Abu Dhabi boasts first-class infrastructure and unparalleled global connectivity, making it a premier international destination. Its exceptional qualities make it an ideal location to live, work, and conduct business.
A financial centre that provides transparency, efficiency, and integrity, through its progressive frameworks, future focused infrastructure, all within a familiar independent legal jurisdiction – ADGM is the perfect platform for success.
Our community of business professionals, entrepreneurs, and investors can depend on ADGM to provide timely news and reliable insights.
At ADGM, we offer various support options, including contact details, FAQs, enquiry forms, and a whistleblowing form.
ADGM and its three authorities have issued relevant guidance to communicate and explain the principles that underpin the legal framework, which is based on English Common Law.
The guidance for applicants provides information on completing the application to register an entity in ADGM and should be read in conjunction with the relevant legislation. The Guidance Notes do not cover other requirements as set out in the relevant legislation such as contact with the court and other internal obligations that a company will need to consider and carry out.
In line with global movements favouring transparency, accountability and integrity, ADGM believes a culture that supports speaking up with confidence forms part of any progressive business environment. With that in mind, ADGM has implemented its regulatory framework for whistleblowing (the “Framework”). The Framework includes the WB Regulations; amendments to ER 2019, GEN, MIR and GPM; and this Guidance. This Guidance is issued jointly by the RA under section 3(3) of the WB Regulations and the FSRA under section 15(2) of FSMR. In November 2022, ADGM published its Guiding Principles on Whistleblowing. Those Principles have been incorporated into this Guidance to the extent appropriate, and accordingly the Principles themselves no longer represent current guidance.
The following guidance notes provide information and interpretation on ADGM’s commercial legislation for existing registered entities.
The Registration Authority in ADGM is adopting a process that all retail businesses are required to obtain an Abu Dhabi Government Authorities approval prior to operating the businesses.
Find below a variety of Resolutions templates that can be used to support your application. Please note that the Resolutions templates are drafted in the proposed format but can be modified according to your particular requirements. You may choose to use the Resolutions templates in their present form or modify them according to your particular requirements. The Resolutions templates do not constitute legal advice or opinion of any kind.
Below are a variety of Registry Templates. You may choose to use these templates in their present form or modify them according to your particular requirements.
Kindly note that these have been issued by the Registration Authority as guidance only and we do not take any responsibility for any losses or liabilities that may arise from the use of these templates.
FSRA has published this Guidance in relation to Listing Applications and Eligibility. It set out the process and considerations for Issuers in relation to having Securities admitted to the Official List, including specific considerations across the Listing Eligibility requirements.
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) has published its Information Technology Risk Management Guidance which provides a comprehensive and holistic framework for managing technology risks in ADGM's financial sector.
The purpose of this Guidance is to clarify the expectations for the management and marketing of ESG investment vehicles, encourage disclosure of ESG-related information in line with global best practices, and mitigate the risk of greenwashing.
In line with global movements favouring transparency, accountability and integrity, ADGM believes a culture that supports speaking up with confidence forms part of any progressive business environment. With that in mind, ADGM has implemented its regulatory framework for whistleblowing (the “Framework”). The Framework includes the WB Regulations; amendments to ER 2019, GEN, MIR and GPM; and this Guidance. This Guidance is issued jointly by the RA under section 3(3) of the WB Regulations and the FSRA under section 15(2) of FSMR. In November 2022, ADGM published its Guiding Principles on Whistleblowing. Those Principles have been incorporated into this Guidance to the extent appropriate, and accordingly the Principles themselves no longer represent current guidance.
This Guidance is issued under section 15(2) of the Financial Services and Markets Regulations 2015 (“FSMR”). It should be read in conjunction with FSMR and the Market Rules (“MKT”) of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (“FSRA”).
