Abu Dhabi Global Market has drawn commitments from eight global financial institutions managing about $4.4 trillion in assets, strengthening the capital’s push to position its financial free zone as a leading destination for asset managers, private capital firms and international investment groups. The announcements, made across March and April and highlighted during the Milken Institute Global Conference 2026 in the Los Angeles area, underline the growing competition among Gulf financial centres to capture cross-border capital flows.
The firms linked to the expansion include Capital Group, Man Group, Bain Capital, Barings, Hillhouse Investment Management, Muzinich & Co., Rokos Capital Management and Hashed Global Management. Their entry plans cover office openings, regulatory permissions and commitments to establish operations in Abu Dhabi, adding depth to a financial ecosystem that has been seeking to broaden beyond banking into asset management, digital assets, private markets and alternative investments.
ADGM’s latest gain comes as Abu Dhabi leans on its sovereign wealth, regulatory framework and global connectivity to attract firms seeking proximity to long-horizon capital. The financial centre, based on Al Maryah Island and operating under the direct application of English common law, has positioned itself as a gateway linking capital from the Gulf, Asia, Europe and North America. That strategy has taken on added significance as asset managers diversify regional footprints and seek bases that offer institutional capital, tax efficiency and regulatory certainty.
Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, chairman of ADGM, led the delegation to the Milken Institute gathering, where senior officials held more than 50 engagements with policymakers, institutional investors, asset managers and financial leaders. Meetings involved entities including Man Group, Bain Capital, Blackstone, Carlyle Global Investment Management, Coinbase and Guggenheim Partners, reflecting the range of traditional finance and digital asset players being targeted by Abu Dhabi.
Capital Group, with about $3.3 trillion in assets under management, and Man Group, with $228.7 billion, announced plans to establish a presence in Abu Dhabi in the run-up to the conference. Rokos Capital Management, managing about $22 billion, and Hashed Global Management, with $324 million, received financial services permissions, while Bain Capital, Barings, Hillhouse Investment Management and Muzinich & Co. opened offices in ADGM from the end of March.
The figures point to a shift in how global financial institutions are viewing Abu Dhabi. The emirate is no longer competing only as a booking centre or regional representative office location. It is seeking to become a platform for capital raising, investment management, fund structuring and regional expansion. That ambition is supported by Abu Dhabi’s large sovereign investment institutions, including Mubadala Investment Company, whose assets rose 17 per cent in 2025 to about $385 billion, and by the broader presence of state-linked capital across infrastructure, technology, energy and private markets.
ADGM’s own growth data reinforces that direction. It issued 284 new licences in March 2026, compared with 270 a year earlier, a 5.2 per cent increase. For 2025, assets under management within the centre rose 36 per cent, while the number of asset and fund managers reached 171, overseeing 244 funds. Active licences stood at 12,671 after 3,769 new licences were issued during the year, and the workforce expanded by more than 50 per cent to 44,339.
Competition remains intense. Dubai International Financial Centre continues to hold a larger base of registered companies, while financial centres in Riyadh, Doha and Hong Kong are also pursuing international banks, asset managers and family offices. Abu Dhabi’s advantage lies in the scale of its capital base, its close links with sovereign investors and its effort to offer a legal and regulatory environment familiar to global institutions. The challenge will be converting headline commitments into meaningful on-the-ground activity, including investment teams, fund launches, deal execution and durable employment.
The Milken conference, held from May 3 to 6 at The Beverly Hilton and Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, brought together leaders from finance, business, technology, health, philanthropy and public policy. ADGM used the platform to present Abu Dhabi as a financial centre built for a period of fragmented global capital markets, higher geopolitical risk and expanding demand for alternative investment structures.
Al Zaabi said the UAE’s resilience was “the result of deliberate strategy, not reactive policy,” adding that ADGM was being built as a centre combining openness with institutional strength and long-horizon capital. His remarks framed the latest expansion as part of a broader diversification agenda, where finance is expected to play a larger role alongside energy, infrastructure, technology and advanced industries.
The firms linked to the expansion include Capital Group, Man Group, Bain Capital, Barings, Hillhouse Investment Management, Muzinich & Co., Rokos Capital Management and Hashed Global Management. Their entry plans cover office openings, regulatory permissions and commitments to establish operations in Abu Dhabi, adding depth to a financial ecosystem that has been seeking to broaden beyond banking into asset management, digital assets, private markets and alternative investments.
ADGM’s latest gain comes as Abu Dhabi leans on its sovereign wealth, regulatory framework and global connectivity to attract firms seeking proximity to long-horizon capital. The financial centre, based on Al Maryah Island and operating under the direct application of English common law, has positioned itself as a gateway linking capital from the Gulf, Asia, Europe and North America. That strategy has taken on added significance as asset managers diversify regional footprints and seek bases that offer institutional capital, tax efficiency and regulatory certainty.
Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, chairman of ADGM, led the delegation to the Milken Institute gathering, where senior officials held more than 50 engagements with policymakers, institutional investors, asset managers and financial leaders. Meetings involved entities including Man Group, Bain Capital, Blackstone, Carlyle Global Investment Management, Coinbase and Guggenheim Partners, reflecting the range of traditional finance and digital asset players being targeted by Abu Dhabi.
Capital Group, with about $3.3 trillion in assets under management, and Man Group, with $228.7 billion, announced plans to establish a presence in Abu Dhabi in the run-up to the conference. Rokos Capital Management, managing about $22 billion, and Hashed Global Management, with $324 million, received financial services permissions, while Bain Capital, Barings, Hillhouse Investment Management and Muzinich & Co. opened offices in ADGM from the end of March.
The figures point to a shift in how global financial institutions are viewing Abu Dhabi. The emirate is no longer competing only as a booking centre or regional representative office location. It is seeking to become a platform for capital raising, investment management, fund structuring and regional expansion. That ambition is supported by Abu Dhabi’s large sovereign investment institutions, including Mubadala Investment Company, whose assets rose 17 per cent in 2025 to about $385 billion, and by the broader presence of state-linked capital across infrastructure, technology, energy and private markets.
ADGM’s own growth data reinforces that direction. It issued 284 new licences in March 2026, compared with 270 a year earlier, a 5.2 per cent increase. For 2025, assets under management within the centre rose 36 per cent, while the number of asset and fund managers reached 171, overseeing 244 funds. Active licences stood at 12,671 after 3,769 new licences were issued during the year, and the workforce expanded by more than 50 per cent to 44,339.
Competition remains intense. Dubai International Financial Centre continues to hold a larger base of registered companies, while financial centres in Riyadh, Doha and Hong Kong are also pursuing international banks, asset managers and family offices. Abu Dhabi’s advantage lies in the scale of its capital base, its close links with sovereign investors and its effort to offer a legal and regulatory environment familiar to global institutions. The challenge will be converting headline commitments into meaningful on-the-ground activity, including investment teams, fund launches, deal execution and durable employment.
The Milken conference, held from May 3 to 6 at The Beverly Hilton and Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, brought together leaders from finance, business, technology, health, philanthropy and public policy. ADGM used the platform to present Abu Dhabi as a financial centre built for a period of fragmented global capital markets, higher geopolitical risk and expanding demand for alternative investment structures.
Al Zaabi said the UAE’s resilience was “the result of deliberate strategy, not reactive policy,” adding that ADGM was being built as a centre combining openness with institutional strength and long-horizon capital. His remarks framed the latest expansion as part of a broader diversification agenda, where finance is expected to play a larger role alongside energy, infrastructure, technology and advanced industries.
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