Business Bureau, Gulf Today

The Majalis Affairs Office at the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court in coordination with Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) recently carried out two informative lectures titled: ‘Capital Markets and Returns’. The lectures took place in the Zakher Majlis in Al Ain and Al Wathba on September 13th and 24th respectively. During the lectures, ADX briefed investors and the public about its new market products and services, the vital role ADX plays by providing opportunities to invest savings and funds in securities in order to benefit the national economy. Additionally, this event served to highlight the role of ADX in protecting investors through establishing fair and proper dealing principles between various investors and develop investment awareness.

Speaking about the lectures, Khalifa Salem Al Mansouri, Acting Chief Executive of ADX, said: “Playing a central role in Emirati life and governance, the Majlis is the right platform to enhance interaction and communication with people from our local community who are interested in knowing more about The Exchange.”

He continued: “I firmly believe in the importance of dialogue, which is at the heart of UAE society, with ideas exchange contributing towards addressing valuable subjects and providing investors the necessary guidance on investment and financial circulation. The lectures also offer us the opportunity to give a clear understanding of ADX’s products and services while expressing our new strategy in a more interactive way.”

During the two sessions, Abdulaziz Al Neaimi, ADX Assistant Chief Executive provided tips and guidance to potential investors and informed them about the comprehensive investment opportunities offered by ADX’s portfolio of products and services.

Commenting on the lectures, Abdulaziz Al Neaimi stated: “Our wise leadership considers capital markets as front and centre for the sustainable growth of the Emirate. Through organizing lectures that talks about “Safe Investment” and “Capital Markets and Returns”, ADX is deepening its investor outreach to inform them of the importance of capital markets for the national economy, and of investors and companies issuing financial trades in the market. These trades are the funds sources needed by companies to form a capital for their projects, and play an instrumental role in financing the growth and expansion for existing companies. Abdulaziz Al Neaimi continued: “Such lectures also serve to inform the public of the importance of saving through investments through ADX unique and new portfolio of products and services. By enhancing interaction and communication with potential local investors, ADX will further its positioning as a gateway to future investments and opportunities in the region.”

“The lectures come at a time of resurgence for ADX within both local and foreign investors. The total trading value of transactions (sell + buy) for UAE investors since the beginning of the year until the end of August, reached about Dhs34 billion, compared to Dhs22 billion for the same period last year, which is an increase of about 50%. In terms of foreign investment, Net foreign investment has reached about 3 billion dirhams since the beginning of the year until the end of August of this year, compared to about 1.4 billion dirhams in the same period of 2018, which is an increase of about 117 per cent.”

ADX’s Assistant Chief Executive also talked about how ADX is constantly seeking to diversify the financial instruments it provides to investors through being more flexible and enhancing the ADX infrastructure. By promoting the innovative, advanced products and services its portfolio offers, ADX creates incentives and supports various sectors of the economy, making Abu Dhabi a regional business and investment centre and helping it achieve sustainable development goals.

Al Neaimi also added that ADX have distributed more than Dhs25 billion in cash dividends to 572,774 eligible investors - representing an increase of 6,95 per cent compared to Dhs23.4 billion last year. ADX has partnered with First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) to distribute cash dividends to its registered investors electronically through the bank’s digital wallet, Payit. With Payit, the Exchange provides another method of distributing cash dividends to investors through a new service which follows the efforts to become more customer-centric.

In addition, ADX has recently announced that it has reduced transaction fees starting from 50 per cent up to 90 per cent. The Exchange is now ranked among the least expensive stock markets in the Mena region, in a move designed to to reduce costs on investors, build confidence, increase liquidity, as well as attract more investors into the Exchange. This is in line with The Exchange’s practices to strengthen its infrastructure as the UAE economy transforms, and make it more flexible, which will contribute to creating a leading economic environment in the region.