ADX firms distribute Dh23.4b in dividends

Stocks listed on the bourse account for 5.8% of cash dividends paid out globally

Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), the region’s leading financial market, announced the distribution of more than Dh23.4 billion in cash dividends to around 406,000 investors on behalf of listed companies in 2018.

The cash dividends paid out by listed companies increased around 5.5 per cent compared Dh22.2 billion in 2017.

This announcement is a confirmation of ADX’s success in providing a distinct investment climate and a stable trading environment for investors and listed companies.

ADX holds a market leading position as a distributor of cash dividends to investors.

Stock listed on ADX accounts for 5.8 per cent of cash dividends paid out globally. This strengthens the exchange’s position as a preferred listing destination and the high levels of competitiveness.

ADX has also witnessed a rise in the net institutional investments by 4.5 per cent in the first half of 2018, reaching Dh947 million, compared to 908 million for the same period in 2017. Additionally, the number of institutional investors registering in ADX amounted to 271 in the first half of 2018, compared to 256 in the same period of 2017, an approximate increase of 6 per cent.

This brings the total number of institutional investors in ADX to more than 7,900 with 5,900 being foreign institutions and 2,000 local institutions.

Best practice

ADX chief executive Rashed Al Beloushi emphasised the exchange’s commitment to applying the best international standards and practice, by ensuring that investors and shareholders in the listed companies receive cash dividends, which reinforces the ADX’s position as one of the leading financial markets to provide a stable environment and strong investment opportunities for both foreign investors and nationals.

Al Beloushi said: “These cash dividends accentuate the robust performance of ADX’s listed companies, the safe and attractive investment environment it [the bourse] provides, as well as the stable economic and legislative structure seen in Abu Dhabi and the UAE in general.”

In 2018, ADX distributed Dh23.4 billion in cash dividends to 406,000 eligible shareholders in listed companies with 222,000 of those investors being UAE nationals. The remaining recipients of cash dividends, 184,000, were foreigners.