Abu Dhabi Finance Week 2026 is scheduled to run December 7 to 10, with organizers confirming more than 200 speakers across government, finance, investment, technology and innovation sectors. Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Executive Council, the fifth edition of the annual forum operates under the theme “The Capital Community, Powered by Partnerships.”
The operational scale this year is larger than any previous edition. Organizers plan to stage more than 70 thematic events featuring over 800 speakers across the four-day period, structured around four main thematic days covering Abu Dhabi’s economic strategy, global markets, asset management, fintech, digital assets, sustainable finance and Islamic finance. Several program components are launching for the first time: the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Summit, the AIMA Global Hedge Fund Leaders Platform, the Hub71 Startups Campus, a Healthcare and BioTech Forum, multiple Global Strategy Roundtables, and expanded private forums designed to deepen senior engagement and deliver more focused outcomes.
H.E. Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of ADGM and the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, pointed to the early speaker commitments as a signal of confidence in Abu Dhabi’s capacity to facilitate capital deployment. “The exceptional early commitment from global financial leaders to ADFW 2026 reflects growing confidence in Abu Dhabi as a trusted destination for capital, investment and long-term partnerships,” Al Zaabi said. He framed the forum’s core function in concrete terms: “The strength of ADFW lies not only in the conversations that happen here, but in what they lead to. By bringing together the world’s leading investors, policymakers and innovators, Abu Dhabi creates an environment where dialogue translates into investment and relationships become long-term partnerships.”
The confirmed speaker roster draws heavily from Abu Dhabi’s own institutional infrastructure. H.E. Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade for the UAE, will participate alongside H.E. Mohamed Ali Al Shorafa, Chairman of the Department of Municipalities and Transport. Also confirmed from government are H.E. Dr. Sultan bin Saif Al Neyadi, Minister of State for Youth Affairs; H.E. Shamis Ali Khalfan Al Dhaheri, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Community Development and Second Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and H.E. Salem Al Nuami, Managing Director of Abu Dhabi Pension Fund. Local institutional leaders include H.E. Majid Al Suwaidi, CEO of ALTÉRRA; H.E. Dr. Tariq Bin Hendi, CEO of Botim; Mohamed Abdelbary, Group Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank; Hamad Al Ameri, CEO of Alpha Dhabi; and Antonoaldo Neves, CEO of Etihad.
Meanwhile, global financial services executives make up a substantial portion of the confirmed list. Oliver Bäte, Chairman of the Board of Management and CEO of Allianz SE, will attend alongside Tan Su Shan, CEO of DBS Group. Ron O’Hanley, Chairman and CEO of State Street, and Bill Winters, CEO of Standard Chartered, are also confirmed. The roster extends further to include Clare Woodman CBE, CEO International at Morgan Stanley; Stefan Bollinger, CEO of Julius Baer; Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara, Executive Director and CEO of Temasek Holdings; Andreas Berger, Group CEO of Swiss Re; Charles R. Kaye, Chairman of Warburg Pincus; Hendrik du Toit, Founder and CEO of Ninety One; Tarek Sultan, Chairman of Agility; and Steven Desmyter, President of Man Group.
Asset management and alternatives specialists form another significant segment. Jenny Johnson, CEO of Franklin Templeton, is confirmed, as is Katie Koch, President and CEO of TCW, and Tobias C. Pross, CEO of Allianz Global Investors. Marc C. Ganzi, CEO of DigitalBridge, joins the roster alongside Dmitry Balyasny, Co-Founder, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Balyasny Asset Management. Mike Freno, Chairman, President and CEO of Barings; David Druley, CEO of Cambridge Associates; and Stefan Hoops, CEO of DWS, are also scheduled to participate.
Technology, digital assets and fintech leaders round out the confirmed speaker list. Chamath Palihapitiya, Founder of Social Capital, will attend alongside Richard Teng, CEO of Binance, and JoeBen Bevirt, Founder and CEO of Joby Aviation. Robert Smith, Founder and CEO of Vista Equity, is confirmed, as are Pascal Gauthier, Chairman and CEO of Ledger; Lily Liu, President of Solana Foundation; and Charles Cascarilla, Co-Founder and CEO of Paxos.
With the program structure set and speaker commitments secured months ahead of the December opening, the question now is whether the forum’s expanded format, particularly its new summits and private roundtables, will deliver the concrete investment outcomes Al Zaabi described.