American investors rank in first place among foreign investors in the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) in terms of net investment in 2016 and H1 2017, with Dh2.2 billion ($599 million) and Dh960 million, respectively, said the CEO of ADX.

Rashed Al Blooshi was speaking during a briefing about the exchange at the American Chamber of Commerce, Abu Dhabi (AmCham).

The session introduced attendees to the operations of the exchange, its vision for the future and available investment opportunities.

During the event, Al Blooshi highlighted that American investors at over 2,000 individuals and more than 1,500 institutions are among the most active in the exchange. Their total trading value exceeded Dh7.5 billion in 2016 and Dh3.7 billion during H1 2017, while the market value of their shares exceeded Dh10.9 billion by end of H1 2017.

A number of AmCham's members, executives and senior representatives were provided an insight into the strong performance of the market. Al Blooshi emphasised that the net profit of companies listed on ADX amounted to Dh22.2 billion during H1 2017, while the cash dividend distributed by the listed companies in 2017 was some Dh22 billion, which is an increase of about 3 per cent from the previous year. He also remarked that ADX offers one of the highest cash dividend yields in the world, at around 5.8 per cent.

"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.

"ADX offers such an attractive investment opportunity, by 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," Al Blooshi added.

Sharief Fahmy, chairman of AmCham Abu Dhabi, remarked, "I would like to thank 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 benefits 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."