Korea-UAE financial cooperation takes shape through ADIO, ADGM partnerships

Hanwha Life to collaborate on digital finance and capital markets

Hanwha Asset Management joins stablecoin and financial infrastructure pact

Hanwha Financial deepens Abu Dhabi network

Officials from Hanwha Financial, the UAE and ADGM pose for a photo marking their partnership at the Abu Dhabi Investment Forum in Seoul on Wednesday. [Hanwha Life Insurance]
Officials from Hanwha Financial, the UAE and ADGM pose for a photo marking their partnership at the Abu Dhabi Investment Forum in Seoul on Wednesday. [Hanwha Life Insurance]

Hanwha Life Insurance, Hanwha General Insurance, Hanwha Investment & Securities and Hanwha Asset Management announced Friday that they are expanding financial cooperation with Abu Dhabi in the UAE.

The Hanwha financial affiliates signed partnership agreements with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) at the Abu Dhabi Investment Forum Seoul (ADIF Seoul), held Wednesday at the JW Marriott Hotel Seoul.

Attendees included Hanwha Life Insurance Vice Chairman Kwon Hyuk-woong, Executive Vice President Kim Dong-wook of the global strategy division, Hanwha Asset Management CEO Im Dong-jun and Senior Managing Director Baek Seung-pil of the digital innovation division. On the Abu Dhabi side, H.E. Shamis Ali Al Dhaheri, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Community Development and second vice chairman of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, ADIO Director General H.E. Badr Al-Olama, and ADIO Head of Financial Services Fatima Al Hammadi also attended.

Hanwha Life Insurance signed a partnership with ADIO focused on digital finance cooperation. The two sides will pursue collaboration in three areas: building a digital finance ecosystem, connecting the financial and capital markets of South Korea and Abu Dhabi, and advancing digital banking and financial innovation.

Hanwha Asset Management entered a three-way stablecoin and financial infrastructure partnership with ADGM and Hana Financial Group. The parties will work to expand cross-border payment and remittance solutions between South Korea and Abu Dhabi and support the growth of a sustainable, interoperable digital asset ecosystem.

At the broader Hanwha Financial level, the group also signed a partnership with ADGM for Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW) 2026.

Earlier, at ADFW 2025 last December, Hanwha Financial had identified co-investment in real assets, supply chain finance, cross-border payment infrastructure and digital asset platforms as priority areas for future financial cooperation between South Korea and the UAE. The group plans to build on the Abu Dhabi financial network established at ADFW 2025 and continue strengthening its ties with the Middle East financial market.

Fatima Al Hammadi of ADIO, which organized the forum, said South Korea is a key partner market for Abu Dhabi given its strong innovation capabilities and growth potential in finance, digital technology and related sectors. "Hanwha Financial brings experience in Asian financial markets, global business capabilities and digital finance innovation, and we hope this partnership will lead to meaningful cooperation including joint investment and new business development," she said.

Hanwha Life Insurance Vice Chairman Kwon said the group would translate the agreement into concrete business opportunities with Abu Dhabi. "We will use this as a foundation to further strengthen Hanwha Life Insurance's position as a financial company leading the global market," he said.

Hanwha Asset Management CEO Im said Abu Dhabi has the potential to serve as a powerful launchpad for global financial and digital asset companies. "Through this agreement, we aim to contribute to building a stable and interoperable digital asset market and to establishing ourselves as an asset manager that helps Abu Dhabi grow into a hub of the global financial ecosystem," he said.

ADIF is an investment forum designed to introduce Abu Dhabi's investment environment and future growth industries to global markets and to forge long-term investment and business partnerships with major companies and investors. Key corporate and investment figures from South Korea and Abu Dhabi attended to discuss investment and new business cooperation between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Hana Financial Group, which joined the three-way agreement, has been among the most active banks in the stablecoin space — forming a won-denominated stablecoin consortium with BNK Financial Group and iM Financial earlier this year and partnering with Dunamu as well. With the National Assembly expected to soon introduce a ruling party-government integrated bill on a basic digital asset law that would provide the legal basis for issuing won-denominated stablecoins, attention is turning to whether Hanwha Asset Management's digital asset capabilities and Hana Financial's payment and foreign exchange infrastructure can combine with Abu Dhabi's local network to deliver real-world remittance and payment services once a regulatory regime is in place.


won@heraldcorp.com