Abu Dhabi Finance Week 2025 opened today on Al Maryah Island with a clear message: the next phase of global finance will be defined by AI, energy, and a fast-evolving capital network that stretches from Abu Dhabi to the Global South.

Organised by Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) in collaboration with ADQ, this fourth edition runs until 11 December under the theme “Engineering the Capital Network.” ESG News is an official media partner on the ground, covering how policymakers, asset owners, banks and innovators are repositioning for 2026 and beyond.

This year’s program is bigger and more global than ever. ADFW features more than 60 events, 300+ thematic sessions and around 750 speakers, including leaders whose organisations collectively manage over $62 trillion in assets—more than half of global GDP.

Senior government officials, sovereign wealth funds, global banks, infrastructure and private equity giants, venture-backed disruptors, and technology pioneers are converging in Abu Dhabi to debate how capital, AI and energy will intersect in the decade ahead.

Day 1: Abu Dhabi’s Falcon Economy, AI and the new capital map

The week opened with an official ceremony attended by Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, underscoring ADFW’s role as a strategic platform for the emirate’s financial ambitions.

Early sessions set the tone:

• Welcome to Abu Dhabi Finance Week 2025
  H.E. Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Managing Director and Group CEO of Mubadala Investment Company, framed ADFW as a forum for “global dialogue, investment insight and economic collaboration” as Abu Dhabi deepens its role in the world’s capital flows.
• The Falcon Economy in focus
  H.E. Hamad Sayah Al Mazrouei, Undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development and Chairman of ADGM Academy, and Monica Malik, Chief Economist at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, unpacked the “Falcon Economy” narrative—linking macro performance, diversification, and policy reform to Abu Dhabi’s emergence as a hub for innovation, finance and economic resilience.
• Abu Dhabi: Metropolis of the Future
  A CEO panel featuring leaders from Lulu Group International, Aldar Properties, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank and Etihad Airways explored how infrastructure, culture, quality of life and AI-centric strategy are reshaping Abu Dhabi into a next-generation metropolis.
• The Story of Our Journey in Abu Dhabi
  In a case-study fireside, Alan Howard, Founder of Brevan Howard, outlined why the hedge fund chose Abu Dhabi as a strategic base, highlighting the role of ADGM and the emirate’s long-term approach to partnering with global investors.

Macro signals: IMF outlook, boardroom risks and the global cycle

ADFW’s opening day also delivered a dense macro and markets agenda aimed at boardrooms and CIOs:

• The Global Outlook, with the IMF
  The IMF’s Jihad Azour provided a fresh view on growth prospects, inflation dynamics and policy trade-offs heading into 2026—critical context for asset allocators weighing risk across developed, emerging and frontier markets.
• Global Business at a Crossroads: Opportunities & Risks
  In partnership with FAB, CEOs from e&, 2PointZero Group and Amundi examined how geopolitics, capital flows and technology are reshaping global commerce—and what resilience looks like in a world of overlapping shocks.
• The ADFW Boardroom 2025: The State of the Global Economy
  A powerhouse line-up including Temasek, UBS, Morgan Stanley International and Allianz SE tackled systemic risks, shifting growth patterns and where opportunity lies as the financial order evolves.
• How Countries Go Broke: The Big Cycle
  Ray Dalio, Founder of Bridgewater Associates and the Dalio Family Office, decoded the long-term cycles of debt, currency power and national strength versus decline—offering a candid view of which indicators ESG-minded investors should be tracking now.
• The Quick Take: Geopolitics in Real Time
  Daleep Singh, Vice Chair and Chief Global Economist at PGIM, cut through headline noise to map the geopolitical forces most likely to move markets in the near term.

AI, new energy systems and who funds the transition

A major theme for Abu Dhabi Finance Week 2025 is how AI and new energy systems are rewiring capital allocation.

