The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange Group, one of the world’s fastest-growing financial markets by market capitalization, today announced that Morgan Stanley, one of the world’s leading financial and investment services institutions, has joined as the first international investment bank to join the market as a remote trading member, in a qualitative step that allows its clients direct access to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.
This achievement represents a significant step forward in enhancing the global connectivity of the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), keeping pace with the rapidly growing international institutional demand for investment opportunities in the UAE's capital markets. It also reinforces the market's position among the world's largest financial markets in terms of market capitalization, reflecting the accelerated development in market depth, trading efficiency, and liquidity levels, as well as its increasing and strong presence in leading global indices.
Morgan Stanley's remote membership allows its clients to access the market more directly and easily by executing trades through its advanced global platform, enhancing operational efficiency and increasing market connectivity and integration with international markets. The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange continues to play a key role in supporting Abu Dhabi's long-term economic objectives as a platform that contributes to building a diversified, innovation- and knowledge-based economy.
Morgan Stanley's acquisition of direct trading access to the Abu Dhabi market reflects the strength and attractiveness of Abu Dhabi's investment fundamentals, as well as the growing institutional capacity of the UAE's capital markets. This membership will enhance the quality of trade execution, improve order fulfillment efficiency, and increase control and transparency across all stages of transaction processing, providing a comprehensive trading experience that meets the expectations of global investors.
This structure is based on a proven international access model, followed by Morgan Stanley in the world’s leading markets, and is designed to meet the growing demand from clients for more efficient, transparent and easier access to investment opportunities listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.
Abdullah Salem Al Nuaimi, Group CEO of Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), said: “This significant step marks a major milestone in our journey to solidify the market’s position as a leading global financial platform that supports opportunity creation and fosters sustainable economic growth. This momentum is evident in the growing number of foreign investors, whose trading volume exceeded AED 85 billion in the first quarter of 2026, representing a 22 percent year-on-year increase. This performance reflects the market’s depth and increasing global importance, and underscores our commitment to expanding international access, enhancing market connectivity, and building world-class infrastructure that attracts capital, supports the diversification of listed companies, and contributes to the long-term economic prosperity of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.”
Patrick Delivanis, Co-Regional Head for the Middle East and North Africa at Morgan Stanley, said: “Our joining the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) as a remote trading member reflects our commitment to providing our clients with more efficient and accessible market access through our state-of-the-art global platform, which is among the best in the industry. This comes at a time when we are witnessing rapid institutionalization and increasing global investment in the UAE’s capital markets. We are pleased to be part of this transformation by enabling global investors to directly access investment opportunities in the MENA region through seamless integration with local markets, supported by advanced levels of transparency and control in accordance with the highest international standards across all stages of trading.”
Morgan Stanley's joining the market as a remote trading member aligns with the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange's strategy to enhance connectivity with global markets. Remote trading memberships are granted selectively to leading financial institutions to attract cross-border liquidity and improve the quality of investment flows. This reflects the market's continued growth, with foreign investment increasing by nearly 14 percent and institutional trading rising by 10 percent year-on-year in 2025, clearly indicating the market's growing attractiveness and depth.
Morgan Stanley is expected to begin trading as a remote member in the coming weeks, once final operational readiness is complete.
