Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) posted a record first half of 2026, with assets under management jumping 54% year on year to extend an unbroken growth run stretching back to 2022.
The international financial centre's workforce climbed 34% to 49,027 professionals across Al Maryah Island and Al Reem Island, adding 4,688 staff in H1 alone. Active licenses reached 13,974 (the highest of any IFC in the MEASA region), with 1,814 issued during the period.
The number of funds managed from ADGM rose 32% to 276, while newly established asset managers collectively oversee more than USD 2.1 trillion in global AUM. Financial services entities grew 27% year on year to 392, and the FSRA issued 50 in-principle approvals in the period. ADGM has also emerged as the jurisdiction of choice for AI capital deployment, with entities established there now holding more than USD 100 billion in AI-focused investment, anchored by sovereign technology platform MGX.
Gulf Economist Staff Writer