On the New Energy Finance stage with CNBC, day one focused squarely on the intersection of AI, power and infrastructure:

• The Reality of Renewables in an AI World
  With Dr. Sama Bilbao y León, Director General of the World Nuclear Association, CNBC examined how explosive AI growth is driving a massive reallocation of capital into power and data centre capacity—and how energy majors, developers and tech firms are collaborating to deliver clean, always-on power.
• Who’s Funding the New Energy Order
  Sovereign wealth funds, infrastructure PE and disruptors—featuring voices like ALTERRA—explored capital strategies for the AI economy: balancing ROI, risk and control over a new energy-and-compute order.
• Building the UAE’s New Energy Economy
  H.E. Suhail Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, set out how the UAE is leveraging solar, nuclear and gas to power AI mega-projects such as Stargate UAE, repositioning energy sovereignty as a new axis of competitiveness.

These sessions preview the conversations that will culminate later in the week at the Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum (ADSFF) and the EU-GCC Finance & Investment for Green Transition Forum, where climate, ESG and energy transition finance move centre stage.

Investing for humanity, the Global South and capital with purpose

Day one also highlighted how capital is being framed as a tool for solving global challenges:

• Investing for Humanity
  A suite of sessions featuring Dr Shamma Al Mazrouei, Bill Gates, H.E. Dr. Mekdes Daba Feyssa, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and other leaders explored how data, innovation and purpose-driven investment can tackle food security, health and livelihoods—well beyond traditional balance sheet metrics.
• The Power & Potential of the Global South
  Experts from the Council on Foreign Relations, Ninety One and UN Tourism discussed why the Global South is emerging as the defining growth engine of the next century—and what that means for trade, finance and the next phase of the world economic order.
• Connecting Capital to Global Impact
  Jason Barsema, Co-Founder of Halo Investing, highlighted the trillions in capital required for technology, infrastructure and next-generation ethical finance, and the role of ADGM’s ecosystem in delivering that future.

For ESG-focused investors, these conversations frame how impact, inclusion and long-term resilience are moving from side panels to the core of mainstream finance.

Abu Dhabi Finance Week by the numbers: a maturing global hub

Beyond the stage, ADFW 2025 showcases Abu Dhabi’s rapid rise as an international financial centre:

• 48% growth in assets under management in ADGM between Q3 2024 and Q3 2025
• 161 asset and fund managers overseeing 220 funds
• 11,920 active licences, including 2,801 new licences issued this year
• 3,227 operating companies, up 43% year-on-year
• A workforce of 39,870 people across ADGM’s expanded jurisdiction on Al Maryah and Al Reem Islands

These numbers underscore why ADFW is increasingly a must-attend week on the global financial calendar—and why many institutions now view Abu Dhabi as a long-term anchor in their global footprint.

What to watch next

Over the coming days, the agenda will move from macro and capital networks to assets, regulation, fintech, AI, blockchain, sustainability and ESG:

• Day 2:
  • Asset Abu Dhabi and the Global Financial Regulators Summit
  • The AIMA Private Credit Summit, Infrastructure Summit and International Family Office Congress
  • Closed-door sessions, including an IMF roundtable, on volatility, regulation and geopolitical risk
• Day 3:
  • RESOLVE and Fintech Abu Dhabi
  • AI Abu Dhabi on the convergence of AI and financial services
  • Blockchain Abu Dhabi, including a Web3 Leaders Roundtable on DeFi, digital assets and systemic disruption
• Final day:
  • Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum (ADSFF)
  • Second EU-GCC Finance & Investment for Green Transition Forum
  • Women in Finance and the inaugural graduation ceremony of NYU Stern School of Business Abu Dhabi

For ESG News readers, the closing day’s sustainability and transition finance agenda will be particularly important, as policymakers, regulators and financial institutions attempt to align capital with a greener, more resilient future.

ESG News at ADFW

As an official media partner, ESG News will be tracking:

• How AI, energy and infrastructure are reshaping capital allocation
• What ADFW’s announcements signal for sustainable finance, transition strategies and green infrastructure
• How Abu Dhabi’s “Engineering the Capital Network” theme translates into real-world deals, regulatory shifts and long-term ESG outcomes

We’ll be bringing you daily highlights, executive insights and on-the-ground analysis throughout Abu Dhabi Finance Week —so you can follow how decisions in Abu Dhabi this week will shape markets and climate finance through 2026 and beyond.

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