There’s a quiet confidence that flows through Abu Dhabi’s financial corridors these days. And if you needed hard evidence of it, look no further than the Abu Dhabi Global Market’s (ADGM) latest quarterly results. Released this week, ADGM’s Q1 2026 figures tell the story of a financial center that is accelerating.
57% AUM Growth Reinforces ADGM’s Global Investment Appeal
The headline number is striking: a 57% year-on-year increase in Assets Under Management. In a global environment marked by geopolitical uncertainty and cautious capital allocation, this kind of growth doesn’t happen by accident. It reflects a deliberate, sustained effort to position ADGM as the go-to destination for institutional investors across the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA) region and increasingly, the world.
Supporting this surge is a 24% rise in the number of asset and fund managers, now standing at 179, while the total number of funds managed out of ADGM jumped 43% to 263. These aren’t vanity metrics. They represent real capital, real mandates, and real confidence in Abu Dhabi’s regulatory and legal environment.
ADGM Growth Continues with 13,000+ Active Licenses
ADGM crossed another landmark milestone in Q1 2026: total active licenses exceeded 13,353, with 961 new licenses issued in just the first three months of the year. March 2026 alone saw a 5.2% increase in new active licences compared to March 2025 – a sign that momentum is compounding.
The number of operational entities has grown to 3,741, a 34.5% jump from 2,781 a year ago. And financial services firms up to 30% to 365. The FSRA issued 22 In-Principle Approvals and 29 new Financial Services Permissions in Q1 -the latter representing a 45% increase year-on-year.
Why Are Global Asset Managers Choosing ADGM?
What gives these numbers weight is who is behind them. The firms choosing ADGM in 2026 read like a who’s who of global finance: Capital Group, Man Group, Bain Capital, Barings, Hillhouse Investment, Muzinich & Co., and Rokos Capital Management, among others. Collectively, asset managers announcing their establishment in ADGM this year represent over USD 4.4 trillion in global AUM. That figure alone should reframe from how the world thinks about Abu Dhabi as a financial hub.
Talent Expansion Is Powering Long-Term ADGM Growth
Growth in finance is often reduced to money flows. But ADGM’s story is also about people. The workforce within ADGM reached 47,047 in Q1 2026 – a 44% increase. ADGM Academy created 441 job placement opportunities for UAE Nationals across nine specialized tracks, backed by internationally recognized certifications. The Anti-Money Laundering programme and the Al Ain MZN hub are among the newer additions to the Academy’s expanding portfolio.
ADGM Growth Demonstrates Resilience Amid Global Uncertainty
Perhaps the most telling element of ADGM’s Q1 results is the context in which they were achieved. As ADGM Chairman H.E. Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi noted, these results came during a period of regional uncertainty and yet capital kept flowing, firms kept expanding, and talent kept relocating to Abu Dhabi.
That resilience is the product of years of institution-building: English common law jurisdiction, a progressive regulatory framework, and a strategic vision to rank among the world’s top five financial centers.
This growth to global investors, fund managers, and financial institutions shows that Abu Dhabi has built something durable. In an era where trust and stability are increasingly rare, ADGM is offering both at scale.
