Media365
As the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) prepares to host the fourth edition of Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW) in December, ADGM – the city’s international financial centre and economic free zone, formerly known as Abu Dhabi Global Market – is deepening collaboration and enhancing connectivity with Asia’s capital markets.
Over the past year, ADGM’s activities and influence have made their mark across mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan, forging partnerships that strengthen cross-border investment, private banking and wealth management. Looking to the future, digital assets and fintech innovations are fast becoming a key aspect of ADGM’s strategy to build ties across Asia.
ADGM’s Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) Foundations Regulations 2023, a regulatory framework governing activities related to blockchain foundations, Web3 entities, token issuers and other industry businesses, has paved the way for collaborations and partnerships within the fintech and digital assets ecosystem at an international level.
The IOTA Foundation, a company based in Berlin that provides blockchain infrastructure, was the first firm to be registered under the framework as the IOTA Ecosystem DLT Foundation. In 2024, ADGM partnered with US-based Chainlink Labs, a developer of Chainlink, the network that links blockchains to real-world data and application programming interfaces.
This year, the financial centre welcomed Stacks Asia FLT Foundation – a firm dedicated to expanding the bitcoin ecosystem across the region – as a partner within the framework. In addition, QCP Group, a Singaporean trading firm specialising in digital asset markets, received licensing rights to operate in Abu Dhabi.
ADGM’s partnerships are in line with the UAE’s strategy of connecting the capital flows and financial ecosystems of the Middle East and other parts of Asia. This effort aligns with the UAE’s vision to build enduring economic bridges under mainland China’s Belt and Road Initiative, anchoring Abu Dhabi’s place as the Gulf’s hub for global finance.
By 2030, trade between the UAE and mainland China is, according to the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED), projected to reach US$200 billion, and ADGM is positioning Abu Dhabi as the preferred entry point for Chinese investors and financial institutions expanding into the region. Earlier this year, ADGM joined ADDED’s delegation to mainland China, underscoring the commitment to stronger financial and investment ties.
“Our recent efforts in China are built on a long-standing history of economic and financial collaboration between the UAE and China,” says Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, chairman of ADGM and ADDED. “Through ongoing engagement, strategic dialogues and targeted initiatives such as bilateral investment forums, regulatory dialogues, fintech collaboration programmes and trade delegations, we are creating pathways for capital, investment and expertise to flow seamlessly between the two regions.”
As Abu Dhabi works to solidify its position as the “capital of capital” by expanding its influence across the region through strategic partnerships, these pathways support both institutional finance and the flow of private wealth.
ADGM operates within the wider Abu Dhabi capital ecosystem, where there is over US$1.82 trillion in sovereign wealth funds. Family offices have emerged as key players in Abu Dhabi’s investment landscape today, drawn by the city’s stable legal and regulatory environment and its globally connected ecosystem. Recently, several prominent international family offices and billionaire investors – including Ray Dalio, Elysium Management, Asif Aziz, Wafic Saïd, Kishin RK, Royal Holdings, Kapoor Wealth Partners and Apeiron Investment Group – have established operations within ADGM.
For Asia’s wealthy families and private investment firms, this growing ecosystem offers a unique opportunity to engage with global capital flows under one regulatory umbrella.
“Family offices view Abu Dhabi as a global gateway,” Al Zaabi says. “At the centre of this ecosystem, ADGM has become the organic choice for global wealth management, providing a trusted, regulated platform that attracts capital and confidence.”
Strengthening financial ties requires similar cooperation on the regulatory front as well. In 2025, ADGM signed a memorandum of understanding with the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission to enhance cooperation on the supervision of investment managers of collective investment schemes.
The agreement builds on earlier collaborations with key Chinese financial institutions, including the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Beijing Financial Street Services Bureau, reflecting a long-term effort to create a consistent and transparent framework for international finance between mainland China, the rest of Asia and the Middle East. These partnerships provide a foundation for future initiatives in asset management, fintech innovation and market infrastructure connectivity.
“Here in Abu Dhabi, we don’t do things by chance; every initiative is part of a long-term vision to shape the future of global finance,” Al Zaabi says. “We take a forward-looking approach, anticipating where the world is heading and ensuring that our ecosystem evolves in step with it.”
This vision is reflected in the upcoming edition of ADFW 2025, under the theme “Engineering the Capital Network”, which was chosen to highlight how emerging technologies from artificial intelligence to quantum computing are redefining the ways capital moves, connects and creates value.
“The theme captures how we’re seeing the global financial landscape evolve and how Abu Dhabi is positioning itself within it,” Al Zaabi adds.
Held from December 8 to 11 on Al Maryah Island Grand Steps, ADFW comprises five key events – the Abu Dhabi Economic Forum, Asset Abu Dhabi, Fintech Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum and Resolve (also known as the Abu Dhabi International Dispute Resolution Forum). The 2025 edition will welcome speakers including Marc Randolph, co-founder of Netflix, Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara, CEO of Temasek, Singapore’s state-owned investment company, and Richard Teng, CEO of Binance, a cryptocurrency exchange.
For ADGM, 2025 represents not only a milestone year but also a launch pad for the next decade: “Now that ADGM has marked its first 10 years, we are looking ahead with a clear focus on strategic growth and future readiness,” Al Zaabi says.
“As ADGM pursues its ambition to rank among the world’s top five international financial centres alongside New York, London and Singapore, the next five to 10 years will be about expanding our global influence, strengthening Abu Dhabi as a leading international financial hub and supporting the development of emerging sectors like digital assets, sustainable finance and private capital markets.”
