Tell us about CAB Global Markets and the key reasons for establishing in our region
Crown Agents Bank has been a market connector, opening access to the markets, currencies and counterparties for nearly two centuries. CAB Global Markets, with our office in Abu Dhabi, is now a part of that history and network.
The Middle East sits at the intersection of global trade. Gulf capital is moving into Africa. Supply chains are binding Asia and the Middle East ever more tightly; commodity and trade corridors are connecting South America to both. Financial institutions in the Gulf are actively deploying into Africa, and the Middle East is fast becoming the aggregation point where these flows are priced, intermediated and settled.
We see this in our own book. For instance, we are structuring and intermediating cross-border flows that connect South America to the MENA region. Driven by robust oil and sugar commodity trades from Brazil and Venezuela into the Gulf. Simultaneously, we are facilitating high-volume, critical transactions linking the Middle East to Sub-Saharan Africa, enabling deep-tier supply chains and essential imports. This is exactly the calibre of complex, high-impact transaction that CAB Global Markets exists to make possible.
Abu Dhabi gives us a platform to intermediate four flows at once: Middle Eastern liquidity and institutional capital; African trade and financing demand; Asian manufacturing and payment corridors; and South American commodity and trade-linked flows. As highlighted in our strategic roadmap, the UAE is already a key origin point for over $50 billion in annual trade flows with Sub-Saharan Africa and over $60 billion in outward remittances.
Over the past decade, many global banks have retrenched from complex and higher-risk corridors, leaving a structural gap in trade finance, FX liquidity and cross-border payments. Where others have stepped back, Crown Agents Bank has spent nearly 200 years stepping in. We are uniquely placed to fill that gap.
We have built CAB Global Markets as a hub-and-spoke model with Abu Dhabi as the hub, with deep connectivity into frontier and emerging markets. By combining the bank’s heritage and network with the region’s capital base and regulatory environment, we can facilitate flows that would otherwise be difficult, inefficient or simply inaccessible.
Our commitment to the region is underscored by our regulatory standing. We are fully regulated by the FSRA in ADGM, officially launched our platform this year, and have assembled a world-class team of specialists dedicated to scaling our regional presence.
Which key characteristics or factors would you say particularly distinguish Crown Agents Bank?
We do not try to compete with traditional banks on their own ground. We operate in a different part of the financial system; one defined by access, connectivity and real-economy impact. At its core, the bank exists to deliver prosperity in the markets we serve: to ensure capital can move responsibly, securely and efficiently into parts of the world that mainstream institutions often overlook.
Most banks optimise for scale and efficiency in developed markets. We have deliberately chosen the markets where access is harder, infrastructure is thinner and risk is more complex. That is a recognition that financial exclusion at a market level has real economic consequences. By enabling FX, payments and financing, we help sustain trade and economic activity where alternatives are limited.
A few things genuinely set us apart. Impact is built into the model, not bolted on. We are a certified B Corporation and EcoVadis Platinum rated. Our activity directly supports financial inclusion and development. By financing deep-tier supply chains and enabling flows to SMEs, agricultural producers and local institutions, we help capital reach the parts of the economy that are hardest to serve, driving financial inclusion and development.
Last year, this translated into £13.6 billion in emerging market flows, £8.3 billion in fintech and corporate payments, £2.5 billion in development aid flows, and £623 million in trade finance, supporting the movement of capital into markets and sectors that are typically underserved by global financial institutions.
The result is twofold: commercially viable transactions and measurable impact. This is a combination that aligns increasingly well with institutional capital seeking both yield and purpose.
We connect across the whole ecosystem at once. Very few institutions sit across all four layers of the market simultaneously: governments and central banks; commercial financial institutions; development finance institutions and multilaterals; and corporates and non-bank financial institutions.
That breadth allows us to act as a true conduit between capital providers and the real economy, rather than serving a single slice of the market. It is the clearest expression of what it means to be a market connector. Our Originate-to-Distribute model is a core advantage; we originate assets on our balance sheet and distribute risk, providing institutional investors access to a proprietary deal flow unavailable through public markets.
Operating in underserved markets demands a different approach to risk. Rather than avoiding complexity, we are structured to understand, price and manage it, backed by robust governance, strong risk frameworks and ESG considerations integrated into credit, counterparty and country decisions. In short, ee are built to manage complexity, not avoid it.
We are regulated across multiple jurisdictions, CAB Global Markets is licensed and regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA). In the UK, we are authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and PRA; in Europe, under CAB Europe B.V., we are authorised by the Dutch Central Bank; and CAB Americas is a representative office of Crown Agents Bank. Inclusion is never pursued at the expense of control.
We hold strict financial crime, conduct and governance standards; our activity supports sustainable outcomes without exposing vulnerable markets to undue risk. In an industry usually defined by scale and efficiency, we are defined instead by access and impact, making sure capital reaches the markets where it can make the greatest difference.
In terms of products, services and heritage, what will Crown Agents Bank bring to our region?
Crown Agents Bank traces its origins back to 1833. It is a business that has been built over generations of connecting governments, institutions and trade across the markets that others found too difficult. None of our fintech competitors can manufacture that lineage and it is the foundation of the trust we bring to this region.
