Abu Dhabi’s quest to attract top hedge funds to its financial center is creating a shortage of office space in the oil-rich emirate.
After struggling to attract tenants for years, the four sleek towers in Abu Dhabi Global Market, which has long sat on Al Maryah Island, are nearly full. The government is now working on expanding the free zone’s jurisdiction to neighboring Al Reem Island in a move that will give it ten times as much space and make it one of the largest financial districts on the planet, stretching 14.4 million square meters (3,558 acres).