ADX celebrates its 18th anniversary and highlights its most notable achievements to date

Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), the region’s leading
financial market, celebrated its 18th anniversary today and highlighted the market’s most notable
and pioneering achievements on local, regional and international level since its inception which
contributed to supporting the national economy and in attracting investments to the UAE.
ADX continues to develop its operations, launch strategic initiatives and provide innovative
products and services based on global best practices in disclosure, transparency and corporate
governance. This is in line with ADX’s endeavour and commitment to contribute towards the
sustainable economic development of Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030, as well
as Abu Dhabi’s plan to develop FinTech services, which aims to attract investments and enhance
the competitiveness of the business environment in the Emirate.
Khalifa Al Mansouri, Acting Chief Executive of ADX, praised the outstanding achievements of the
market, which are a result of a focussed strategy and continuous quest to be the best financial
market that is renowned for its innovation, attractiveness, transparency and support of the UAE
economy.
Al Mansouri said: “ADX made these strides thanks to the efficiency, integrity and transparency it
operates in, as well as the ceaselessteam effort of its various departments. The market is focused
on providing the best services and products for clients to invest their money in, while protecting
their rights through fair dealing principles and by raising awareness on developments and
investments, which bolsters financial and economic stability while increasing cash-flow levels.”
ADX was the first stock exchange to implement several pioneering initiatives in the region – it was
the first stock market in the MENA region to list an Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) and to list
private equity firms on the secondary market platform. ADX also adopted the eXtensible Business
Reporting Language (XBRL) framework before any other marker in the region and it was the first
to get an ISO 27001in information security certificate.
ADX was also the first stock market in region to disclose the names of shareholders owning 5%
or more of the share capital of any listed company on its website, as well as the first in the MENA
region to implement an automatic monitoring system (SMART). Furthermore, ADX is the first
stock market in region to list sovereign government bonds – issued by the Maldives – which is a
testament to the strong confidence in the stability of the market, as well as the advanced
technical and organisational infrastructure for the listing and trading of securities.
Keen on providing a stable trading environment, innovative services and products in adherence
with international best practice in disclosure, transparency and corporate governance, ADX was
the first market in the region to launch the Technical Short Selling (TSS) service. It was also the
first to launch the smart kiosk ‘Sahmi’, and the first in the MENA region to adopt blockchain
technology in its services through e-voting for listed companies’ AGMs.
ADX is highly rated by international financial institutions, with the market being elevated to an
Emerging Market Status by FTSE, Russel Investment, S&P, S&P Dow Jones and MSCI. The market
has also won several awards, including the most Innovative Exchange REGION 2015 Award, the
4th Middle East Financial Markets Excellence Award 2016 and the Best Government-ToCustomer
(G2C) Service Of 2017.
As ADX sought to attract more foreign investment, the market was the first GCC stock exchange
to highlight its global performance by launching several promotional campaigns since 2004. As
part of its efforts to enhance effective communication with all its clients, ADX was one of the first
markets to provide electronic and smart services, which enabled users to get reports.
Furthermore, ADX expanded its presence by establishing centres and branches in Al Ain, Madinat
Zayed, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Sharjah.