ADGM’s Registration Authority publishes regulatory priorities for 2026-2027

The Registration Authority (RA) of ADGM, the international financial centre of Abu Dhabi, has published its Regulatory Priorities for 2026-2027, giving firms, advisors and stakeholders greater visibility into the RA’s monitoring, supervisory, and enforcement focus areas for the year ahead.

The publication outlines the key areas where the RA intends to focus its regulatory efforts and how it will measure performance against those priorities. It is intended to support transparency, promote understanding of regulatory expectations and help stakeholders prepare for areas of supervisory attention and allocate compliance resources accordingly.

The Regulatory Priorities focus on ten areas: the accuracy, timeliness and quality of annual filings and licence renewals; audit quality, auditor conduct and corporate reporting; data-driven and risk-based supervision; beneficial ownership transparency; responsible innovation and emerging technologies; consumer protection; AML/CFT and targeted financial sanctions compliance among Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs); high standards for Company Service Providers (CSPs), unlicensed activities and misleading claims about ADGM licence status; and timely, decisive and proportionate enforcement.

The publication reflects the RA’s risk-based and proportionate approach to regulation and its commitment to supporting a transparent, well-governed and trusted business environment within ADGM. It also reflects the RA’s focus on encouraging sustained improvements in governance, conduct and regulatory standards as ADGM continues to grow in scale, sophistication and international profile. The document also includes key performance indicators designed to measure progress and regulatory outcomes across each priority area.

By publishing these priorities, the RA provides ADGM licensed persons, directors, auditors, CSPs, DNFBPs, advisors and other stakeholders with greater clarity on its regulatory expectations, enabling them to anticipate areas of regulatory attention and benchmark their own governance and compliance arrangements. The priorities also reinforce confidence in ADGM as a transparent, well-governed and trusted jurisdiction.

Rashed Al Blooshi, CEO of the RA of ADGM, said, “Publishing our regulatory priorities annually is an important part of being a transparent and accountable regulator. It helps provide the ADGM community with greater clarity and predictability around our expectations and areas of focus, enabling firms, advisors and their stakeholders to prepare for the year ahead, allocate their compliance resources effectively and contribute to a strong culture of compliance.”

He added, “As ADGM continues to grow in scale, sophistication and international profile, maintaining high standards of governance, transparency and compliance is increasingly essential. Our risk-based and proportionate approach is focused not only on responding to non-compliance, but also on encouraging sustained improvements in governance, conduct and regulatory standards across the ADGM community. By setting out our priorities publicly, we aim to support a culture of continuous improvement while reinforcing confidence in ADGM as a trusted and well-regulated international financial centre.”