According to statistics by Abu Dhabi Global Market, based on data released by the group in the first half of 2025, a healthy growth rate of 42% could be the asset under management when many of the international businesses are running to create their foothold in this country. The financial centre is currently home to 154 asset and fund managers for 209 funds (unprecedented growth in the financial sector of the emirate). Abu Dhabi’s advantageous location is enticing companies seeking access to the massive sovereign wealth holdings.
Record growth is attractive to global financial powerhouses
Abu Dhabi’s financial center saw a 42% increase, year-on-year, in the number of registered entities for the first six months of 2025. Global firms will seek access to the powerful sovereign wealth fund in the emirate, as well as expand their presence in the Gulf. Group teaching force Abu Dhabi Global Market Announces 42% Growth in Assets Under Management of the last June.
ADGM is an English Common Law financial free zone. Abu Dhabi City, with 90% of its country’s oil reserves, has redoubled its efforts to diversify its economy from hydrocarbons. It is doing this by targeting its sovereign wealth funds, which manage collectively nearly $2 trillion, more than any other place in the world.
Strategic positioning is the Engine for unparalleled Business Expansion
The number of companies under the centre had risen to 2,972 at the end of June 30; as of the end of the month of December, that number was 2,381. The results of the centre come after the neighbouring Dubai International Financial Centre announced that it saw a 25% increase in active companies year on year, reaching 7,700 by the end of the first half of the year.
Large investment companies set up regional headquarters
Kimmeridge, which is Fortress Investment Group and Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala, is among the significant entrants in ADGM for the first half of this year. The latter performed a $1 billion deal with Mubadala way back in May. Lunate, a fund manager headed by Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed (a member of the ruling family in the UAE and the UAE national security adviser), bought a minority stake in Brevan Howard in August.
Brevan Howard is one of the world’s first hedge funds to set up a global headquarters in ADGM, 2023. Sheikh Tahnoun is also the head of Abu Dhabi’s most substantial sovereign wealth fund, ADIA. In recent years, the United Arab Emirates has become more attractive to high-net-worth individuals and businesses, due to its strong economic recovery after the pandemic, its tax-free environment, and ease of doing business.
Economic diversification strategy helps boost financial sector growth
Abu Dhabi, the city with 90% share in the oil reserves of its country, has stepped up its efforts to develop an economy divorced from oil. It is doing this by utilizing its sovereign wealth funds, which manage collectively nearly $2 trillion, which is more than any other place in the world. The emirate’s strategic approach towards economic transformation has made the ecosystem appealing to international financial institutions, which are seeking opportunities to expand their business in the region.
The results of the centre follow the neighbouring Dubai International Financial Centre, announcing a 25% increase in the number of active companies year-on-year, reaching 7,700 by the end of the first half. This competitive approach between Abu Dhabi and Dubai is indicative of the larger investment in transforming the Gulf region into a major global financial center.
Abu Dhabi’s transformation of its finance industry is a significant component of the economic reformation of the Gulf emirate, which highlighted the thriving development of the UAE’s largest economy from an oil-based economy to a diversified financial hub. This tripling of AUM and dramatic increase in registered entities is a sign of the increased global confidence in the regulatory environment and the business environment in the region.