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), together with other members of the UAE Sustainable Finance Working Group (SFWG), has issued the Guidance on Principles for the Effective Management of Climate-Related Financial Risks. The Principles constitute a declaration of common understanding among the SFWG members on the minimum standards that they expect to implement in their respective jurisdictions and in line with their legal frameworks in the area of climate risk management.
This provides guidance on the following designations for sustainable finance products and services:
ADGM Green Funds
ADGM Climate Transition Funds
ADGM Green Portfolios
ADGM Climate Transition Portfolios
ADGM Green Bonds
ADGM Sustainability-Linked Bonds
This Guidance provides information about the obligations of ADGM limited companies concerning the ESG Disclosures Framework.
The Supplementary Guidance is relevant to Authorised Persons and Applicants seeking to act as the Fund Manager of a Private Credit Fund. In particular, this Guidance highlights the eligibility and authorisation criteria that applicants must satisfy to be authorised as a Fund Manager in respect of a Private Credit Fund, as well as the ongoing regulatory requirements pertaining to Private Credit Funds.
The FSRA has formalised the conditions that Authorised Persons dealing in over-thecounter leveraged products (“OTC Leveraged Products”) in relation to Retail Clients are subject to, in order to provide transparency and clarity around those requirements.
This Guidance is issued under section 15(2) of the Financial Services and Markets Regulations 2015 (“FSMR”). It should be read in conjunction with FSMR and the Market Rules (MKT) of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (“FSRA”).
This Guidance is published to assist Issuers, Listed Companies, Reporting Entities (and their advisors) to comply with the disclosure requirements contained in Chapter 11 of MKT, which relate to Minerals activities.
This Guidance is published to assist Issuers, Listed Companies, Reporting Entities (and their advisors) to comply with the disclosure requirements contained in Chapter 12 of MKT, which relate to Petroleum activities.
This Guidance sets out the FSRA’s approach to the regulation of the trading, clearing, settlement and related activities for Spot Commodities in and from ADGM, including activities conducted by Recognised Investment Exchanges, Multilateral Trading Facilities, Organised Trading Facilities, Price Reporting Agencies and intermediary-type Authorised Persons.
The purpose of the Code of Market Conduct ("CMC") is to supplement the Market Abuse provisions in Parts 8 and 9 of the Financial Services and Markets Regulations 2015 ("FSMR").
The Guiding Principles cover the FSRA's approach to virtual asset regulation and supervision, specifically outlining its expectations and risk appetite for the sector via the key pillars of: regulation; authorisation; preventing financial crimes; supervision; enforcement; and international cooperation.
The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE), together with the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) of the Dubai International Financial Centre and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Abu Dhabi Global Market, collectively referred to as “Supervisory Authorities”, have issued the “Guidelines for Financial Institutions adopting Enabling Technologies” (“the Guidelines”).
This Guidance is to provide clarity to Relevant Persons and to assist them in understanding their obligations under the UAE ‘Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism’ (AML/CFT) framework, as well as the requirements contained in the Financial Services Regulatory Authority’s AML and Sanctions Rules and Guidance. These laws and regulations set out the minimum standards that must be adhered by Financial Institutions and Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions in the creation and implementation of their KYC policies, processes and procedures.
This Guidance is an intended to provide Authorised Persons with practical illustrations of how the cyber governance principles should be interpreted to mitigate their cyber risks. It also contributes to supporting a holistic response to illicit activity involving cyber-related criminality recognizing its correlation with fraud, money laundering and terrorist financing; and with the aim of balancing innovation and risk to create a safer and more resilient financial ecosystem.
This Joint Guidance proposes practical solutions to manage the impact of economic uncertainty on Expected Credit Loss, while remaining compliant with globally accepted financial reporting standards, IFRS. It is suggested to employ the flexibility embedded in the IFRS 9 framework to cope with the COVID-19 crisis.
