ADGM H1 2026 Results: Assets Under Management Up 54%, 13,974 Active Licences, 190 Fund Managers and a Workforce of 49,027 on Al Maryah and Al Reem Islands, With AED 400 Million for Digital Infrastructure to 2029

2026-09-08

Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the international financial centre of Abu Dhabi, reported on 8 September 2026 that assets under management (AUM) in the centre grew 54% year on year in the first half of 2026, that the number of active licences reached 13,974 with 1,814 issued during the six months, and that the workforce on Al Maryah Island and Al Reem Island rose 34% to 49,027 professionals. The number of fund and asset managers based in ADGM rose to 190 (up 23% from 154 a year earlier), the number of funds managed from the centre to 276 (up 32% from 209), and the managers that set up in ADGM during the half collectively oversee more than USD 2.1 trillion (AED 7.71 trillion) of global assets. Operational entities reached 3,986 (up 34%), financial services entities 392 (up 27%), and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) issued 50 in-principle approvals and 45 financial services permissions. ADGM also said it will invest more than AED 400 million (USD 109 million) under a technology roadmap to 2029, and that entities established in the centre now hold more than USD 100 billion (AED 367 billion) of AI-focused investment. This article sets out the verified numbers, compares them with the first half of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, lists the firms that arrived, and explains what the figures mean for a company, a fund manager or an investor choosing where to set up in the UAE.

ADGM H1 2026 at a glance

Sources: ADGM H1 2026 results published through the Abu Dhabi Media Office on 8 September 2026; ADGM H1 2025 results published on adgm.com. Percentages are those reported by ADGM; where the absolute figures for the two periods imply a slightly different ratio, the official percentage is used.

What was announced and by whom

The results were released by ADGM on Tuesday 8 September 2026 and carried the same day by the Abu Dhabi Media Office and by The National. Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of ADGM, said that “the scale of growth we are witnessing across capital, institutions, businesses and talent demonstrates sustained international confidence in Abu Dhabi as a stable, trusted and globally connected financial hub”, and repeated the centre’s stated ambition to rank among the world’s top five international financial centres. ADGM describes Abu Dhabi as the “Capital of Capital”, a phrase it has used in its results statements since at least 2025.

The half-year figures follow a first quarter in which ADGM reported 13,353 active licences, 961 licences issued, AUM growth of 57% and a workforce of 47,047. Set against those numbers, the second quarter of 2026 added a net 621 active licences (853 were issued in the quarter), 1,980 people, 11 fund and asset managers, 13 funds, 27 financial services entities and 245 operational entities. In its first-quarter statement ADGM noted that the centre “continued to grow” during what it called “the recent period of regional uncertainty”; the half-year statement does not return to the subject and reports the numbers without qualification.

Asset management: 190 managers, 276 funds and USD 2.1 trillion behind the newcomers

Asset management is the part of the report that ADGM leads with. AUM within the centre rose 54% compared with the first half of 2025, extending what the centre calls an unbroken run of growth since the start of 2022. The number of fund and asset managers based in ADGM reached 190, up from 154 a year earlier and from 179 at the end of March 2026; the 11 managers added in the second quarter are the largest quarterly increase ADGM has recorded. The number of funds managed from the centre rose to 276, up from 209 a year earlier and 263 at the end of the first quarter.

The managers that established operations in ADGM during the half collectively oversee more than USD 2.1 trillion (AED 7.71 trillion) in global assets. ADGM lists the firms that established, launched or expanded a presence during the period as Capital Group, Man Group, Barings, Bain Capital, Hillhouse Investment, Muzinich & Co., Madison Realty Capital, Grow Investment Group, Rokos Capital Management, Polygreen Holdings, Hashed, Cantor, Bitexen MENA, Bitexen Custody, Copper ME, Blue Owl and Dhabi. The National adds Vista Equity Partners and the Swiss derivatives firm Adapt Investment Managers to the list of recent arrivals, and notes that several trillion-dollar managers were already anchored in the centre before 2026: BlackRock, State Street, PGIM (the asset management arm of Prudential Financial, which opened in ADGM in September 2024) and Nuveen (also September 2024). Capital Group joined that group in May 2026.

The pattern is the same one visible in Dubai, where Mirae Asset opened a DIFC office on 7 September 2026 with a DFSA Category 3C licence, and it is consistent with BlackRock’s estimate of a USD 2.1 trillion GCC investment cycle to 2030 with the UAE at its centre: international managers are choosing to be licensed in the jurisdiction where the sovereign and family capital sits.

