Ras Al Khaimah Investment Authority (RAKIA) was constituted by Emiri Decree No. (2)/2005 issued by the late Sheikh
Saqr Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi in view of reinforcing the investment climate of this member of the
United Arab Emirates (
UAE) and promoting various economic sectors. Its establishment was linked to a World Bank study and investment promotion event in May 2005 ("Invest and Live in Ras Al Khaimah") initiated and pursued by the Swiss-Lebanese engineer Khater Massaad who was a long-time adviser to
Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al-Qasimi, the creator of
RAK Ceramics and the longtime CEO of RAKIA. Sectors under development include industrial parks, education and technology, real estate, transportation, manufacturing and energy, as well as offshore operations and other investments. Contrary to popular opinion, RAKIA is not a proper
sovereign wealth fund (SWF) that would rely for example on steady income from oil or gas. Instead, RAKIA is an industrial licensing and promotion agency to attract investments into Ras Al-Khaimah. The Government of Ras Al Khaimah as the owner or RAKIA raises funds from financial markets and passes this borrowed money on to RAKIA.