This Guidance is issued under section 15 of the Financial Services and Markets Regulations 2015 (“FSMR”). It should be read in conjunction with FSMR, the relevant Rulebooks of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (“FSRA”), the Guidance & Policies Manual of FSRA, the ‘Guidance – Regulation of Virtual Asset Activities in ADGM’ and the ‘Guidance – Regulation of Digital Securities Activity in ADGM’ (“Digital Securities Guidance”).
This Guidance sets out the FSRA’s approach to the regulation of Virtual Asset activities in ADGM, including activities conducted by Virtual Asset Exchanges, Virtual Asset Custodians and, as applicable, intermediaries engaged in Virtual Asset Activities.
This Guidance sets out the FSRA’s approach to the regulation of Digital Securities in ADGM for both primary and secondary markets, including in relation to Offers, Listings and Market Infrastructures (Recognised Investment Exchanges (RIEs), Multilateral Trading Facilities (MTFs), Recognised Clearing Houses (RCHs), amongst others).
This Guidance and Policies Manual (“GPM”) contains guidance on how the FSRA regulates and supervises financial services firms and markets that operate in ADGM. The GPM is meant to assist persons operating or intending to operate financial services or a market in the ADGM and should be read in conjunction with the Financial Services and Markets Regulations and the ADGM Rulebooks.
This Guidance sets out the FSRA’s approach to those considering developing or using “Application Programming Interfaces (APIs)”, including applicants for a Financial Services Permission in ADGM, financial services firms located outside ADGM, and participants in FinTech, RegTech, SupTech, amongst others.
This Guidance sets out the FSRA’s approach to authorisation of Digital Investment Managers. It also describes the relief available to Digital Investment Managers whose business models meet conditions that serve to reduce the risks they pose to clients and to the FSRA’s objectives.
This Guidance sets out the FSRA’s approach towards the regulation of operators of Private Financing Platforms (PFPs) and Multilateral Trading Facilities (MTFs) serving equity investment, debt financing and trade receivables funding needs of start-ups, private enterprises and SMEs.
The Guidance sets out the FSRA’s approach to an application for an FSP to operate under the framework outlined here for VC Managers (the “VC Manager Framework”), in addition to the existing requirements in relation to the Threshold Conditions as set out in the FSMR and GEN Rules.
This document covers an introduction to Common Reporting Standards (CRS). The UAE through the Ministry of Finance (MoF) intends to negotiate and sign the Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Related Matters (MAC) and the Administrative Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) in 2017 to enable it to meet the automatic sharing of information by 2018 in 2017.
In order to meet the 2018 timeline all financial institutions are required to commence collection of relevant information as and from 1 January 2017. The MoF has produced guidance notes for CRS to assist financial institutions.
This Guidance sets out the Financial Services Regulatory Authority’s (“FSRA’s” or the “Regulator’s”) approach to the Regulatory Laboratory (“RegLab”) framework. In particular, this Guidance includes the eligibility and authorisation criteria that the applicants must satisfy to be authorised as FinTech Participants, the authorisation process, the types of restrictions that the Regulator may impose on the FinTech Participants’ conduct, as well as the information that FinTech Participants may be required to produce to the Regulator.
This document covers an introduction to FATCA, the intergovernmental agreement between the UAE and the United States and general guidance on the application of FATCA to ADGM regulated entities.
Please note: The ADGM portal URL as mentioned on page 55 of the Guidance Notes is currently unavailable. Once the URL is available, the guidance notes will be updated accordingly.
This Confidentiality Policy provides guidance concerning the obligations and requirements on the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (the “Regulator”) when using and disclosing non-public information provided by third parties in the course of regulating financial services in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (“ADGM”).
The Guidance sets out the FSRA’s expectations on the minimum criteria for an applicant seeking Financial Services Permission to carry on the regulated activities of Managing Assets or Managing a Collective Investment Fund.
We use cookies and similar technologies that are necessary to operate the website. Additional cookies are used to perform analysis of website usage. By continuing to use our website, you consent to our use of cookies. For more information, please read our Cookies Policy.