Hedge Funds: Abu Dhabi Has Embarked on the Path to Becoming a Financial Center, the Flywheel Effect Is Taking Shape

PANews, December 8—Alan Howard’s hedge fund Brevan Howard currently has 150 employees in Abu Dhabi and is committed to staying there long-term, making it the largest institution by operational scale in Abu Dhabi. He stated that this Gulf city is rapidly rising and is poised to rival Western financial centers such as London and New York, becoming a global financial hub. “A few years ago, I thought it would become a ‘third pole’ alongside New York and London. Now, I believe it is fully on that trajectory.” He explained that as more asset management firms and banks move in and trading volumes of various assets continue to rise, a flywheel effect occurs: for every fund manager working here, it drives 3 to 4 professionals from service institutions to work here as well. Nevertheless, most of the infrastructure and core talent supporting the hedge fund industry are still concentrated in traditional centers. However, Howard believes that the proportion of funds managed in Abu Dhabi will continue to grow, as a business-friendly regulatory environment, cross-regional trading advantages, and the UAE’s strong capital pool are driving Abu Dhabi and Dubai to jointly transform into global financial powerhouses.