‘The New ADX Group’ to enhance Abu Dhabi’s investment landscape

The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) launched “the New ADX Group” market infrastructure and two new subsidiaries, Abu Dhabi Clear (AD Clear) and Abu Dhabi Central Securities Depository (AD CSD).

This milestone aligns with Abu Dhabi’s long-term economic vision and augments ADX’s efforts towards being a developed market.

ADX announced its new market infrastructure at a celebrative event with more than 500 regional and global industry participants in Abu Dhabi on Monday. The ADX Group’s (The Group) achievement is a testament of its commitment towards deepening its capital market, attracting more investments into the UAE, and strengthening Abu Dhabi’s position as an international financial centre and premier investment hub.

Ghannam Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the ADX Group, said, “With the launch of ADX Group, we are not just building a financial marketplace; we are shaping the future of investment in Abu Dhabi and contributing to long-term economic development of the UAE and in the region. More regional and global investors will benefit from seamless access to the ADX platform to unlock opportunities for expansion in the emirate’s thriving sectors and industries. The ADX Group will continue to innovate to ensure a robust and reliable international marketplace to raise capital, facilitate greater investment flow, and uphold financial resilience and stability.”

Abdulla Salem Al Nuaimi, Group Chief Executive Officer of ADX, added, “The ADX Group is leading the way in using new technology to expand and strengthen Abu Dhabi’s investment landscape. Our enhanced trading system aims to increase resilience and performance by 400 per cent, reinforcing the emirate’s position as a global financial hub. We express our sincere appreciation to our trading and clearing members, custodians, banks, and industry partners for their invaluable support and collaboration in achieving the transformation and success.”

Meanwhile the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) has reported a strong start to 2025, with daily trading volumes rising by over 27.5 per cent compared to the same period last year, according to Abdulla Salem Al Nuaimi, CEO of ADX.

Al Nuaimi also highlighted a more than 30 per cent increase in the number of investors since the beginning of the year, indicating growing confidence and interest in the market.

In statements to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Al Nuaimi said, “We have the most active ETF market in the region and the most active derivatives market in the region, which saw a significant 150 per cent increase last year.”

The CEO added that two listings have taken place this year, including the Chimera iBoxx US Treasury Bill ETF, which was listed on 20th February, and a public joint-stock company expected to list next month. He anticipates further listings in the first half of 2025.

As part of efforts to strengthen market infrastructure and enhance trading efficiency, ADX unveiled the “New ADX Group” on Monday, which includes two new companies: Abu Dhabi Clear (AD Clear) and Abu Dhabi Depository (AD CSD).

The ADX Group’s new business model aims to transform and future-proof its thriving capital market. The Group, empowered by new post-trade capabilities and services, a state-of-the-art trading system, and new clearing and settlement platforms aims to unlock more investment opportunities and deepen market liquidity by providing investors and industry participants with greater and faster access to market activities and growth sectors in Abu Dhabi.

These advancements will enable the ADX Group to introduce more diverse product offerings and services to address the evolving needs of institutional and retail investors, issuers and businesses in the UAE and wider Middle East region. At the heart of this transformation is a strategic technology partnership with Nasdaq to deliver a Core Platform Upgrade (CPU), which introduces advanced capabilities across trading, clearing, and post-trade services. All enhancements further boost ADX’s operational readiness, attract new types of new market participants, and increase trading activities. Key features include:• A key element of the CPU modernises the trading infrastructure and integrates multiple asset classes (equities, ETFs, debt instruments, and derivatives) into a single, high-performance platform. Optimisation for high-frequency trading and algorithmic strategies, offering faster execution of trades and deeper market liquidity.

New order types and negotiated deal features for greater trading flexibility and efficiency, enabling more sophisticated trading strategies.

Magnus Haglind, SVP and Head of Marketplace Technology at Nasdaq, added: “We are excited about the opportunity to partner with ADX and help deliver this forward-thinking vision for its marketplace. Capital markets are already an integral part of the global economy, but by modernising the infrastructure that powers it we can remove barriers to wider participation and help local and national economies thrive.

WAM