Numbers That’ll Blow Your Mind
ADGM smashed records left and right in 2025. The financial centre hit over 12,000 active licences and rocketed its workforce by 51 percent to 44,339 hungry pros on Al Reem and Al Maryah Islands. Meanwhile assets under management jumped 36 percent because global money keeps pouring in.
Moreover the total licences surged 30 percent to 12,671 making ADGM the biggest IFC in the Middle East and Africa. Transitioning smoothly into talent talk this growth pulled in a super diverse crew of experts and turned Abu Dhabi into a buzzing talent hotspot.
Superstar Arrivals and Power Moves
Big names flooded ADGM like Circle Carta Binance Bitcoin Suisse and heavy hitters such as KKR UBS Galaxy Digital plus DLA Piper. Binance even scored the first-ever formal global crypto licence from the FSRA in December which locked in Abu Dhabi’s spot as the go-to hub for compliant digital assets.
Then His Excellency Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi Chairman of ADGM dropped this gem: “2025 marked a defining chapter in ADGM’s milestones. We achieved another year of significant growth in our AUMs reflecting both the confidence of our partners and the strength of our investment strategies.” The centre also welcomed 171 asset and fund managers handling 244 funds while the FSRA issued 120 In-Principle Approvals and 94 new permissions.
Later the ecosystem added 3,495 operational entities a 40 percent leap and nabbed the top MENA spot plus 12th globally in the new Financial Centre Competitiveness Index. ADGM hosted the IFSWF meeting roadshows across China Japan London New York Singapore and India plus a killer roundtable in Hong Kong.
Finally the FSRA rolled out fresh rules on funds reporting and transition planning while Mubadala and Aldar dropped an AED 60 billion bomb to expand Al Maryah Island. Abu Dhabi Finance Week capped it all with 35,000 attendees managing over 60 trillion dollars proving Abu Dhabi truly earns its title as the Capital of Capital.
