Abu Dhabi – September 11, 2026 -- Assets Under Management within ADGM rose 54% year-on-year in the first half of 2026, while active licences climbed to 13,974, cementing Abu Dhabi's status as the largest international financial centre in the MEASA region by that metric.
Fund managers and AUM expand at double-digit pace
The number of fund and asset managers based in ADGM reached 190, up 23% from 154 a year earlier, with 11 added in the second quarter alone -- the centre's strongest quarterly increase to date. Funds managed from ADGM rose 32% to 276. Managers that established operations in ADGM during H1 2026 collectively oversee more than USD 2.1 trillion in global assets under management.
Licence issuance and operational entities surge
Of the 13,974 active licences, 1,814 were issued during the period. Operational entities reached 3,986, a 34% rise from 2,972 at the end of H1 2025. Financial services entities operating within the jurisdiction climbed 27% to 392 from 308 a year prior. The Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) issued 50 In-Principle Approvals and granted 45 new Financial Services Permissions during the half.
Firms establishing, launching or expanding operations included Capital Group, Man Group, Barings, Bain Capital, Hillhouse Investment, Muzinich & Co., Madison Realty Capital, Rokos Capital Management, Cantor and Blue Owl, among others.
Workforce grows 34% as AI investment tops USD 100 billion
ADGM's combined workforce across Al Maryah Island and Al Reem Island reached 49,027 professionals, an increase of 4,688 in the first half alone -- a 34% rise year-on-year. ADGM Academy trained 1,607 Emirati nationals and launched the Wealth Management Institute WMI School of AI, training over 544 UAE nationals in agentic AI.
More than USD 100 billion in AI-focused investment is now held by entities established within ADGM, anchored by MGX, the global AI infrastructure investment platform licensed by the FSRA. During H1 2026, ADGM completed the first phase of its internal AI rollout, deploying the technology across 25 business functions in licensing, supervision and customer service. The initiative cut manual workload by more than 5,000 staff hours annually and enabled roughly 25% of customer enquiries to be resolved instantly through digital channels. Under a roadmap extending to 2029, ADGM will invest more than AED 400 million to scale these capabilities.
Regulatory and international engagement widen
The Registration Authority introduced a Broker Classification Framework and an integrated suite of real estate services, and published a discussion paper on proposed guidance for crypto mining activities. The FSRA finalised its regulatory framework for staking of virtual assets, updated anti-money laundering rules in line with FATF recommendations, and introduced climate-related financial risk requirements for insurers aligned with International Association of Insurance Supervisors standards.
The FSRA signed memoranda of understanding with Greece's Hellenic Capital Market Commission, the Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority, Shenzhen's Futian District and the Central Bank of Brazil. ADGM also expanded outreach across China, India and Singapore, and engaged Italy through its Chairman, while participating in the Milken Institute Global Conference 2026 alongside Bain Capital, Vista Equity Partners and Man Group.
Courts caseload set to more than double 2025 total
By July 1, ADGM Courts had already exceeded their entire 2025 caseload and are on track to more than double it by year-end. The International Arbitration Centre Alliance also launched its Global Passport, giving members of participating dispute resolution centres shared access to facilities across jurisdictions.