Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the emirate’s international financial centre, says 14 global financial institutions managing more than $5trn in assets announced plans in the first half of 2026 to set up there. Its chairman, Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, gave the figure at the third Abu Dhabi Investment Forum in London, and WAM, the UAE state news agency, reported it on 19 October 2026. The firms were not named.
For a Gulf family office, what matters is behind the number: more fund managers with local teams, pitching to families.
What ADGM announced, and what it left out
According to WAM, as carried by Zawya, the 14 institutions collectively manage over $5trn worldwide. Neither WAM nor ADGM named them or gave their status. The National listed recent arrivals:
- Capital Group announced plans in May for its first Middle East office and said on 7 October that ADGM’s regulator, the FSRA, had licensed it as an investment manager.
- Pantheon, a London-based private markets investor with about $84bn, opened its first Abu Dhabi office (announced 30 September).
- Eurazeo, the Paris-listed manager with €40bn, opened an office (announced 1 October).
No report says whether these three are among the 14.
What a $5trn headline measures
The figure adds up each firm’s assets worldwide. It is not money moved to Abu Dhabi. ADGM has used the measure before: 11 institutions with over $9trn in December 2025, and about $4.4trn for firms that announced plans in March and April 2026. In September it said managers that set up in the first half oversee more than $2.1trn globally. Each total counts a different group, and one large firm can dominate any of them: Capital Group alone reports $3.6trn.
ADGM’s half-year data is a better gauge of Abu Dhabi itself: 190 fund and asset managers, up from 154 a year earlier, and assets under management up 54%, with no total given.
What it means for a family office
Managers come to raise money. Pantheon’s new regional head will work with sovereign funds, family offices and financial institutions, and Eurazeo already has family office relationships in the region, The National reports. For a family office in Abu Dhabi, that means more local meetings and more fund and co-investment offers. It does not replace due diligence: the fund on offer may be managed and domiciled elsewhere, with its own fees.
ADGM published no count of family offices with these figures. Our ADGM family office guide and DIFC vs ADGM comparison cover the rules, and a recent ranking put the UAE first among emerging family office hubs.
What to watch
- Whether ADGM names the 14 firms, and how many receive licences.
- Whether ADGM’s next results give total assets under management, not only growth.
- Whether new offices hire investment staff locally or only fundraisers.
A fair caveat
The headline totals come from ADGM and WAM; we found no independent count. Khaleej Times’s headline says the firms “set up offices”, while WAM says they announced plans. The asset figures come without as-of dates.
Questions to bring to your advisors
When a manager pitches us from Abu Dhabi, which entity would we sign with, and who regulates it? Where is the fund domiciled, and what are its fees? These are questions to bring to your advisors, not advice.
