Best trading apps & platforms in the United Arab Emirates

Pick what you want to trade. Each list shows only companies allowed to serve people living in the United Arab Emirates. Local regulators: DFSA, CMA (UAE), FSRA (ADGM), VARA.

بالعربية: منصات عقود الفروقات · تداول الفوركس · تداول الأسهم · العملات الرقمية · الذهب والسلع · تعلّم التداول

Forex brokers11 licensed providers

Top pickIG76See the ranking CFD brokers12 licensed providers

Top pickIG76See the ranking Stock brokers & investing apps6 licensed providers

Top pickSaxo75See the ranking Crypto exchanges5 licensed providers

Top pickCrypto.com77See the ranking Gold & commodities13 licensed providers

Top pickIG76See the ranking

What’s allowed in the United Arab Emirates

Taken from the regulators. Coinish only links to providers whose company is allowed to serve United Arab Emirates residents.

Market	Status	What it means for you
Forex	Local licence required	Providers need a UAE licence: the Capital Market Authority (formerly SCA) onshore, or the DFSA (Dubai's DIFC) / FSRA (Abu Dhabi's ADGM) in the financial free zones. An offshore entity introduced by a UAE-licensed firm is not itself UAE-licensed. Regulator sources (2) “No individual may engage in any financial activity specified under Clause (1) of this Article within the State unless they obtain a license or approval from the authority” uaecma.gov.ae · Oct 6, 2026 “Renaming the Securities and Commodities Authority as the Capital Market Authority” uaecma.gov.ae · Oct 5, 2026
CFDs	Local licence required	Providers need a UAE licence: the Capital Market Authority (formerly SCA) onshore, or the DFSA (Dubai's DIFC) / FSRA (Abu Dhabi's ADGM) in the financial free zones. An offshore entity introduced by a UAE-licensed firm is not itself UAE-licensed. Regulator sources (2) “No individual may engage in any financial activity specified under Clause (1) of this Article within the State unless they obtain a license or approval from the authority” uaecma.gov.ae · Oct 6, 2026 “Renaming the Securities and Commodities Authority as the Capital Market Authority” uaecma.gov.ae · Oct 5, 2026
Stocks and ETFs	Local licence required	Providers need a UAE licence: the Capital Market Authority (formerly SCA) onshore, or the DFSA (Dubai's DIFC) / FSRA (Abu Dhabi's ADGM) in the financial free zones. An offshore entity introduced by a UAE-licensed firm is not itself UAE-licensed. Regulator sources (2) “No individual may engage in any financial activity specified under Clause (1) of this Article within the State unless they obtain a license or approval from the authority” uaecma.gov.ae · Oct 6, 2026 “Renaming the Securities and Commodities Authority as the Capital Market Authority” uaecma.gov.ae · Oct 5, 2026
Crypto	Local licence required	In Dubai (outside the DIFC) crypto platforms must hold a VARA licence; unlicensed platforms may not onboard Dubai residents. Elsewhere in the UAE the Capital Market Authority licenses virtual-asset services. Regulator sources (3) “Only entities licensed by VARA are authorised to operate and offer virtual asset services within Dubai” vara.ae · Oct 6, 2026 “No VA activity is 'exempt' from regulatory supervision; as such any VA service or activity requires a VARA licence, registration or No Objection Certificate [NOC]” vara.ae · Oct 6, 2026 “The move aims to ensure that all companies that provide products and services related to the Virtual Assets sector in the country are fully regulated” vara.ae · Oct 5, 2026

Market

Status

What it means for you

Forex

Local licence required

Providers need a UAE licence: the Capital Market Authority (formerly SCA) onshore, or the DFSA (Dubai's DIFC) / FSRA (Abu Dhabi's ADGM) in the financial free zones. An offshore entity introduced by a UAE-licensed firm is not itself UAE-licensed.

Regulator sources (2)

“No individual may engage in any financial activity specified under Clause (1) of this Article within the State unless they obtain a license or approval from the authority”
uaecma.gov.ae · Oct 6, 2026
“Renaming the Securities and Commodities Authority as the Capital Market Authority”
uaecma.gov.ae · Oct 5, 2026

CFDs

Local licence required

Regulator sources (2)

“No individual may engage in any financial activity specified under Clause (1) of this Article within the State unless they obtain a license or approval from the authority”
uaecma.gov.ae · Oct 6, 2026
“Renaming the Securities and Commodities Authority as the Capital Market Authority”
uaecma.gov.ae · Oct 5, 2026

Stocks and ETFs

Local licence required

Regulator sources (2)

“No individual may engage in any financial activity specified under Clause (1) of this Article within the State unless they obtain a license or approval from the authority”
uaecma.gov.ae · Oct 6, 2026
“Renaming the Securities and Commodities Authority as the Capital Market Authority”
uaecma.gov.ae · Oct 5, 2026

Crypto

Local licence required

In Dubai (outside the DIFC) crypto platforms must hold a VARA licence; unlicensed platforms may not onboard Dubai residents. Elsewhere in the UAE the Capital Market Authority licenses virtual-asset services.

Regulator sources (3)

“Only entities licensed by VARA are authorised to operate and offer virtual asset services within Dubai”
vara.ae · Oct 6, 2026
“No VA activity is 'exempt' from regulatory supervision; as such any VA service or activity requires a VARA licence, registration or No Objection Certificate [NOC]”
vara.ae · Oct 6, 2026
“The move aims to ensure that all companies that provide products and services related to the Virtual Assets sector in the country are fully regulated”
vara.ae · Oct 5, 2026

Good to know

TaxThe UAE does not levy income tax on individuals.u.ae

Check before you sign upSearch the company's name on the DFSA register before you open an account.dfsa.ae

Top trading apps in the United Arab Emirates

Ordered by their best Coinish Score here. We count an app only when the store listing is published by the broker’s own company. The app is the same worldwide; the company that opens your account depends on where you live.

Crypto · 77

Forex, CFDs · 76

Forex, CFDs, Stocks · 76

iOS ↗Android ↗

eToro

CFDs, Stocks, Crypto · 72

Crypto · 71

Forex, CFDs, Stocks · 69

iOS ↗Android ↗

See every trading app (16 for United Arab Emirates)

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.