SHERIDAN, WYOMING - December 10, 2025 - From its position as a fast-rising global capital hub, Abu Dhabi is using Abu Dhabi Finance Week's Asset Abu Dhabi forum to redefine how institutional investors think about asset allocation, risk and long-term value creation in a volatile macro environment. Hosted by Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the event's second day brought together leading capital allocators, hedge fund managers, family office leaders and policymakers to assess emerging opportunities and the next frontier of asset management.
Abu Dhabi's regulatory platform moves into the global first rank
Opening Asset Abu Dhabi, Emmanuel Givanakis, CEO of ADGM's Financial Services Regulatory Authority, highlighted how the emirate is combining robust regulation, strategic innovation and access to global capital pools to position itself as a trusted asset management centre. His message framed the event's core theme: financial centres will increasingly compete on regulatory quality, institutional strength and their ability to channel capital into sustainable, opportunity-rich sectors.
That positioning was underscored by the inaugural Financial Centre Competitiveness Index (FCCI) from NYU, presented by Bruno Lanvin and Robert Salomon. While New York, London and Singapore took the top three spots, Abu Dhabi ranked 12th worldwide and first in MENA, ahead of Dubai, Riyadh and Doha. The index placed Abu Dhabi first globally for regulatory innovation, fifth for institutional environment and third for business-support incentives, reflecting deliberate investment in legal frameworks, supervisory capabilities and pro-business conditions.
Global allocators map the next cycle of opportunities and risk
Across plenary and breakout sessions, some of the world's best-known investors examined how shifting macro cycles, realignments in geopolitics and rapid technology advances are reshaping return profiles and risk management.
Leaders including Todd Boehly (Eldridge Industries), Robert Smith (Vista Equity Partners), Sir Christopher Hohn (TCI Fund Management Limited) and Hussain Sajwani (DAMAC) explored how public and private markets are responding to structurally higher rates, regional fragmentation and accelerated innovation. For asset managers, the takeaways included a more nuanced approach to leverage, liquidity and jurisdictional diversification-areas where Abu Dhabi's growing platform is becoming more relevant to global portfolios.
On the hedge fund side, Aron Landy (Brevan Howard), Shiv Srinivasan (Abu Dhabi Investment Council) and Robyn Grew (Man Group) discussed how data, artificial intelligence and precision analytics are transforming risk management and alpha generation. In an environment where volatility increasingly creates opportunity, managers see a premium on speed, data quality and operating in regimes that support sophisticated strategies.
Intergenerational wealth and family offices look to Abu Dhabi
The International Family Office Congress ran in parallel, focusing on the estimated 84 trillion dollars of intergenerational wealth expected to change hands globally and the implications for capital allocation, governance and impact.
Family office and wealth leaders such as Ray Dalio (Bridgewater Associates), Stefan Bollinger (Julius Baer), Chi Man Kwan (Raffles Family Office), Daniel Pinto (Stanhope Capital Group), Arjun Raghavan (Partners Capital), Benjamin Cavalli (UBS Global Wealth Management), Adrian Cheng (New World Development / K11 Group) and Jim Mellon (Agronomics) examined the balance between preservation and growth, and how next-generation principals are prioritising sustainability, technology and long-term thematics. Abu Dhabi's emergence as a preferred hub for family offices reflects its growing ecosystem, regulatory clarity and connectivity to both developed and emerging markets.
New entrants reinforce ADGM's role as a capital gateway
Asset Abu Dhabi also served as a platform for concrete expansion moves. Circle Internet Group, a NYSE-listed internet financial platform company, secured a Money Services Provider licence from ADGM's FSRA, strengthening its strategic presence in the region. BBVA obtained in-principle approval to expand its corporate and investment banking activities, enhancing its ability to serve corporate and institutional clients from Abu Dhabi.
These announcements underscore how ADGM is attracting both established financial institutions and digital-first players, broadening the mix of services available to global investors using Abu Dhabi as a gateway to the GCC and wider emerging markets.
Sustainability, fintech and private capital to shape the next chapters
Looking ahead, Abu Dhabi Finance Week continues with Fintech Abu Dhabi and the Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum, where innovation, climate finance and digital infrastructure will move to the centre of the agenda. Together with the asset management focus of Asset Abu Dhabi, these events illustrate how Abu Dhabi is knitting together regulation, technology, sustainability and private capital to anchor its long-term role in global finance.
For asset managers, family offices and institutional allocators, the signal from this year's Abu Dhabi Finance Week is clear: the emirate is no longer just a regional hub, but an increasingly influential platform for global capital deployment and next-generation asset management strategies.