Licences, operational entities and the difference between them

ADGM reports three different counts, and they measure different things. Active licences (13,974) cover everything registered with the Registration Authority: operating companies, financial institutions, and the holding companies, special purpose vehicles and investment structures through which capital is “committed, structured and deployed into and from Abu Dhabi”, in the words of the release. Operational entities (3,986, up 34% from 2,972) are the firms that actually trade, hire and invest from within the jurisdiction. Financial services entities (392, up 27% from 308) are the subset regulated by the FSRA. In other words, roughly seven in ten active licences are held by structures rather than by operational entities, which is normal for a common-law financial centre where SPVs and holding companies are a core product.

The net addition of 2,846 active licences over twelve months (from 11,128 to 13,974) came with 1,814 new licences issued in the half, slightly below the 1,869 issued in the first half of 2025, which ADGM had described at the time as the highest six-month total since the centre opened. The FSRA side of the pipeline was stable: 50 in-principle approvals and 45 financial services permissions in the half, against 52 and 45 a year earlier. An in-principle approval is the FSRA’s conditional green light to a financial firm; the financial services permission is the licence itself, granted once capital, staff and systems are in place.

ADGM is the largest international financial centre in the Middle East, Africa and Southern Asia (MEASA) region by active licences, and in its H1 2025 statement it also reported that the market capitalisation of ADGM-registered companies listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange exceeded AED 500 billion. The centre opened a new Service Centre at The Galleria on Al Maryah Island in February 2026 for direct engagement with businesses and residents of both islands.

Workforce: 49,027 people on two islands

The combined workforce across Al Maryah Island and Al Reem Island reached 49,027 professionals at the end of June 2026, an increase of 4,688 in the first half of 2026 alone and of 34% compared with the same date a year earlier. The year-earlier figure of 35,964 was itself the first count taken after the Al Reem Island transition period ended on 31 December 2024, when businesses on the island moved onto ADGM licences and work permits. At the end of March 2026 the workforce stood at 47,047, so the second quarter added 1,980 people.

Two other Abu Dhabi data points frame that number. In the second quarter of 2026 JLL put office vacancy in Abu Dhabi at 1.4%, a record low, which is the practical constraint on any firm planning to add desks on Al Maryah Island. And on 7 September 2026 the emirate launched a digital skills card that lets employers verify accredited qualifications by QR code, a tool aimed at exactly the kind of professional hiring the ADGM numbers describe.

ADGM Academy, the centre’s training arm, reported that it trained 1,607 Emirati nationals in the half, graduated a third cohort of 28 young Emiratis, selected 15 UAE nationals for the World Bank Group Explorers Program, and launched a WMI School of AI offering more than 19 practitioner-led courses, with over 544 UAE nationals trained in agentic AI.

AI and the AED 400 million technology roadmap

ADGM says it has become “the jurisdiction of choice for institutions deploying capital into artificial intelligence”, with more than USD 100 billion (AED 367 billion) in AI-focused investment now held by entities established in the centre. The concentration is anchored by MGX, the investment platform focused on AI infrastructure and advanced technologies that is licensed by the FSRA, and extends to RIQ, an AI-enabled financial platform that signed a memorandum of understanding with Swiss Re during the period to develop AI-enabled reinsurance capabilities, to the investment firm Bluefive Capital, and to RealAssetX Abu Dhabi, a research initiative developed by ADGM Academy with PGIM and the Abu Dhabi Investment Office.

The centre is applying the same technology to its own processes. In the first half of 2026 it completed the first phase of its AI implementation, deploying AI across 25 business functions in licensing, supervision and customer service. ADGM says the rollout has cut manual workload by more than 5,000 staff hours a year, shortened approval timelines and allowed roughly 25% of customer enquiries to be resolved instantly through digital channels. Under a technology roadmap running to 2029, ADGM will invest more than AED 400 million (USD 109 million) to expand these capabilities, strengthen digital infrastructure and modernise its core regulatory and operational systems. The release stresses that the approach is designed to be “governed, verifiable and human-accountable”, with the statutory decision rights of ADGM’s authorities preserved.

Regulation and courts: what changed in the first half

The report also lists the regulatory work done between January and June 2026, which matters more to an existing licensee than the headline percentages.

