THE MENA REGION’s PREMIER FINANCIAL EVENT
Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW) is the MENA region’s premier financial event, bringing together global leaders, market experts, policymakers, and investors from 175 countries to drive impactful dialogue and collaboration.
Over the four thematic days, ADFW 2025 delivered a milestone gathering of global finance’s most influential voices across five established Flagship Forums and over 60 curated events designed to foster collaboration, unlock opportunity, and accelerate economic growth.
The 4th edition of ADFW centred around the theme: ‘Engineering the Capital Network’ – exploring the major forces and realities shaping the financial markets and highlighting how Abu Dhabi’s capabilities in building an ecosystem that harnesses innovation, artificial intelligence, and global capital flows.
The theme reflected the growing influence of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Abu Dhabi as a gravitational centre for capital and the city’s evolution from a primary capital exporter to a two-way system of capital flows that is operating with a forward-looking investment strategy.
ADFW 2025 Highlights
62+
Trillion USD in Assets Present
60+
Events
800+
Speakers
390+
Sessions
60+
Partners
175+
Countries Present
ABU DHABI FINANCE WEEK
As the sun bore down on the city last week, ADGM hosted ‘Abu Dhabi Finance Week’, a four-day financial event series on Al Maryah Island – part of one of the largest financial districts in the world.
Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, is pivoting away from its oil dynasty to position itself as the next financial powerhouse.
Around 35,000 people, of whom 30 per cent were international and representing over 175 countries, gathered for the biggest edition of ADFW to listen to over 300 sessions and more than 60 events.
With the four-day agenda divided into carefully curated thematic days and corresponding featured events, such as Abu Dhabi Economic Forum (ADEF), Asset Abu Dhabi, Fintech Abu Dhabi, RESOLVE and Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum. Attendees represented major sub-sectors within the financial landscape, such as asset and wealth management, family offices, private credit, fintech, digital assets, sustainable finance, and more.
The event also featured notable speakers from the world of finance, business and politics, including Bill Gates, who was focusing on his pledge to end Polio, Sir David Cameron, who was questioning political effects on the UK as well as Brexit, and the Netflix co-founder, who provided the room with lessons he learned from Netflix.
The gathering of these industry elites isn’t by coincidence, as the UAE aims to double its GDP to $3 trillion by 2031, with a focus on specific key sectors to drive economic growth, including finance.
Strengthening Infrastructure
Abu Dhabi, currently home to 2.4m people, aims to double this figure by 2024, making infrastructure a key focus for its leaders.
Along with the waterfront views at the conference hub also came building work, as cranes and new buildings dotted the eyeline, a sign that the city is building out its financial hub, and fast.
His Excellency Mohamed Al Shorafa, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT), spoke in a fireside chat about Abu Dhabi’s $20bn infrastructure investment plan over the next 7-10 years, covering sectors such as hospitality, healthcare, and transportation.
He pointed out that the capital wants to attract private investment, including from private equity companies and pension funds, to support infrastructure development in Abu Dhabi.
“The government of Abu Dhabi is a rich government. It’s not the matter that we are looking for finances, but I think it’s important to introduce private investment into our infrastructure as well,” he stated.
From its ‘liveability programme’ and ‘Smart City’ to its aim to introduce 220 green parks, Al Shorafa noted that the goal is to drive economic diversification and sustainability.
THE FALCON ECONOMY
The falcon, the symbol of the city’s strategy for a future-focused, resilient, and globally competitive economy, is also based on the UAE’s national bird.
One of the many announcements made this week included the Crown Prince’s agreement to launch a Fintech, Insurance, Digital, and Alternative Assets (FIDA) cluster in Abu Dhabi.
The initiative has been introduced to create a more “competitive economic environment”, and the city is betting on it, predicting that by 2045, this cluster will contribute an additional AED56bn (£11.4bn) to its gross domestic product (GDP), attract at least AED17bn (£3.4bn) in investment, and generate 8,000 new skilled jobs.
As part of the announcement, the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) revealed that it has entered into a strategic collaboration agreement with US insurer Prudential Financial to expand Abu Dhabi’s long-term retirement savings, income solutions, and reinsurance capacity within this new cluster.
Family first
Family Offices are increasingly seen as key players for Abu Dhabi’s investment landscape.
Speaking to City AM last December, Hareb Al Mheiri, executive director of the investor growth sector at ADIO, explained that his department has targeted family offices, the profile of the family office, and the interest is really important. “I need to have the right marriage between the international investors/family offices and the local private sector as well,” he stated.
The Family Office section explored how the global expansion of wealth is reshaping the generational family office sector and creating new investment opportunities.
Benjamin Cavall, head of strategic clients and global connectivity at UBS Global Wealth Management, stated that multi-generational billionaires are increasingly mobile due to the rule of law, healthcare, education, and taxes.
This comes as a UBS report revealed that in 2025, the billionaire population grew to $15.8 trillion, with 196 new self-made billionaires and 91 through inheritance, and the Middle East saw 20 new billionaires.
At the event, Julius Baer, the leading Swiss wealth management group, and its CEO, Stefan Bollinger, confirmed that it had received approval from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) to open a new advisory office in Abu Dhabi.
A RESPECTED LEGAL SYSTEM
The event showcased Abu Dhabi’s ambition to be a nexus for legal innovation and dispute-resolution excellence, with ‘English law’ at the heart of the transition.
ADGM exists as the first and only jurisdiction in the Middle East to adopt the direct application of English common law.
ADGM established the ADGM Courts to handle civil and commercial disputes, modelled on the English courts and staffed by English-speaking judges. Over the last year, the court has dealt with almost 500 cases.
Speaking at the event, the UAE Minister of Justice, Abdullah Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi, explained that to foster public trust, the UAE must set global benchmarks for judicial excellence.
However, it is not just about having a respected justice system in place to woo international players, but also one that is AI-driven to outperform its competitors in terms of delays or extra costs.
Data shared with the crowd revealed that 95 per cent of federal litigation is now conducted remotely, as the courts focus on the ‘disputes of tomorrow’.
The capital’s digital transformation in judicial operations includes remote litigation and a unified digital legal platform.
Additionally, it seeks to address complex global challenges, including AI, crypto, and cross-border cases.
“Looking ahead, the UAE, advancing a justice system that is digitally advanced, institutionally independent, and globally combated through the investment in AI blockchains and smart case management,” stated Al Nuaimi. He added that “alongside regulatory reforms, welcoming international law firms and global mediation centres, the UAE is cultivating a world-class legal services ecosystem.”
Focusing on the future
Along with being seen as a global finance hub, the city is also leading sustainability, leading to the final day of the event dedicated to discussions on ESG and sustainable finance, which the Global Climate Finance Centre (GCFC), Hanwha and the EU-GCC Cooperation on Green Transition Project (funded by the European Union) sponsored.
The UAE has a Net Zero by 2050 strategic initiative to balance economic growth with climate goals, aiming to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 through major investments in renewables, hydrogen, energy efficiency, and nuclear power.
By adopting global best practices and aligning with EU taxonomies and international standards, ADGM aims to attract international fund managers and asset owners with global ESG mandates.
The sessions covered ESG investments, impact investing, and the role of innovation and technology (such as AI) in enhancing transparency and risk management in sustainable finance.
Sustainable AI Infrastructure was the focus of one of the sessions, with Patrick Potts, managing partner of Transition Equity Partners, expressing confidence in Abu Dhabi’s current efforts, citing the UAE’s ambitious projects and its collaboration with chip manufacturers to address unique power-electronic challenges.