The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange brought executives from 13 listed companies together with about 70 U.S. institutional investors at its annual New York roadshow, extending its international outreach as overseas investors account for nearly half of trading value on the exchange.
Organized with Morgan Stanley, the two-day Global Investor Roadshow and Conference brought together U.S. institutional investors collectively managing more than $35 trillion in assets.
Nearly 120 individual and group meetings took place during the event. Executives discussed their companies’ financial performance, business strategies and positions within their industries, giving investors an opportunity to question management directly alongside reviewing published financial disclosures.
Overseas Activity Provides the Market Backdrop
The meetings followed a first half in which international investors represented 48% of ADX trading value. Institutions accounted for 78%.
ADX reported net positive inflows of approximately $381.2 million (AED 1.4 billion), an increase of 13.7% from a year earlier.
More than 30,000 investors registered with ADX during the first six months of 2026, up 7.1% year over year. Foreign investors accounted for 77% of those registrations.
At the end of June, the exchange reported market capitalization of approximately $762.4 billion (AED 2.8 trillion). First-half trading value reached about $46.6 billion (AED 171 billion), across nearly 3.3 million trades.
Market makers played a larger role in ADX’s first-half activity, accounting for 15% of total traded value, up three percentage points from a year earlier. Share trading volumes rose 3.7% to 50.3 billion, while average daily volume increased 9% to 423 million shares. Alongside its New York engagement, the exchange held roadshows in London and Hong Kong, extending its discussions with investors across several financial centers during the same year.
The planned delegation covered several parts of the UAE’s listed economy. Earlier in September, ADX named companies in energy, financial services, real estate, restaurants, telecommunications and basic materials, reflecting the range of industries included in the planned lineup.
The advance list included ADNOC Distribution, ADNOC Drilling, ADNOC Gas and ADNOC Logistics & Services. Banking participants named in that announcement were Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank and First Abu Dhabi Bank. Aldar Properties and RAK Properties represented real estate, while other named companies included e&, Americana Restaurants, Borouge, Fertiglobe and 2PointZero.
Trading Access Develops Alongside Investor Outreach
Morgan Stanley’s involvement also follows changes to how its clients can reach the exchange. In a May 5 announcement, ADX said the firm had joined as its first international investment bank remote trading member, allowing client access through Morgan Stanley’s global trading platform. The announcement initially made the start of trading conditional on operational readiness.
The exchange has also expanded its derivatives offering. On July 13, ADX announced six additional single-stock futures, covering ADNOC Gas, ADNOC Drilling, ADNOC Logistics & Services, Presight AI, Sharjah Islamic Bank and Two Point Zero Group. The additions brought its stated offering to 17 futures and 50 contracts.
The announcements show ADX pursuing investor contact alongside changes to market access and available instruments.
