Exclusive | Abu Dhabi Global Market plans China roadshow to boost financial ties

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Planned trip in February will stop in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong amid ‘overwhelming interest’ in the UAE financial centre

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A view of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Photo: Reuters

Aileen Chuang

Published: 7:00am, 13 Dec 2024Updated: 9:40pm, 13 Dec 2024

Abu Dhabi’s financial centre, the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), will conduct a roadshow in China in mid-February to respond to “overwhelming interest” from businesses to set up shop in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, according to its market development head.

The planned trip follows a July roadshow that visited Shanghai and Hong Kong. During next year’s edition, senior executives of the ADGM, among others, are expected to stop by Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

“There are deep relationships between the two countries,” Arvind Ramamurthy, chief market development officer at ADGM, said in an interview on Thursday. “China and the UAE go way back. We see China as a very natural partner for not just the growth of ADGM, but for the growth of a broader regional financial landscape.”

This year marked the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries, which also share a deepening economic relationship.

The emirate’s biggest sovereign wealth funds, such as Mubadala and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, have invested in Chinese firms over the years, while joint ventures were established to expand business synergies.

Large financial markets and similar legal environments contribute to the relationship between Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong, Ramamurthy said.

The ADGM adopts an independent, English common-law system to adjudicate civil and commercial disputes, same as the legal system in Hong Kong.