We offer a fully integrated cross-border capability, built on four pillars: payments and FX liquidity across developed, emerging and frontier currencies; trade finance and structured solutions, particularly for financial institutions and corporates; credit provision tailored to complex markets and counterparties; and investment structuring and connectivity that links capital to opportunity.
Crucially, these are delivered across interconnected corridors rather than single markets. For example, Africa-Middle East trade and FX flows where correspondent access is limited; Middle East-Asia supply chains around manufacturing and commodities; and South America-Middle East and Asia flows linked to commodities, agriculture and energy.
For example, we are facilitating Africa-Middle East trade and FX flows where correspondent access is limited; Middle East and Asia supply chains around manufacturing; and South America-Middle East flows linked to commodities like Brazilian sugar and Venezuelan oil.
These corridors are increasingly interlinked, with the Middle East as the central aggregation point, and CAB Global Market’s role is to move capital and liquidity across them efficiently and securely. We deliver this through a hybrid model: a local presence in Abu Dhabi for client engagement and origination, connected to a global platform for execution, liquidity and risk management, and a combination of digital infrastructure and specialist teams. Clients reach complex cross-border solutions through a single, integrated platform.
The real promise is this: we are built to be an enduring partner. We are here for the long term, through thick and thin. Our clients can count on us to deliver, even in times of turmoil. That is what over a century of operating in difficult markets teaches us to do.
Tell us about EMpower FX and EMPower Payments and what needs or challenges led to their development
Our EMPower platform answers one of the most persistent problems in cross-border finance: the inefficiency and fragmentation of accessing liquidity across multiple markets and currencies.
Historically, transacting across emerging markets has meant manual processes, opaque pricing and multiple intermediaries, which means delays, rising costs and a lack of transparency for clients. EMpower is a technology-enabled interface for accessing FX liquidity and executing transactions in real time. It connects users directly to pricing and execution, cutting reliance on manual workflows.
Its benefits are tangible: real-time pricing and execution for genuine transparency; reduced friction across multiple currencies; scalability for higher volumes and flexibility. Today, clients can seamlessly access more than 124 currencies and 800+ currency pairs through a single, intuitive interface, executing high-volume, time-sensitive disbursements with unprecedented efficiency.
Its true value lies in what sits behind it. In complex corridors, such as African currencies, Asian settlement routes and South American flows, technology alone is not enough. The EMpower platform combines digital execution efficiency with access to deep liquidity pools and underlying risk and structuring expertise. Clients can move money with total confidence with the speed of a platform and with the judgement of specialists behind every transaction.
Technology and AI are key to the advancement of cross-border payments, but what issues or difficulties can it not manage without specialist services?
Technology and AI are critical enablers for automating processes, improving data transparency and reducing transaction timelines. But in emerging and interconnected corridors, there are clear limits to what they can do alone.
The first is multi-jurisdictional complexity. Transactions spanning Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America cross different regulatory regimes, settlement infrastructures and market practices. These cannot be navigated by automation alone. The second is liquidity and market-making: technology can provide an access point, but the underlying liquidity in frontier currencies requires active management, relationships and balance-sheet deployment.
The third is structuring and risk: complex trade finance, cross-currency flows and multi-leg settlements need bespoke structuring built on human expertise. And the fourth is execution certainty. In markets with uneven infrastructure, making sure funds actually settle and arrive as expected takes more than code.
Technology should be an accelerator, not a replacement. This is exactly where being proven experts matters. The corridors where automation breaks down are the ones we have spent decades learning. The most effective model combines digital efficiency, deep market expertise and strong institutional risk frameworks so clients get both speed and reliability. That is the model Crown Agents Bank is built on.
What are Crown Agents Global Markets’ plans or aspirations in the medium to long term for business in and around our region?
Our ambition is to establish Abu Dhabi as a global hub for cross-border flows into emerging markets, with multi-directional connectivity at its heart.
In the medium term, we are focused on building deep institutional relationships across the Middle East, scaling volumes through our key corridors, Africa-facing flows in particular, and expanding connectivity into Asia and the Americas as trade patterns evolve. Our phased growth model is designed to migrate client activity locally, deepen wallet share, and scale transaction volumes, capturing a disproportionate share of growth in emerging market financial flows.
Over time, we intend to grow into a fully scaled regional platform: local booking capability, deeper balance-sheet deployment, an expanded product set in trade finance and structured solutions, and closer integration with global capital providers.
A specific priority is multi-corridor connectivity, the ability to facilitate flows not just between two regions, but across entire trade ecosystems, with the Gulf as the coordinating point. Over the next 12 months, we aim to significantly expand our South-South trade facilitation, specifically targeting the $100bn+ bilateral trade corridor between the Gulf and Africa, while simultaneously launching bespoke structured credit solutions for regional
institutions.
Ultimately, the vision is to position Crown Agents Global Markets as a leading institutional platform at the heart of global trade; enabling the efficient, scalable and secure movement of capital across the regions shaping the next phase of growth. We measure success not only by the volumes we move, but ensuring that capital gets to where it is needed. In the end, this is all in service of one purpose: to deliver prosperity in the markets we serve.
