The UAE's Securities and Commodities Authority, operating as the Capital Market Authority (CMA), reported that the number of companies it licensed rose 43 per cent year-on-year in the first nine months of 2026, alongside a 64 per cent increase in the number of accredited financial professionals, pointing to continued expansion of the country's regulated financial services sector.
Combined market capitalisation of the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and the Dubai Financial Market reached AED 3.7 trillion ($1.01 trillion) by the end of September, the authority said. Total trading value across the two exchanges hit AED 408 billion over the nine-month period, with foreign investors accounting for close to half of all trading activity, a sign of growing international confidence in the country's bourses.
The CMA also reported 94 per cent growth in the number of locally registered investment funds, which now stand at 97, while assets under management in those funds rose 30 per cent compared with the same period last year. Separately, 102 virtual assets were registered for admission to trading, and bond and sukuk issuances reached AED 576 billion over the same period.
The regulator attributed the growth to a combination of market resilience and tighter oversight of market participants. Officials pointed to the rising share of foreign trading as evidence of deepening international trust in UAE capital markets, at a time when the Abu Dhabi and Dubai exchanges have hosted several major regional listings in recent years and are positioning themselves as the financial hub of the wider region.