Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) has reinforced its position as the largest and fastest-growing international financial centre (IFC) in the Middle East and North Africa, with assets under management (AUM) up 42 per cent in the first half of 2025 and total active licences surpassing 11,000.
By June 2025, ADGM had become the region’s largest IFC by the market capitalisation of its listed entities, with firms based at the centre now valued at more than AED500bn ($136bn) on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX).
ADGM registered 1,869 new licences in H1 2025, the highest number ever in a six-month period, marking a 47 per cent year-on-year increase and bringing the total number of active licences to 11,128.
Abu Dhabi Global Market
The number of operational entities grew to 2,972, including 308 financial firms and 2,664 non-financial firms.
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) also issued 52 In-Principle Approvals (IPAs), up 27 per cent, and granted 45 new Financial Services Permissions (FSPs), a 45 per cent increase.
Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of ADGM, said: “As we approach a decade of operations, ADGM’s sustained commitment to excellence is strongly reflected not just in its growth numbers, but also in the rising global confidence in Abu Dhabi’s role as a financial powerhouse and the ‘Capital of Capital’.
“Record numbers can only be achieved through the depth of our global, regional, and local strategic partnerships and the clarity of our vision.”
H1 2025 saw leading names including Kimmeridge, Fortress, Circle, Partners Group, PIMCO, Skadden and Bitcoin Suisse expand within ADGM. US-based Nuveen, which manages between $3–5bn from its ADGM base, expects its AUM in the region to double in three years.
Major strategic deals anchored in ADGM included:
- Fortress Investment Group establishing an office and launching a $1bn co-investment partnership with Mubadala
- Kimmeridge opening an ADGM office and signing an MoU with Mubadala Energy on LNG ventures
- IHC, BlackRock and Lunate launching a $1bn+ AI-native reinsurance platform with ambitions to manage $10bn in liabilities
- Mubadala and Alpha Dhabi scaling their ADGM-based private credit joint venture to $2.5bn
At the end of H1 2025, ADGM was home to 154 asset managers and 209 funds, with AUM surging 42 per cent year-on-year. Its workforce grew to 35,964 professionals across Al Maryah Island and Al Reem Island, reflecting Abu Dhabi’s wider population growth of 7.5 per cent in 2024 to 4.14m.
ADGM strengthened international ties with roadshows in China and Japan, participation in CityWeek London, and new MoUs with regulators in Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Hong Kong and Sweden. Its Registration Authority also introduced new Commercial Permits Regulations, reduced fees, and digital tools to streamline operations.
As ADGM prepares to mark its 10th anniversary in October 2025, the IFC remains focused on deepening its role as a hub for global capital flows, regulatory innovation and talent development.
With more than 11,000 licences, rising global partnerships, and record AUM, ADGM continues to anchor Abu Dhabi’s position as the “Capital of Capital.”
