Shortlist

Forex brokers for UAE traders in 2026

Most international brokers serve the UAE from one of its two financial free zones: the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), or Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), regulated by its Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA). Of the brokers we review, four have a licensed UAE company: IG, Pepperstone, XM and eToro. The licences do not all cover the same activities, so check the column on what each one allows.

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · Against the DFSA public register and each broker's UAE disclosures

UAE options side by side

Broker

UAE company

What the licence covers

IG Limited (DIFC), DFSA

IG UAE accounts are contracted with this company, and IG says client money is held in a UAE bank. IG also offers an IG International account under Bermuda rules, so choose IG UAE if you want DFSA cover.

Pepperstone

Pepperstone Financial Services (DIFC) Ltd, DFSA F004356

Endorsed for retail clients and licensed to arrange deals. Its UAE terms also ask you to accept Pepperstone's Australian terms and product disclosure, so check which company is your counterparty.

Trading Point MENA Ltd, DFSA F003484

Endorsed for retail clients, licensed to deal as principal and to hold client assets: the broadest of the three DIFC licences here.

eToro

eToro (ME) Ltd, ADGM FSRA

Abu Dhabi licence to deal in investments; eToro's copy trading and its own app rather than MetaTrader.

Leverage and retail protections

The DFSA tightened its retail CFD rules in 2021, raising minimum margins for retail clients. IG says its retail clients on the UAE account get leverage of up to 1:30, with higher limits only for clients who qualify as professional. If a broker offers you far higher leverage as a retail client, you are probably being signed up through an offshore company rather than its DIFC or ADGM one.

DIFC, ADGM and onshore UAE

The DFSA and FSRA regulate firms inside their free zones. Firms based in the rest of the UAE are regulated by the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA). Some brokers also hold an SCA licence only to introduce clients: Pepperstone's onshore company, for example, is licensed by the SCA to introduce and give general consultation, while trading happens with another group company. An introducer licence is not the same as a licence to run your account.

What about the other brokers we review?

We could not find a DFSA, FSRA or SCA-licensed UAE company for retail trading at IC Markets, Exness, Eightcap, FxPro, OANDA, FOREX.com or Interactive Brokers. Some of them accept UAE residents through offshore companies, which means no UAE regulator oversees your account.

Before you open an account

Checklist

✓Search the firm on the DFSA public register or the FSRA register yourself, and check it has a retail endorsement.

✓Make sure your client agreement names the DIFC or ADGM company, not an offshore affiliate.

✓Ask whether a swap-free account is available on the regulated entity if you need one.

✓Check whether an AED or USD base account suits your bank, to avoid conversion fees.

Sources

Researched by the Forex Awards research desk

Terms change often and can differ by country. Always confirm the figures for your entity on the broker's site before opening an account. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.