Abu Dhabi used the closing day of Abu Dhabi Finance Week to reinforce its growing role in global sustainable finance, as the Abu Dhabi Global Market hosted the eighth Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum. Convened in partnership with the Global Climate Finance Centre, Hanwha, and the EU-GCC Cooperation on Green Transition project, the forum brought together policymakers, institutional investors, regulators, and climate finance leaders at a time when capital allocation is increasingly determining the pace of the net-zero transition. Against a backdrop of rising climate risk, fragmented regulation, and tightening capital requirements, the forum positioned Abu Dhabi not only as a convening platform, but as an active financial centre shaping how climate capital is deployed across emerging and developed markets.

A Capital and Policy-Led Climate Finance Strategy

Opening the forum, Salem Mohammed Al Darei, Chief Executive Officer of ADGM Authority, outlined Abu Dhabi’s ambition to anchor sustainable finance through a combination of regulatory clarity, long-term capital, and cross-border collaboration. He emphasized the emirate’s evolution from policy architect to capital mobiliser, with frameworks designed to direct investment toward climate-resilient and transition-aligned assets. Al Darei described Abu Dhabi as a place where capital and purpose intersect, highlighting its role in financing renewable infrastructure, green technologies, and sustainable innovation across regions. His remarks framed the forum as a working platform focused on execution, rather than aspiration. Throughout the day, discussions reflected this focus, examining how market infrastructure, regulatory alignment, and investor confidence can accelerate climate finance flows at scale.

Turning Climate Ambition Into Investable Outcomes

A central theme of ADSFF was the challenge of translating climate commitments into bankable projects. In a session focused on financing the green economy, Her Highness Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, President and CEO of Frontier25, explored how regional capital markets are evolving to support transition investment, while acknowledging persistent gaps in risk sharing, project readiness, and long-duration financing. Panels throughout the forum addressed renewable energy deployment, biodiversity and nature finance, AI-enabled ESG risk assessment, Islamic sustainable finance instruments, and climate-resilient infrastructure. Participants repeatedly returned to the need for credible transition pathways that satisfy both regulatory scrutiny and investor return expectations.

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Technology, Inclusion, and Cross-Border Capital Flows

Several sessions examined how technology, urban planning, and large-scale infrastructure projects are reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s appeal to global investors. Speakers discussed how climate resilience strategies, digital infrastructure, and regional partnerships are reshaping sustainable finance flows, particularly toward emerging economies. Alongside the main forum, Sustainability Day expanded the agenda through parallel events. The Women in Finance Forum highlighted the role of inclusion in financial innovation, while additional gatherings focused on EU-GCC green transition finance, Islamic finance, climate investment, financial technology, and youth participation in capital markets. Together, these forums underscored the link between climate finance, financial inclusion, and long-term economic resilience.

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Governance Frameworks and Institutional Commitments

Beyond dialogue, ADSFF showcased concrete governance developments. The UAE Sustainable Finance Working Group announced progress under its climate transition planning workstream, endorsing new Principles for Climate Transition Planning. The framework is designed to guide financial institutions in developing credible, transparent transition strategies aligned with national net-zero objectives. The forum also marked the addition of new signatories to the Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Declaration, bringing the total to 180 institutions. The growing number of commitments signals increasing alignment between financial institutions and the UAE’s long-term sustainability agenda.

Why It Matters for Global Investors?

As climate risk becomes more immediate and regulatory pathways diverge globally, ADSFF positioned Abu Dhabi as a jurisdiction seeking to bridge policy certainty with capital execution. For institutional investors and corporate leaders, the forum highlighted how sustainable finance leadership is increasingly defined by the ability to align governance, innovation, and long-term capital at scale. In a global transition that is moving unevenly across regions, Abu Dhabi is making a clear bid to shape where and how climate capital flows next.

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