Dubai - British rock band Cold Play will perform in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, their first performance in the Middle East, the entertainment satellite channel MTV Arabia reported Monday.

The concert is planned as a stage in the English rockers' world tour promoting their latest album, Viva la Vida, Samir al-Marzouqi, managing director of MTV Arabia, told German Press Agency dpa.

Despite an exodus of foreign workers seeking opportunities elsewhere in response to the world financial crisis, Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, remains home to a large expatriate British population.

The emirate flexed its economic muscle over the weekend when one of its state investment funds, Aabar investments, agreed to become the largest investor in German car giant Daimler by purchasing new shares worth 2.65 billion US dollars, for a 9.1-per-cent share in the makers of Mercedes.

Abu Dhabi has also sought to position itself as a cultural hub. Paris' Louvre museum plans to open its first oversees branch in 2012, and the Guggenheim museum franchise plans to follow suit in 2013.

The emirate also plans an opera house that will seat more people than the landmark that graces the harbour at Sydney, Australia. (dpa)