Abu Dhabi Global Market is attracting more investment managers and more capital, with assets under management rising 54% year on year in the first half of 2026 as Abu Dhabi strengthens its position as a regional base for global finance.
The number of fund and asset managers operating from ADGM increased 23% to 190, while the number of funds managed from the financial centre climbed 32% to 276. Eleven managers joined during the second quarter alone, the highest quarterly addition ADGM has recorded.
More Capital Behind Each Licence
The faster growth in assets than managers is one of the more revealing figures in ADGM's latest update. AUM expanded 54%, more than twice the 23% increase in the number of managers, pointing to larger institutions entering the market alongside growth among existing firms.
New and expanding names during the first half included Capital Group, Man Group, Barings, Bain Capital, Hillhouse Investment, Muzinich & Co., Rokos Capital Management and Blue Owl. ADGM said managers establishing operations during the period collectively oversee more than $2.1 trillion globally.
That $2.1 trillion should not be confused with assets managed from Abu Dhabi. ADGM did not disclose its absolute AUM in the release, only the 54% annual growth rate.
ADGM Approaches 14,000 Active Licences
ADGM reported 13,974 active licences in H1 2026, with 1,814 new licences issued during the six months. Operational entities rose 34% to 3,986, while financial-services entities increased 27% to 392.
Employment across ADGM's jurisdiction on Al Maryah and Al Reem islands reached 49,027 people, also up 34% from a year earlier. The Financial Services Regulatory Authority granted 45 new Financial Services Permissions and issued 50 In-Principle Approvals during the period.
What It Means for the UAE ETF Market
For ETF investors, ADGM's growth is important because Abu Dhabi is developing both the asset-management base and listed-product infrastructure needed to manufacture investment products locally.
The emirate already hosts an expanding ETF market through the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, including UAE equity, GCC, sukuk and Sharia-compliant strategies. Lunate, based in Abu Dhabi, reported AED1.02 billion of ETF AUM across 25 ETFs at the end of July 2026, with secondary-market trading reaching AED325.5 million during the first seven months of the year.
A larger community of regulated managers does not guarantee more ETF launches, particularly because much of ADGM's growth comes from private markets and institutional asset management. It does, however, expand the pool of firms capable of designing, managing or distributing locally domiciled products.
The next phase of Abu Dhabi's financial-centre story will therefore be measured increasingly by what those managers launch and manage from the UAE, rather than the number of global firms putting an ADGM address on their business cards.
