Assets under management rose 54% from a year earlier at Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the financial center said today (Tuesday). It counted 13,974 active licenses and 49,027 workers.
The license count covers operating companies and financial institutions. It also includes holding companies and investment structures.
ADGM counted 392 financial services entities within that total. The Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) oversees firms providing regulated financial products and services in the jurisdiction.
No absolute AUM figure was given. ADGM also did not disclose the methodology behind the 54% annual growth rate, preventing a direct comparison of its asset base with other financial centers.
License Count Adds 621 in Second Quarter
Active licenses increased by a net 621 from the 13,353 reported at the end of March. ADGM issued 1,814 licenses during the first half, including 853 in the second quarter, although issuances and the change in the active total measure different things.
Operational entities reached 3,986, up 34% from 2,972 a year earlier. That population increased by 245 from the first-quarter total.
The workforce grew by 1,980 from the first-quarter reading of 47,047. ADGM said the H1 total was 34% above the year-earlier level and 4,688 higher than at the end of 2025.
Chairman Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi said ADGM aims to rank "among the world's top five leading international financial centres."
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The number of fund and asset managers rose 23% from a year earlier to 190, while funds managed from ADGM increased 32% to 276. The quarter added 11 managers and 13 funds to the totals reported in March.
Managers that established operations in ADGM during H1 oversee more than $2.1 trillion globally, according to the release. That figure describes their worldwide assets, not the value managed from ADGM.
Financial services entities reached 392, up 27% from 308 in H1 2025 and 27 higher than at the end of the first quarter. The FSRA also issued 50 in-principle approvals during the half.
Dubai Peer Counts More Regulated Firms
DIFC, Dubai's international financial center, reported 10,018 active registered companies at the end of June. That was 30% more than a year earlier.
The totals are not directly comparable. ADGM's measure includes holding and investment structures as well as operating businesses.
DIFC counted 1,134 regulated financial services firms, compared with ADGM's 392 financial services entities. The two centers use separate regulators and reporting definitions, so the figures describe the size of each disclosed population rather than a like-for-like ranking.
FinanceMagnates.com reported more than 70 brokers in DIFC in H1 2025.
A later FM Intelligence study counted 72 brokerage firms at the end of March 2026. Their combined net profit reached $301 million in 2025.
ADGM's financial-company roster includes digital-asset businesses as well as traditional managers. Nomura's Laser Digital, for example, received ADGM permission for broker-dealer and fund management services in 2024.
ADGM Puts $109 Million Into Technology
Entities established in ADGM hold more than $100 billion in AI-focused investment, according to the announcement. ADGM did not identify the assets and institutions included in that figure or explain how it was calculated.
The financial center plans to invest more than AED 400 million (about $108.92 million) through 2029 in technology and digital infrastructure. It said the first phase placed AI in 25 business functions across licensing, supervision and customer service.
ADGM estimates those tools reduce manual work by more than 5,000 staff hours a year and resolve about 25% of customer inquiries immediately through digital channels. It did not publish an independent assessment of those savings.
The FSRA also finalized rules for staking virtual assets and updated its anti-money laundering framework during the first half. It issued 50 in-principle approvals and granted 45 Financial Services Permissions during the six months.
