Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)
More than $9 trillion in assets under management were committed to ADGM during the fourth edition of Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW), marking one of the most significant expansions recorded by the financial centre, according to a statement issued by ADGM.
ADGM said the commitments came from 11 new major global financial institutions, lifting the total assets represented at the centre sharply from $635 billion last year and $450 billion in 2023. The additions mark the start of what ADGM described as its next decade of growth, reinforcing its position as the region’s fastest-growing international financial centre and one of the most dynamic globally.
The announcements were made in the run-up to and during ADFW and highlight Abu Dhabi’s expanding role in global capital flows and its positioning as a hub where international institutions deploy capital within a regulated ecosystem, the statement said.
During the week, global institutions including Cantor Fitzgerald, BBVA, Arab Bank Switzerland Gulf Ltd, Plenary ME Infrastructure Partners Ltd and Eurasian Development Bank announced plans to establish a presence in ADGM, spanning asset management, banking, infrastructure investment and advisory services. These followed earlier fourth-quarter commitments from firms such as UBS Group, KKR, Julius Baer, HarbourVest, Madison Realty Capital, Partners Group, DWS and Monroe Capital, ADGM said.
The new commitments position ADGM among the world’s top five international financial centres, with growth extending beyond asset management into areas such as digital assets, sustainable finance and private wealth services, supported by what ADGM described as a proportionate regulatory framework aligned with global standards.
Commenting on the announcements, 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. The addition of global firms managing more than $9 trillion in assets is not a milestone in isolation, but a clear signal of trust in Abu Dhabi’s world-class IFC and its ability to support increasingly sophisticated financial activity.”
ADGM also highlighted developments in digital assets during ADFW, including the announcement that Binance had secured a global licence from ADGM’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority, which the centre said marked a world first for the digital asset industry.
Richard Teng, Co-CEO of Binance, said: “During ADFW, Binance became the first global crypto exchange to secure a comprehensive global licence under the ADGM framework, marking a world first for the digital asset industry. This milestone reflects our compliance-first philosophy and our continued focus on transparency, security and user protection.”
In addition, ADGM said several fintech and digital asset firms announced new or expanded operations from the centre. These included iCapital, which said it would open its first Middle East office in Abu Dhabi, and firms such as Hashed Global Management Ltd., Circle Internet MEA Ltd., Galaxy Digital and Animoca Asset Management, which said they would anchor more of their activity from ADGM.
The ecosystem is also attracting higher-value activities, ADGM said, pointing to an announcement by RIQ, an IHC-owned entity, which plans to partner with Swiss Re to advance risk, data and AI-powered reinsurance solutions from ADGM.
Separately, JPMorgan said it is expanding its payments and treasury services business from ADGM to offer liquidity management and multi-currency payment solutions to clients in the region.
Alongside international firms, ADGM said local platforms are strengthening Abu Dhabi’s capital-market infrastructure. A total of 82 memorandums of understanding were signed during ADFW between local entities and global institutions.
All announcements were made during the fourth edition of ADFW, held under the theme “Engineering the Capital Network”, which ADGM said reflects Abu Dhabi’s growing stature in global finance and its ambition to play a larger role in shaping international capital flows.
