UAE broker licences are drawing a growing number of CFD firms to Dubai, with the regulator reporting an 18% year-on-year rise in licence applications in the first nine months of 2025.
The Capital Market Authority, or CMA, is the UAE’s federal markets regulator. It took that name on January 1, 2026, after Federal Decree-Laws 32 and 33 of 2025 reconstituted the Securities and Commodities Authority. However, many broker disclosures still refer to the former SCA name.
Demand for approval has increased as the regulator also automated parts of its review process to cut processing times. Meanwhile, the latest addition to the list was Kudo.com, which completed its Category 5 approval this month after starting the process in May.
Recent UAE Broker Licences Gather Pace
Several firms secured approvals in recent months. PU Prime received a Category 5 licence in February. In the same month, Finalto opened a Dubai office under its own Category 5 licence.
Empire Markets followed in March. Then Mitrade obtained its licence in April, taking its regulatory portfolio to six jurisdictions. BeeMarkets also secured a Category 5 licence at the end of April. XM had already completed its Category 5 process in late 2025 under the then-SCA. Exinity and PrimeX Capital also hold promotion-tier licences.
Most notably, XTB moved beyond the main wave of Category 5 approvals. In April, it upgraded from Category 5 to full Category 1 and Category 2 licences.
What UAE Broker Licences Allow
The licence category shapes what a broker can do in the UAE. Category 5 covers promotion and introduction. Therefore, it lets a firm market services in the country and introduce clients, often to an affiliated entity regulated elsewhere.
However, Category 5 does not allow a firm to execute trades, deal, or hold client money in the UAE. As a result, clients of a Category 5 holder still trade with an offshore or foreign-regulated entity, even if the marketing is supervised locally.
By contrast, Categories 1 and 2 cover dealing activities. The source said that makes XTB’s upgrade a much deeper regulatory commitment, with capital, staffing and operational substance requirements that do not apply to a promotion licence.
For traders, the key point is that a UAE licence can mean either a marketing permission or a full dealing authorisation. The CMA’s public register shows the licence category.
You can access our other news on brokers and global market developments here.
