ADGM and Al Maryah Island: why institutional money is choosing Abu Dhabi
Published August 9, 2026 · 5 min read · Sources: ADGM annual and H1 2026 results, ADGM Real Property Regulations 2024, UAE Cabinet Resolution No. 41 of 2023, public firm announcements, ADREC
What ADGM actually is
Abu Dhabi Global Market is a financial free zone with its own courts, common-law framework and regulator, sitting on Al Maryah Island in the heart of the capital. It plays the role the DIFC plays in Dubai, with a longer-term strategy behind it: the zone has been widened to take in digital assets, private credit and structured finance, areas where regional banking has historically moved slower.
Who has moved in
BlackRock, Brevan Howard, Apollo and State Street have all opened or expanded in ADGM, alongside a lengthening list of hedge funds, asset managers and family offices. In 2024 alone, assets under management grew 245%. That is not marketing language, it is heavyweight institutional money choosing Abu Dhabi as a base.
Why this moves property
A finance firm is a payroll, and a senior finance payroll rents and buys close to the office. Al Maryah is a short drive from Al Reem, Saadiyat and Yas, which is exactly where the registered numbers have been strongest. This is demand that does not disappear when interest rates move or influencers stop posting.
Where the demand lands
| Island | Distance from ADGM | What it offers |
|---|---|---|
| Al Reem Island | 5 minutes | Apartments, the natural first rental for relocating staff |
| Al Maryah Island | On the island | Premium apartments above the offices |
| Al Saadiyat Island | 15 minutes | Villas and the cultural district for senior families |
| Yas Island | 20 minutes | Family villas, schools and the entertainment belt |
The numbers since 2024
The 245% year has been followed by two more strong prints. ADGM’s full-year 2025 results showed assets under management up 36%, active licences up 30% to 12,671 and the workforce up 51% to 44,339, with 347 financial institutions based in the zone. Its first-half 2026 results, published in September 2026, showed AUM up 54% on a year earlier, 13,974 active licences, 190 fund and asset managers against 154 a year before, and a workforce of 49,027, up 34%. Workforce is the line we watch most closely, because it is the number that turns into tenancy contracts. Close to 50,000 people now work across the ADGM jurisdiction, and growth at this pace adds thousands of workers a year, many of whom will want homes within a short drive of Al Maryah.
| Measure | End of 2025 | Mid-2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Assets under management | Up 36% over the year | Up 54% year on year |
| Active licences | 12,671 | 13,974 |
| Workforce | 44,339 | 49,027 |
Al Reem is now inside ADGM, and so is its property register
ADGM is no longer confined to Al Maryah. UAE Cabinet Resolution No. 41 of 2023 extended its jurisdiction to Al Reem Island in April 2023, taking the zone to around 1,438 hectares, roughly ten times its previous footprint. On 1 January 2025 Al Reem’s real estate register moved from Abu Dhabi Municipality to the ADGM Registration Authority, and registrations on both islands now run under ADGM’s Real Property Regulations 2024, with mortgage enforcement in the ADGM Courts. For buyers this is practical, not academic. A purchase on Al Reem or Al Maryah is registered with ADGM rather than on the Abu Dhabi register, musataha and usufruct interests registered before 2025 were carried across as leases with the underlying contract rights unchanged, and banks and conveyancers work to ADGM’s rules. It also means the zone’s headline numbers now cover Al Reem as well as Al Maryah, so read the workforce growth with that bigger map in mind.
What the registered market shows around it
Abu Dhabi’s wider market has moved with the money. ADREC recorded AED 117 billion of real estate transactions in the first half of 2026, up 112% on a year earlier. The investment zones, the areas open to foreign buyers, attracted AED 75 billion in that half, up 181%, and non-resident investors came from 116 nationalities against 82 a year before. Foreign direct investment reached AED 13.8 billion, more than in the whole of 2025. We would not pin all of that on finance jobs. The point for a buyer is narrower: demand near the financial district is arriving alongside new supply, with 28 new projects registered by ADREC in the same half, so the unit, the building and its registered resale record matter more than the island name.
The honest caveats
One strong year of AUM growth is a signal, not a guarantee, and free-zone growth can be lumpy. What we watch is registered transactions on the surrounding islands: as long as leases and sales keep following the payrolls, the story holds. We publish the registered medians, not the brochure prices.
Related questions
Is ADGM the same as the DIFC?
Same concept, different emirate: a common-law financial free zone with its own regulator. ADGM is younger and currently growing faster from a smaller base.
Can foreigners buy on the islands around ADGM?
Yes. Al Reem, Saadiyat, Yas and Al Maryah sit in Abu Dhabi’s designated investment zones, open to all nationalities with registered title.
What does this mean for yields?
Corporate and senior-professional tenants tend to sign longer leases at stable rents. We check every yield claim against ADREC registered data before quoting it.
Is Al Reem Island part of ADGM?
Yes. Al Reem came under ADGM’s jurisdiction in 2023, and since 1 January 2025 its property register has been run by the ADGM Registration Authority under ADGM’s Real Property Regulations 2024.
