Rashed Al Blooshi, Chief Executive of the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) recently hosted a briefing about ADX at the American Chamber of Commerce, Abu Dhabi (AmCham). The session introduced attendees to the operations of the exchange, its vision moving forwards and the investment opportunities available.
Attendees included a number of AmCham’s members, as well as executives and senior representatives from AmCham and ADX.
The briefing provided an insight into the strong performance of the market compared with both other emerging and even developed markets, and the financial growth of listed companies on the Exchange. Al Blooshi highlighted that the net profit of companies listed on ADX amounted to AED 22.2 billion during H1-2017, with the cash dividend distributed by the listed companies in 2017 was round AED 22 billion which is an increase of around 3% from the previous year. He also remarked that ADX offers one of the highest cash dividend yields in the world with around 5.8%.
During the event, Al Blooshi also highlighted the fact that American investors are among the most active in the exchange with over 2,000 individuals and more than 1,500 institutions with their total trading value (buy + sell) exceeding AED 7.5 billion in 2016 and AED 3.7 billion during H1-2017, while their market value of shares exceeded AED 10.9 billion by end of H1-2017.
ADX Chief Executive also mentioned that American investors rank in the 1st place among foreign investors in terms of net investment in 2016 and H1-2017 with AED 2.2 billion and AED 960 million respectively.
Commenting on his participation, Rashed Al Blooshi said:
ADX is always keen to partner with other business-oriented organisations to demonstrate the benefits of capital market investments. AmCham is an important networking organisation for American expats and we thank them for letting us conduct this briefing for the benefit of their members.
Al Blooshi added:
ADX offers such an attractive investment opportunity in virtue of the stable economic and legislative structure in which it operates. In Abu Dhabi we are fortunate to have the high growth investment opportunities afforded by a developing economy whilst also providing investors with the security of a regulatory environment similar to those found in more established markets.
Sharief Fahmy, Chairman of AmCham Abu Dhabi, remarked:
I would like to thank H.E. Rashed Al Blooshi for giving such an informative and thought provoking presentation on ADX. The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange represents a dynamic place in which to invest and has great potential benefit to American investors with an array of interesting company stocks available. ADX uses innovative digital platforms and is an example of the dynamism and global connectivity of the Abu Dhabi economy.
ADX’s participation comes as part of its strategic objective to enhance the investment environment in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, as well as its commitment to attract further foreign investment in line with the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030.
The briefing was concluded with a walkthrough of how to open an investor account with ADX. Participants were also introduced to some of the technological innovations introduced by ADX, including a comprehensive website, mobile application, smart watch and smart terminals, as part of the Exchange’s ongoing efforts to improve accessibility for investors.