Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) has entered its second decade with a significant expansion in global institutional participation, announcing the addition of 11 major international financial institutions representing more than $9 trillion in assets under management.
The increase marks a sharp rise from $635 billion last year and $450 billion in 2023, representing one of the largest annual expansions recorded by any international financial centre globally. As a result, ADGM has reinforced its position as the Middle East’s fastest-growing international financial centre and an increasingly prominent global asset management hub.
Abu Dhabi’s role as a global capital centre
The announcements were made in the lead-up to, and during, the fourth edition of Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW), the largest held to date. The developments underline Abu Dhabi’s growing influence in global capital flows and position ADFW as a platform supported by ADGM’s regulatory and market infrastructure.
With assets under management at ADGM rising sharply, the centre said the growth reflects a step-change in Abu Dhabi’s role within the global financial system rather than incremental expansion. During the week, institutions including Cantor Fitzgerald, BBVA, Arab Bank Switzerland Gulf Ltd, Plenary ME Infrastructure Partners Ltd, Eurasian Development Bank, ERM, and DLA Piper announced plans to establish a presence in ADGM, spanning asset management, banking, infrastructure investment, sustainability advisory, and legal services.
Pipeline momentum into the next decade
The latest additions build on a strong pipeline of fourth-quarter commitments from firms including UBS Group, KKR, Julius Baer, HarbourVest, Madison Realty Capital, Partners Group, DWS, and Monroe Capital. Together, these commitments position ADGM among the world’s top five international financial centres as it enters its next phase of growth.
ADGM said its expansion strategy will continue to prioritise asset management while extending into digital assets, sustainable and green finance, and advanced family office and private wealth services. These areas are supported by a regulatory framework aligned with international standards.
Regulatory depth and ecosystem expansion
Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of ADGM, said: “The commitments announced during ADFW underscore Abu Dhabi’s rising influence at the centre of global capital flows and the long-term confidence international institutions place in the clarity and scale of our vision. Over the past decade, Abu Dhabi has established a resilient, trusted and progressive financial ecosystem, grounded in robust regulatory foundations.”
He added that the addition of global firms managing more than $9 trillion in assets signals confidence in ADGM’s ability to support increasingly sophisticated financial activity.
A key regulatory milestone during ADFW was the announcement that Binance became the first crypto exchange to secure a formal global licence from ADGM’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority. Other digital asset and fintech firms, including iCapital, Hashed Global Management Ltd, Circle Internet MEA Ltd, Galaxy Digital, and Animoca Asset Management, also announced plans to anchor more regional operations within ADGM.
Increasing market sophistication
ADGM’s ecosystem is also expanding into higher-value financial activities. RIQ announced plans to partner with Swiss Re to develop risk, data, and AI-powered reinsurance solutions from ADGM, while JPMorgan said it is expanding its payments and treasury services business from the centre to support regional liquidity and multi-currency solutions.
Local market infrastructure also strengthened during ADFW, with 82 memorandums of understanding signed between UAE-based platforms and global institutions. Partnerships announced during the week focused on structured products, digital market infrastructure, and capital markets innovation.
All announcements were made during the fourth edition of Abu Dhabi Finance Week, held under the theme “Engineering the Capital Network”, reflecting Abu Dhabi’s strategy to align regulation, technology, and market architecture as it advances its global financial ambitions.