• The Registration Authority introduced an integrated suite of real estate services for the ADGM jurisdiction and launched a Broker Classification Framework for the real estate market on the two islands.
• The Registration Authority published a discussion paper on proposed guidance for crypto mining activities and on amendments to ADGM’s commercial legislation, including stronger beneficial ownership requirements.
• The FSRA enhanced its insurance framework in line with International Association of Insurance Supervisors standards and introduced requirements for the management of climate-related financial risks by relevant firms.
• The FSRA finalised its regulatory framework for the staking of virtual assets and finalised enhancements to the anti-money laundering framework to reflect federal legislation and Financial Action Task Force recommendations; the Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions Rulebook was updated in May 2026.
• The FSRA signed memoranda of understanding with the Hellenic Capital Market Commission of Greece, Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), the Futian District of Shenzhen and the Central Bank of Brazil. This continues the pattern set in August 2026, when the FSRA signed a cooperation MoU with the UAE gaming regulator GCGRA.
• ADGM Courts had by 1 July 2026 already exceeded their total caseload for the whole of 2025 and are on course to more than double it; most cases fall within the courts’ opt-in jurisdiction, meaning the parties chose ADGM Courts without a direct connection to ADGM. The courts signed an MoU with The Mediation Hub MENA, and ADGM’s Dispute Resolution Hearing Centre joined the International Arbitration Centre Alliance Global Passport.

Internationally, ADGM ran outreach in China, India and Singapore, signed a strategic partnership with Shenzhen’s Futian District, held engagements in Italy led by the Chairman, and took part in the Milken Institute Global Conference 2026 in the United States, where it met Bain Capital, Vista Equity Partners and Man Group.

ADGM and DIFC: two centres, two sets of numbers

The UAE has two international financial centres with their own common-law courts and regulators, and both published first-half results this summer. DIFC reported 10,018 active registered companies at the end of June 2026, up 30% in a year, with 1,134 regulated firms and 592 wealth and asset management firms. ADGM reported 13,974 active licences, 392 financial services entities and 190 fund and asset managers. The figures are not directly comparable: ADGM counts licences, including holding companies and SPVs, while DIFC counts active registered companies; DIFC’s 592 wealth and asset managers include advisory and arranging firms, while ADGM’s 190 are fund and asset managers. What the two reports share is the direction and the speed: double-digit growth in firms, funds and people at both centres in the same six months, alongside a 28.6% rise in the net profit of UAE listed companies in the second quarter of 2026 and a 17.9% rise in Abu Dhabi’s non-oil foreign trade in the first half.

What it means for a business or investor in the UAE

For a founder or a family deciding on a jurisdiction, the ADGM report is useful less for its percentages than for what it confirms about the centre’s operating model and price list.

1. Holding and investment structures. Seven in ten ADGM licences are structures rather than operating businesses, and the Registration Authority’s fee schedule in force since 1 January 2025 prices them accordingly: initial registration for a non-financial company is USD 5,500 (AED 20,199) with annual renewal at USD 5,000 (AED 18,363); the retail category is USD 2,500 (AED 9,181) to register and USD 2,000 (AED 7,345) to renew; tech start-ups pay USD 1,500 (AED 5,509) for both; the financial category is USD 16,700 (AED 61,331) to register and USD 16,200 (AED 59,495) to renew; a USD 300 (AED 1,102) data protection fee applies at registration and each renewal. ADGM’s 2024 announcement of the revision left the special purpose vehicle fee unchanged at USD 1,900 (AED 6,978). Office, visa, bank and compliance costs come on top and depend on the structure.
2. Fund managers and other financial firms. The FSRA route runs from an in-principle approval to a financial services permission, and the half-year numbers (50 and 45) show the pipeline moving at the same pace as in 2025. Anyone preparing an application after May 2026 should build its policies on the updated Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions Rulebook and, for insurers, on the new climate-risk requirements.
3. Employers. The talent pool on the two islands grew by 4,688 people in six months, but office vacancy in Abu Dhabi was 1.4% in the second quarter; space on Al Maryah Island has to be secured before the licence and the visa quota are planned around it. Hub71’s expanded Initiate programme is the tech-ecosystem entry route for idea-stage founders considering an Abu Dhabi base.
4. Investors. With 190 managers and 276 funds, more regulated products are domiciled in Abu Dhabi than a year ago. The FSRA public register shows the permissions each firm holds, and the client classification the firm applies determines which products it may offer you.

