Abu Dhabi World Market (ADGM), the worldwide monetary centre of Abu Dhabi, is coming into its second decade with strengthened momentum after saying the addition of 11 new main world monetary establishments representing greater than $9tn in property beneath administration.
The rise marks a dramatic rise from $635bn final 12 months and $450bn in 2023, representing probably the most important expansions by any worldwide monetary centre globally this 12 months.
The expansion reinforces ADGM’s place because the area’s fastest-growing worldwide monetary centre and one of many world’s most dynamic jurisdictions for asset administration.
Abu Dhabi is “Capital of Capital”
The bulletins had been made within the lead-up to and throughout the fourth and largest version of Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW), highlighting Abu Dhabi’s rising affect as a world monetary hub and positioning ADFW as a platform for worldwide capital flows supported by ADGM’s regulatory ecosystem.
With property beneath administration represented at ADGM rising sharply, the centre is consolidating its standing not simply by way of incremental features, however by way of what it described as a step-change in Abu Dhabi’s position inside the world monetary system.
Through the week, main establishments together with Cantor Fitzgerald, BBVA, Arab Financial institution Switzerland Gulf Ltd, Plenary ME Infrastructure Companions Ltd., alongside Eurasian Growth Financial institution, ERM, and DLA Piper, introduced plans to determine a presence in ADGM.
These strikes span asset administration, banking, infrastructure funding, sustainability advisory, and world authorized companies.
Pipeline momentum
The most recent bulletins construct on a robust pipeline of fourth-quarter commitments from companies together with:
- UBS Group
- KKR
- Julius Baer
- HarbourVest
- Madison Realty Capital
- Companions Group
- DWS
- Monroe Capital
Collectively, these commitments mark a robust begin to ADGM’s subsequent decade of development and place the centre among the many world’s high 5 worldwide monetary centres.
ADGM stated it can proceed to broaden throughout precedence development areas, extending past asset administration into digital property, sustainable and inexperienced finance, and superior household workplace and personal wealth companies, underpinned by a regulatory framework aligned with world requirements.
ADGM development
Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of ADGM, stated: “The commitments introduced throughout ADFW underscore Abu Dhabi’s rising affect on the centre of world capital flows and the long-term confidence worldwide establishments place within the readability and scale of our imaginative and prescient.
“Over the previous decade, Abu Dhabi has established a resilient, trusted and progressive monetary ecosystem, grounded in sturdy regulatory foundations.
“The addition of world companies managing greater than $9tn in property just isn’t a milestone in isolation, however a transparent sign of belief in Abu Dhabi’s world-class IFC and its capability to assist more and more subtle monetary exercise.”
A landmark growth throughout ADFW was the announcement that Binance grew to become the primary crypto trade to safe a proper world licence from the Monetary Companies Regulatory Authority of ADGM.
Richard Teng, Co-CEO of Binance, stated: “Throughout ADFW, Binance grew to become the primary world crypto trade to safe a complete world licence beneath the ADGM framework, marking a world first for the digital asset business.
“This milestone displays our compliance-first philosophy and our continued concentrate on transparency, safety, and person safety. Our partnership with ADGM and our presence at ADFW reinforce our robust perception within the long-term development of the crypto ecosystem.”
Different fintech and digital asset companies, together with iCapital, Hashed World Administration Ltd., Circle Web MEA Ltd., Galaxy Digital, and Animoca Asset Administration, are additionally anchoring extra of their regional exercise from ADGM.
Increasing sophistication
ADGM’s ecosystem is deepening as higher-value actions take root. RIQ introduced plans to accomplice with Swiss Re to advance threat, information, and AI-powered reinsurance options from ADGM.
In the meantime, JPMorgan stated it’s increasing its funds and treasury companies enterprise from ADGM, enabling the supply of liquidity administration and multi-currency fee options throughout the area.
House-grown platforms additionally strengthened Abu Dhabi’s market infrastructure, with 82 memorandums of understanding signed throughout ADFW between native companies resembling Finstreet and the ADI DLT Basis, and world gamers together with BlackRock and Franklin Templeton. The Majarra–Halo partnership was highlighted for its concentrate on growing next-generation structured merchandise from inside ADGM.
All bulletins had been made throughout the fourth version of ADFW, held beneath the theme “Engineering the Capital Community”, reflecting Abu Dhabi’s technique to align regulation, know-how, and market structure because it builds the subsequent chapter of world monetary innovation.
