Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development

Supports Emirati entrepreneurs through interest-free lending, competitions, and capacity building for small businesses.

Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development (KFED) is the Abu Dhabi government’s enterprise-development fund in the United Arab Emirates, focused on Emirati small and medium-sized businesses. Established in 2007, it sits at emirate level rather than as a UAE federal body, and the public site describes more than AED 1.3 billion in total funding, 1,200+ funded SMEs, and 15,000+ jobs created.

Its core instrument is medium-term, interest-free lending, with products ranging from microfinance to expansion finance, agricultural facilities, working-capital support, machinery and inventory finance, and payment guarantees. The current portfolio also includes the Abu Dhabi SME Champions Programme, SME Export Enablement, ICV Readiness, the Light Manufacturing Accelerator, the Game Incubator, and the Khalifa Fund Entrepreneurship Competition. That competition is the only non-dilutive route, offering over AED 1 million in prizes and in-kind support.

Eligibility is tightly drawn: Emirati-owned or co-owned businesses, entrepreneurs aged 21 to 60, and operations based in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, or Al Dhafra. Applications run through TAMM, which makes KFED a practical entry point for founders who need capital plus operating support rather than a competitive grant. Its position is classic local industrial policy: financing, capability building, and procurement support aimed at building an Abu Dhabi SME base aligned with the emirate’s diversification agenda.