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The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) is marking its 50th anniversary, following its establishment in 1976. Since its foundation, ADIA has evolved from a small team investing primarily in equities and bonds, into a globally diversified investment institution. Throughout, it has sought to balance continuous evolution with rigorous discipline in pursuit of its mission to secure the long-term prosperity of Abu Dhabi. This clarity of purpose can be traced back to the remarkable vision of its founding leaders, who empowered ADIA with long-term objectives driven solely by economic considerations. His Highness Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Managing Director of ADIA, said: “We owe a profound debt of gratitude to the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founding Father of the UAE, and the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for their wisdom and foresight in creating ADIA. We are equally grateful for the unwavering support of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and His Highness Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, our Chairman, whose vision continues to guide us. We also honour the contributions of those who came before us, including the late Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who worked tirelessly to build the strong foundations we stand upon today.” When ADIA was formed in 1976, His Excellency Ahmed Khalifa Al Suwaidi was named as Deputy Chairman, and His Excellency Mohammed Habroush Al Suwaidi as Managing Director, positions they held until 1997. For more than 20 years, they both served ADIA with distinction, playing vital roles in directing its growth and instilling a culture that endures today. Against a backdrop of constant change, ADIA has demonstrated its ability to identify and prudently respond to important new developments in the investing landscape. Prominent examples include early moves into new asset classes, such as its first investments in hedge funds in 1986, private equity in 1989, and infrastructure in 2007. In 1993, the introduction of a formal asset allocation process represented a key innovation and was a major driver of performance over the following decades. In recent years, ADIA has undergone an organisation-wide transformation that has increased its flexibility to target and capture new opportunities, both within and across traditional asset class boundaries. It has embraced quantitative and systematic techniques, enabled by new technologies, across the organisation. In 2020, ADIA established a Quantitative Research & Development unit to play a key role in its dynamic asset allocation process and to research, develop, and implement investment strategies. It created the Core Portfolio Department in 2021 to manage ADIA’s passive public equity and fixed income exposures, optimise rebalancing decisions and meet the liquidity and funding requirements of the total portfolio. To support greater operational agility, a multi-year transformation programme for investment support functions was completed in 2024. His Highness Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said: “The investing landscape in which we operate is both highly complex and inherently unpredictable, and the only certainty it provides is change. Against this backdrop, ADIA has prioritised scientific thinking, continuous learning and problem-solving as core skill sets. We regard research and development as vital to this process, providing a structured way to generate new insights and evolve our capabilities. By embedding this discipline as an organisational priority, we are positioning ADIA to adapt to a rapidly changing world.” Since its inception in 1976, ADIA has recruited and developed talent with a particular focus on UAE Nationals. Two years after its creation, ADIA introduced a scholarship programme that would grow to support thousands of UAE Nationals to pursue university education abroad over the years. Today, the programme is focused on supporting highly talented students with scholarships in science, technology, and mathematics related subjects. More recently, ADIA has also established partnerships with leading local universities to develop specialised Master’s degrees and other qualifications in applied mathematics and computational data science. Meanwhile, ADIA has contributed to Abu Dhabi’s emergence as a global centre for artificial intelligence and advanced technologies through the creation of ADIA Lab. Launched in 2022, ADIA Lab is an independent institution focused on basic and applied research in data and computational sciences, led by an Advisory Board of Nobel laureates and global thought leaders. ADIA recognises that its success is built on a foundation of respectful and trusted collaboration with its many long-standing partners and counterparts. As a global investment institution, it also understands that it has an important role to play in contributing to a thriving investment ecosystem. To this end, it has remained an active member of the institutional investor community throughout its history. This is demonstrated through the long-standing, strong, and mutually beneficial partnerships it has built with many of the world’s leading financial institutions. These relationships have long been integral to ADIA’s success and remain so today, providing specialised skillsets, insights, and access to unique investment strategies that support its objectives. It was also evident in 2008 when ADIA was appointed as Co-Chair alongside the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of the International Working Group of Sovereign Wealth Funds. This work led to the signing of the Santiago Principles, a set of guidelines related to the governance, investment strategies, and risk management practices of Sovereign Wealth Funds around the world. His Highness Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said: “ADIA has always placed significant importance on building partnerships with other like-minded investors. These enduring ties are rooted in mutual respect and a common understanding of what it takes to create lasting value. We recognise that the best insights often emerge through dialogue and collaboration. By working closely with our partners – and growing with them – we have built a network of knowledge that compounds over time, delivering value far beyond any single investment.” As ADIA looks ahead toward the next fifty years, it has built the internal capabilities to ensure that it can continue to adapt and evolve as the global investment landscape shifts. His Highness Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed al Nahyan said: “By remaining disciplined, drawing on the deep experience of our people, and continuing to learn and evolve, ADIA will remain faithful to the mission entrusted to us as an enduring pillar of Abu Dhabi’s growth and prosperity.”