The AIMA Technology Innovation Day in London on September 11 brought together allocators, managers, and technologists to examine the forces reshaping capital markets.
What stood out was not the usual rhetoric about disruption but something more tangible: how the financial industry’s testing grounds are shifting geography, and what that means for the infrastructure being built today.
Financial hubs: from experiment to institution
History shows a pattern. Venice pioneered double-entry bookkeeping, Amsterdam created the first stock exchange, London built global banking networks, and New York scaled it with electronic trading and securitisation. Each hub began as an experimental space where new ideas could be tested without unsettling existing systems. Those that worked became institutions; those that failed left lessons.
Today, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, the Vietnam International Financial Centre, GIFT City, and the Qatar Financial Centre are taking on that role. They are live-testing new frameworks while traditional hubs debate old ones. These hubs are no longer simply sandpits; they are building scaffolding for durable, regulated, globally connected financial structures. Allocators engaging here gain exposure not only to capital but to the culture of building tomorrow’s infrastructure.
Technologies shaping capital flows
Artificial intelligence has progressed from descriptive to predictive and now prescriptive uses. It screens funds, matches LPs and GPs, and runs portfolio simulations. Our Apex Invest platform reflects this shift, pairing allocators with opportunities based on mandate fit, track record, and operational compatibility. Prescriptive systems are beginning to go further, suggesting rebalancing triggers, capital call timing, and co-investments.
Stablecoins have grown into core infrastructure. In 2025, more than $280 billion are in circulation, with $20–30 billion transacted daily on-chain. They enable instant settlement, cross-border liquidity, and treasury innovation. Regulatory clarity in Abu Dhabi, Singapore, and Tokyo contrasts with slower progress in Washington, helping explain why so much activity is shifting offshore.
Tokenisation has passed the hype stage. Institutions are issuing money market funds, real estate portfolios, and private credit vehicles on-chain. The gains are practical: lower administrative costs, broader distribution through smaller ticket sizes, and faster trading for illiquid assets. This is infrastructure being built in real time.
The horizon ahead
The next leap is agentic AI, with autonomous systems that run due diligence, compliance checks, and risk reviews continuously. For allocators managing multiple GP relationships, moving from quarterly updates to daily agent reports is a significant change.
Quantum computing remains speculative but worth tracking. It threatens current encryption and promises breakthroughs in optimisation, with the potential to reshape risk management and portfolio construction within a decade.
Taken together, these shifts point to a simple truth: the most successful investment strategies will combine AI for discovery, stablecoins for settlement, tokenisation for distribution, and agentic systems for ongoing oversight. And the financial hubs building this infrastructure, particularly in the Middle East, are turning experiments into institutions at scale.
Next stop: Apex Invest Middle East
This conversation continues at Apex Invest Middle East in Abu Dhabi on November 23–25, 2025, at the Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island.
Capital raising in the Middle East is not transactional. It is personal. Allocators are looking for alignment, consistency, and commitment well beyond the pitch deck. Through our Apex Invest event series in Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, and Singapore, we have already facilitated thousands of focused conversations between managers and allocators representing more than $11 trillion in assets under management, from sovereign wealth funds to next-generation family offices.
Our curated events are designed to spark real conversations, build long-term relationships, and support follow-through after the meetings close. Allocators are asking the questions that matter:
- Are you building a lasting presence in the region?
- Do you share our values and governance standards?
- Will you still be here after the fundraise?
The Abu Dhabi event will provide the platform to address these questions, helping managers turn introductions into strategic partnerships.
Learn more about how the Apex Invest platform supports allocator workflows and connects managers with global capital.