How Atlant Capital can help

Atlant Capital works with founders, investors and families who need the corporate and residency layer around a decision to base themselves in the UAE. We register companies on the mainland and in free zones, including holding and investment-holding structures and consultancy licences, open corporate and personal bank accounts at UAE banks, arrange work permits and residence visas for owners, staff and families, and support Golden Visa applications for investors. FSRA authorisation for a financial firm is a specialist regulatory process handled with licensed compliance advisers; accounting, audit and tax filings are handled by licensed accounting firms from our partner network. Contact us with the structure you have in mind and we will map the steps and the sequence.

Checklist: before you choose ADGM for a company, a holding or a fund

• Decide which count you belong to: an operating company, a holding or SPV, or an FSRA-regulated financial firm. The licence category, the fee and the timeline differ for each.
• Budget the Registration Authority fees from the schedule in force since 1 January 2025 (USD 5,500 registration and USD 5,000 renewal for a non-financial company, USD 1,900 for an SPV, USD 300 data protection fee) plus office, visas and bank account.
• Secure premises early: Abu Dhabi office vacancy was 1.4% in Q2 2026, and the licence is tied to an address within ADGM’s jurisdiction on Al Maryah or Al Reem Island.
• For a financial firm, plan for two stages, in-principle approval and then financial services permission, and prepare the compliance manual on the May 2026 version of the AML and Sanctions Rulebook.
• Check who the ultimate beneficial owners are and how they will be documented; the Registration Authority has proposed stronger beneficial ownership requirements in its 2026 consultation.
• Line up the corporate bank account and the residence visas in parallel with the licence, not after it.

Conclusion

ADGM closed the first half of 2026 with assets under management up 54%, 13,974 active licences, 3,986 operational entities, 190 fund and asset managers, 276 funds and 49,027 people working on Al Maryah and Al Reem Islands. The names behind the growth are on record, from Capital Group and Man Group to Blue Owl and Bain Capital, as are the fees a new entrant will pay and the rulebooks it will be assessed against. For anyone weighing Abu Dhabi against Dubai or against a European or Asian centre, the report gives the numbers to do it with, and the AED 400 million technology roadmap to 2029 signals where the centre intends to spend next.

Sources: ADGM H1 2026 results, published through the Abu Dhabi Media Office on 8 September 2026; The National, 8 September 2026; ADGM Q1 2026 results (adgm.com, May 2026); ADGM H1 2025 results (adgm.com); ADGM Registration Authority fee announcements of 2024 and 2 January 2025; DIFC H1 2026 results (difc.com, 28 July 2026). USD figures converted at the AED peg of 3.6725.

FAQ

How many companies are registered in ADGM in 2026?

At the end of June 2026 ADGM had 13,974 active licences, of which 1,814 were issued in the first half of the year. Of those licences, 3,986 belong to operational entities, the firms that trade, hire and invest from within the jurisdiction, and 392 to financial services entities regulated by the FSRA. The remaining licences are holding companies, special purpose vehicles and other investment structures.

How much did assets under management in ADGM grow in the first half of 2026?

Assets under management within ADGM rose 54% compared with the first half of 2025, after growing 57% year on year in the first quarter of 2026 and 42% in the first half of 2025. The number of fund and asset managers reached 190 and the number of funds 276, and the managers that set up in ADGM during the half oversee more than USD 2.1 trillion (AED 7.71 trillion) globally.

How many people work in ADGM?

The combined workforce on Al Maryah Island and Al Reem Island was 49,027 at the end of June 2026, up 34% year on year and up 4,688 in the first half of 2026 alone. A year earlier the figure was 35,964, measured just after the Al Reem Island transition period ended on 31 December 2024; at the end of March 2026 it was 47,047.

How much does an ADGM licence cost?

Under the Registration Authority fee schedule in force since 1 January 2025, a non-financial company pays USD 5,500 (AED 20,199) to register and USD 5,000 (AED 18,363) a year to renew, a retail business USD 2,500 (AED 9,181) and USD 2,000 (AED 7,345), a tech start-up USD 1,500 (AED 5,509) for both, and a financial firm USD 16,700 (AED 61,331) and USD 16,200 (AED 59,495). A USD 300 (AED 1,102) data protection fee is charged at registration and at each renewal, and the SPV fee was left at USD 1,900 (AED 6,978). Office, visa, bank and compliance costs are separate.