UAE Approves $68.6 Bln Federal Budget for 2023-2026

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, chairs the cabinet meeting on Monday. (WAM)
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, chairs the cabinet meeting on Monday. (WAM)
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UAE Approves $68.6 Bln Federal Budget for 2023-2026

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, chairs the cabinet meeting on Monday. (WAM)
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, chairs the cabinet meeting on Monday. (WAM)

The cabinet of the United Arab Emirates, chaired by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, approved on Monday the federal budget 2023-2026, with a total estimated expenditure of AED 252.3 billion and estimated revenues of AED 255.7 billion.

A budget for the year 2023 has been allocated, with total estimated expenses of AED 63.066 billion, and total estimated revenues presented for approval amounted to AED63.613 billion, reported the state news agency WAM.

Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance, noted that the government prioritizes the prosperity of the people of the UAE.

He noted that under the leadership of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the directives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE has laid solid foundations for the government work system to accelerate advancing sustainable development.

Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: “The federal budget is an essential pillar in the UAE’s development process, and the directives of our wise leadership help us achieve our development and social requirements for the coming years.”

He emphasized that the federal budget is subject to continuous reviews in order to keep pace with all changes, trends, and directives.

“Our goal is to ensure that the Federal Government operates with the highest standards of financial efficiency,” he added.

“The financial resources of the federal budget are sustainable, and the budget’s main objective is to strengthen the Federal Government in pursuit of its developmental, economic, and social goals,” he stressed.



China Has ‘Very Big’ Policy Room to Spur Growth, Central Bank Adviser Says 

A man walks past office buildings at the central business district in Beijing on March 17, 2025. (AFP) 
A man walks past office buildings at the central business district in Beijing on March 17, 2025. (AFP) 
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China Has ‘Very Big’ Policy Room to Spur Growth, Central Bank Adviser Says 

A man walks past office buildings at the central business district in Beijing on March 17, 2025. (AFP) 
A man walks past office buildings at the central business district in Beijing on March 17, 2025. (AFP) 

China wields significant policy room to stimulate its economy this year while some reform was needed to boost consumption, Huang Yiping, an advisor to China's central bank and a professor at Peking University, said on Wednesday.

China has unveiled fresh fiscal measures, including a rise in its annual budget deficit, to help hit an economic growth target of around 5% this year, which analysts have described as ambitious. The central bank has pledged to cut interest rates and pump more money into the economy at an appropriate time.

"There is still very big space in terms of macro policies," Huang told Reuters on the sidelines of the annual Boao forum.

Macro policies will help tackle cyclical problems, while some structural challenges could be resolved in the future, he said.

Some reform measures, including those to increase people's incomes and confidence, are needed to boost consumption, on top of recent moves unveiled by the government, Huang said.

Peng Sen, chairman of the China Society of Economic Reform, told the Boao Forum on Tuesday that China should take steps to boost consumption as a share of gross domestic product to 70% by 2035 from around 55% currently, narrowing the gap with developed nations.

Wider structural reforms include changes in institutional frameworks, income distribution, and fiscal and taxation systems will be needed to help boost spending, Peng said.

The Boao Forum, an international summit seen as Asia's version of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, is being held in China's Hainan province from Tuesday through Friday.

Policymakers have put expanding domestic demand, especially consumption, as the top priority this year as they try to cushion the impact of the Trump administration's tariffs on its crucial export engine.

Huang also told the forum that globalization, which has benefited many Asian economies, could be reversed.

"Many of the most successful economies in the last half century or more, like East Asian economies - China and so on -all benefited from globalization, but there is certainly a risk that the US-led globalization may be reversed," Huang said.