ADGM Academy (ADGMA), the knowledge of Abu Dhabi’s international financial centre, has published its 2025 Annual Report, demonstrating its role as a strategic enabler of the human capital aspect within the “Capital of Capital” – Abu Dhabi, strengthening the growth of its knowledge economy.
The annual report highlights ADGMA’s measurable progress in developing national talent and strengthening industry capability by equipping professionals, institutions and future leaders with the skills needed to thrive in a dynamic and globally connected financial landscape. It also showcases the research capabilities and industry expertise built during the year to support market competitiveness and informed sector dialogue. Together, these achievements reinforce Abu Dhabi’s position as a destination for capital, enterprise and talent, and ADGM’s role as a trusted, progressive and globally connected international financial centre.
Academy’s Achievements Demonstrated Through Numbers
During 2025, ADGM Academy further expanded its national impact by training 2,244 UAE Nationals, bringing the cumulative number of Emiratis trained to 10,779 since its national development programmes began in 2019.
The Academy also continued to broaden its reach across the financial services ecosystem and adjacent sectors, delivering more than 250 training sessions to over 5,000 participants, while convening 120 industry events attended by more than 3,000 professionals. These programmes and events brought together regulators, financial institutions, government entities, academia and industry leaders to promote knowledge exchange, professional development and market collaboration.
Maintaining its focus on quality and international excellence, ADGM Academy recorded 94% student satisfaction and 86% client satisfaction during the year, while securing 9 global accreditations and introducing new programmes focused on emerging disciplines, including artificial intelligence, digital finance, wealth management, governance and future skills.
Thought leadership remained central to the Academy’s mission throughout the year. In 2025, the Academy published 11 research papers addressing topics such as artificial intelligence, digital assets, Web3, cybersecurity, payments, financial crime compliance and financial regulation, helping shape dialogue across financial services.
The report also highlights the Academy’s continued investment in 12 new strategic partnerships with leading global institutions, regulators and industry organisations, enabling internationally recognised education, research collaboration and market-focused learning pathways.
One of the important milestone partnerships in 2025 marked the launch of the RealAssetX Abu Dhabi Innovation Centre, a key advancement to the Academy’s innovation ecosystem. Another major establishment during 2025 was the ADGM Academy Tech Centre, creating new platforms for applied research, technology development and capability building across emerging technologies.
His Excellency Hamad Sayah Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Board of ADGM Academy, said, “Guided by the vision of the UAE leadership to build a competitive, knowledge-based economy powered by national talent and world-class capabilities, ADGM Academy continues to advanceAbu Dhabi’s human capital agenda. In 2025, we strengthened our contribution to Emiratisation and workforce development by equipping UAE Nationals and professionals with the skills required to support innovation, resilience and long-term economic growth.”
As demand continues to grow for specialised skills across financial services, digital technologies and emerging industries, ADGM Academy remains focused on expanding access to world-class education, accelerating research and strengthening collaboration across academia, industry and government to develop the specialist capabilities that support Abu Dhabi’s long-term economic priorities.
The ADGM Academy Annual Report 2025 is available at HERE.
