RIQ and ADNOC Forge $500M AI-Driven Reinsurance Pact in Abu Dhabi

Malaz Madani

Last updated 3-09-2025

3 min

RIQ partners with ADNOC to inject $500 million into reinsurance over the next decade.

Based in Abu Dhabi Global Market, RIQ uses AI to tackle complex risk scenarios.

The joint venture aims for $1 billion in premiums, leveraging technology and capital.

RIQ navigates regulatory approval to achieve $10 billion in coverage annually.

Abu Dhabi emerges as a formidable player in global finance through strategic partnerships.

There’s no denying Abu Dhabi is quickly becoming a hive of bold movements in global finance and risk management. The latest example comes as RIQ, an AI-powered reinsurance outfit set up earlier this year by International Holding Company (IHC) alongside heavyweights like BlackRock and Lunate, signed a major collaboration agreement with energy giant ADNOC. The pair are aiming to channel more than $500 million into risk coverage over the next decade—no small potatoes by any measure.

RIQ, making its base in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), seems determined to shake things up. Their approach leans hard on data modelling and AI-backed analytics—a proper marriage of tech smarts and insurance savvy. Instead of sticking with the old-school ways, they’re targeting complex risk scenarios, including operational hiccups and those trickier, climate-related gremlins.

Here at Arageek, we’ve always kept our eyes peeled for where technology meets real-world industry, and to be honest, watching Abu Dhabi lay the groundwork for a reinsurance hub—on a scale that rivals anything in New York or London—is fascinating. It’s the sort of ambition that echoes across the region and, believe it or not, brings a flicker of excitement to anyone keen on innovation.

What’s particularly striking is the momentum gathering behind RIQ. With its partnership with IHC and now ADNOC, they’re mapping a path towards $1 billion in reinsurance premiums flowing through their platform over the coming years. Mark Wilson, who steers the ship at RIQ, was quoted as saying the alliance melds “cutting-edge technology, strategic capital, and domain expertise”—a real triple threat if ever there was one. On the flip side, Ahmad Khalfan Al Mansoori from ADNOC Re. pointed out that “tailoring reinsurance solutions to evolving industrial and climate risks” will help strengthen ADNOC’s resilience in an ever-turbulent energy landscape.

RIQ is still making its way through regulatory hoops for formal authorisation as a reinsurer in Abu Dhabi. It’s a bit of a faff, but if all ticks along smoothly, their end game is to be writing up to $10 billion of coverage a year—not too shabby for a firm only just out of the starting blocks.

Of course, it’s early days. There’s talk of more strategic updates as RIQ presses on with expansion and further deals. I reckon you have to admire the sheer scale of this vision—even if insurance isn’t always everyone’s cup of tea. That said, any push which helps local companies future-proof themselves against a world of risk is, in my book, spot on.

On a personal note, having seen a fair few fintechs and insurtechs try to disrupt big industries—sometimes ending up in a right pickle—it’s refreshing when partnerships like this actually stitch together finance, technology, and local ambition. Abu Dhabi’s climb as a global player rings loud and clear with moves like these. And, well… even if reinsurance makes some people’s eyes glaze over, for the region’s founders and innovators dreaming big, this is exactly the sort of backing they need to take on the world, typo and all.

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