ADGM annual report 2025: Regulator reports licensing surge and strengthened international ties
ADGM annual report 2025 shows a rise in licences and approvals, reinforced regulatory safeguards, five new international MoUs and continued focus on innovation and market integrity.
The Abu Dhabi Global Market’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority published the ADGM annual report 2025, detailing the regulator’s supervisory activity, licensing performance and international outreach during a year of sustained growth. The report highlights a sharp increase in market authorisations alongside continued investment in rule-making, consumer protection and anti-financial-crime measures. Officials say the findings reflect a dual commitment to fostering innovation while upholding strict standards of market integrity and stability.
ADGM regulator publishes 2025 annual report
The FSRA’s 2025 report provides a comprehensive account of regulatory actions taken across licensing, supervision and policy development over the last year. It frames the period as one of consolidation for Abu Dhabi Global Market, reinforcing its position as a growing financial centre in the region.
The publication serves both as a record of operational outcomes and a statement of regulatory priorities going forward, setting out how the authority will balance openness to new business models with robust oversight.
Licensing and approvals show marked growth
The report records that the regulator granted 94 full financial services licences during 2025, alongside 120 initial approvals, representing year-on-year increases of 22% and 32% respectively versus 2024. These figures underscore growing investor and firm interest in using ADGM as a base for activities spanning traditional banking, asset management and emerging fintech services.
Regulatory officials told reporters that the increase in approvals was driven by demand for regulated frameworks that accommodate digital innovation, while providing certainty through clear authorisation pathways and supervisory expectations.
Strengthening regulatory framework and market integrity
A central theme of the ADGM annual report 2025 is the continued enhancement of the jurisdiction’s legal and supervisory architecture. The authority emphasised work on rulebooks and guidance aimed at supporting technological adoption without compromising transparency or investor safeguards.
The regulator also pointed to measures designed to maintain fair market conduct, reduce operational risk and ensure that regulatory frameworks remain compatible with international best practice and evolving market needs.
Actions on financial crime and supervisory oversight
The annual report highlights intensified efforts to combat financial crime and to bolster supervisory oversight across regulated firms in ADGM. The authority reported stepped-up monitoring and enforcement activity focused on anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing and other illicit finance risks.
Officials said that strengthening these controls has been a priority in order to protect consumers, preserve market confidence and ensure that the centre’s growth does not outpace its capacity to manage systemic and conduct-related risks.
International cooperation: five new memoranda of understanding
ADGM’s regulator expanded its international engagement during 2025, signing five new memoranda of understanding with foreign counterparts to enhance cross-border supervisory cooperation. The report notes that these agreements aim to facilitate information-sharing, joint oversight of cross-jurisdictional entities and coordinated responses to emerging risks.
Regulators and market participants see such accords as essential for a global financial centre, helping to attract internationally active firms that require regulatory clarity and operational connectivity across markets.
Executive perspective and strategic priorities
Emmanuel Givanakis, the chief executive of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority, described the report’s results as evidence of the authority’s evolving regulatory approach to support sustainable growth. He said the organisation remains focused on delivering a progressive regulatory framework that enables innovation while preserving market integrity.
Givanakis also praised the regulator’s staff for advancing supervisory priorities and implementing enhancements that position ADGM to meet future market challenges, reiterating a commitment to transparency and stakeholder engagement.
Looking ahead, the regulator pledged to continue aligning its rulebook with international standards while promoting an environment that is attractive to firms engaged in digital finance and conventional services. The ADGM annual report 2025 positions the jurisdiction to build on recent momentum through targeted policy work, ongoing supervisory vigilance and broader cooperation with local and international partners.
The authority’s detailed metrics and summaries in the report will guide market participants and policymakers as Abu Dhabi Global Market aims to strengthen its standing as a regional hub for financial services.
