships for export. (Photo by AFP)
Chinese made cars, including Volvo and other brands, are seen at the port in Nanjing, in China's eastern Jiangsu province on April 16, 2025, as they wait to be loaded onto ships for export. (Photo by AFP)
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WTO Slashes 2025 Trade Growth Forecast

Chinese made cars, including Volvo and other brands, are seen at the port in Nanjing, in China's eastern Jiangsu province on April 16, 2025, as they wait to be loaded onto ships for export. (Photo by AFP)
Chinese made cars, including Volvo and other brands, are seen at the port in Nanjing, in China's eastern Jiangsu province on April 16, 2025, as they wait to be loaded onto ships for export. (Photo by AFP)

The World Trade Organization sharply cut its forecast for global merchandise trade from solid growth to a decline on Wednesday, saying further US tariffs and spillover effects could lead to the heaviest slump since the height of the COVID pandemic.
The WTO said it expected trade in goods to fall by 0.2% this year, down from its expectation in October of 3.0% expansion. It said its new estimate was based on measures in place at the start of this week, Reuters reported.
US President Donald Trump imposed extra duties on steel and car imports as well as more sweeping global tariffs before unexpectedly pausing higher duties on a dozen economies. His trade war with China has also intensified with tit-for-tat exchanges pushing levies on each other's imports beyond 100%.
The WTO said that, if Trump reintroduced the full rates of his broader tariffs that would reduce goods trade growth by 0.6 percentage points, with another 0.8 point cut due to spillover effects beyond US-linked trade.
Taken together, this would lead to a 1.5% decline, the steepest drop since 2020.
"The unprecedented nature of the recent trade policy shifts means that predictions should be interpreted with more caution than usual," said the WTO, which is also forecasting a modest recovery of 2.5% in 2026.
Earlier on Wednesday, the UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) agency said global economic growth could slow to 2.3% as trade tensions and uncertainty drive a recessionary trend.
The Geneva-based WTO said disruption of US-China trade was expected to increase Chinese merchandise exports across all regions outside North America by between 4% and 9%.
Other countries would have opportunities to fill the gap in the United States in sectors such as textiles, clothing and electrical equipment.
Services trade, though not subject to tariffs, would also take a hit, the WTO said, by weakening demand related to goods trade such as transport and logistics. Broader uncertainty could dampen spending on travel and investment-related services.
The WTO said it expected commercial services trade to grow by 4.0% in 2025 and 4.1% in 2026, well below baseline projections of 5.1% and 4.8%.
The expected downturn follows a strong 2024, when the volume of world merchandise trade grew by 2.9% and commercial services trade expanded by 6.8%.