Global financial firms with over $5tn in assets announce plans to establish ADGM presence

Fourteen global financial institutions, collectively managing over $5 trillion in assets, have announced plans to establish a presence in Abu Dhabi’s financial hub known as ADGM, according to the state news agency Wam. This expansion comes as Abu Dhabi's non-oil economy grew by 8 percent in 2025, contributing more than half of the emirate's GDP, which expanded by 7 percent.

Speaking at the third Abu Dhabi Investment Forum in London, ADGM chairman Ahmed Al Zaabi highlighted the emirate's strong growth and its supportive regulatory framework, which operates under English Common Law with independent courts. The ADGM, established in 2015, offers global investors and money managers the chance to expand regional operations and collaborate closely with prominent sovereign wealth funds, large family offices, and institutional partners.

Recently, notable firms such as Pantheon, Blue Owl Capital, Vista Equity Partners, Man Group, Barings, Bain Capital, and Adapt Investment Managers have opened offices in ADGM. Capital Group, with $3.6 trillion in assets under management, secured a license to operate as a regulated investment manager in the ADGM last month. Collectively, firms that have already set up in ADGM oversee more than $2.1 trillion in global assets under management in the first half of the year.

Al Zaabi emphasized that Abu Dhabi is developing industries like artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, energy, and life sciences, which will shape future markets. He also pointed out that Abu Dhabi offers long-term capital, world-class infrastructure, and access to some of the world's fastest-growing markets.