Abu Dhabi Global Market: real costs, licences and review

ADGM applies English common law directly, which is a genuine distinction: rather than drafting its own code as DIFC did, it adopted English law wholesale. For international counterparties and lawyers that removes a layer of uncertainty.

It has moved faster than DIFC on digital assets and has become the preferred UAE jurisdiction for crypto funds, custodians and exchanges that want real regulatory standing rather than a permissive licence. Its foundation and SPV regimes are also widely used for family wealth and holding structures, and the SPV route is considerably cheaper and faster than people expect from a financial centre.

For most readers of these sites, ADGM is relevant as a holding or family-office jurisdiction, or as the destination for a regulated digital-asset business.