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Interactive Brokers in United Arab Emirates — review, licence and costs
Score (6 of 6 axes scored)
ranked against full-basis brokers
- Reviews25%20
- Round-turn cost20%100
- Safety20%0
- Payouts15%40
- Track record10%100
- Platforms10%0
Numbered by weight: axis 1 counts for most.
Who actually onboards you
- Entity that onboards United Arab Emirates residents
- IBKR LLC
- Local standing
- Group tier-1 regulated (SEC/FINRA US, CBI Ireland); no UAE domestic authorisation. UAE residents accepted.
- Licence as the register states it
- No local DFSA/SCA licence for retail onboarding; served under US/EU-regulated group entities.
- Leverage for this entity
- Modest DMA/margin leverage; FX up to ~1:50 (US entity) or ~1:30 (EU/IBIE). Not high-leverage CFD.
- The firm behind it
- Founded 1978 (Timber Hill); NASDAQ-listed (IBKR); large global electronic broker.
- What we hold against it
- Strong reputation, tier-1 regulated; complexity/steep learning curve on TWS noted.
Leverage by entity
The licence belongs to the firm; a leverage figure belongs to one entity. Only the entity that onboards UAE residents enters the score.
Scale from 1:10 to 1:3000, logarithmic.
Client protection
- Local entity onboards youGroup tier-1 regulated (SEC/FINRA US, CBI Ireland); no UAE domestic authorisation. UAE residents accepted.
- Regulator warning on filenone found
— means the broker does not state it in any source we captured. It is not read as “no protection” and it is not scored.
Price against the UAE market median(priced from 60 of 75)
Medians run over the 60 of 75 brokers that publish a price for United Arab Emirates, never over the whole base. A spread without its commission is not a price and is not counted.
Accounts
Account types the broker names for this country: Cash or Margin (IBKR Pro/Lite), no fixed minimum to open (margin needs USD 2, 000 for Reg T). The figures below are the broker's own and do not differ by account in any source we captured.
Swap-free account terms
Terms read from the account page on 01.10.2026. The cap on open positions is not published.
Where Interactive Brokers sits in the UAE base(75 brokers)
Round-turn cost, USD (60 of 75 priced)
Median 7 USD · range 2-35 · this broker 5 USD · 15 of 75 brokers do not publish it
Minimum deposit, USD (33 of 75 priced)
Median 50 USD · range 0-10000 · this broker 0 USD · 42 of 75 brokers do not publish it
Retail leverage (53 of 75 with a UAE figure)
Median 1:500 · range 1-5000 · this broker 1:50 · 22 of 75 brokers do not publish it
Withdrawal time published (75 brokers)
Payouts(2 methods)
| Method | Deposit, h | Fee, USD | Min, USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank wire | 24 | 0 | 50 |
| No local UAE card | 24 | 0 | 50 |
Deposit and withdrawal methods (2 methods · 0 local rails)
Bank wire;
- Bank wire
- No local UAE card
- Account currency
- Multi-currency incl. USD, EUR, GBP; AED not a standard base currency.
- Fee declared
- 2 of 2 methods
- Withdrawal back to
- the funding method
Where it does not serve(22 countries)
From the client agreement, clause 2.3. A country missing from a translated page is not read as “served”.
Platforms and markets(7 platforms)
- TWS
- IBKR Desktop
- IBKR mobile
- GlobalTrader
- client portal
- API
| Class | Count | Min spread |
|---|---|---|
| TWS | — | 0.1 |
| IBKR Desktop | — | 0.1 |
| IBKR mobile | — | 0.1 |
| GlobalTrader | — | 0.1 |
| client portal | — | 0.1 |
| API | — | 0.1 |
| Forex pairs | 100+ | — |
98 further account types are named by their brokers but publish none of these figures, so they are not in the comparison: Eightcap Standard, Eightcap Raw, Fusion Markets Classic account, Pepperstone Standard, Pepperstone no minimum deposit, Trade Nation Two live tiers - lower-leverage and 92 more.
Identical for every row: Leverage 50 UAE.
Reviews(1 platform · 25% of the score)
| Snapshot | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| 02.10.2026 | 3.4 | 5,300 |
Share of reviewers in the UAE: — The platform does not publish it.
Pros and cons(4 for and 3 against, each tied to a figure on this page)
- Round turn 5 USD on the raw + commission basis, under the United Arab Emirates median 7
- Min deposit 0 USD, under the United Arab Emirates median 50
- Round-turn cost 100 of 100, its strongest of 6 scored axes
- 6 platforms: TWS, IBKR Desktop, IBKR mobile, GlobalTrader
- No United Arab Emirates authorisation on file: the entity that onboards you is licensed elsewhere
- Withdrawal in 72 h, over the United Arab Emirates median 24
- Safety 0 of 100, its weakest of 6 scored axes
Alternatives in the UAE(6 of 75 scored in United Arab Emirates)
- Round turn, USD
- 6UAE
- Min deposit, USD
- 0UAE
- Leverage
- 500UAE
- Rank in this country
- #11
- Round turn, USD
- 4.8UAE
- Min deposit, USD
- 0 groupUAE
- Leverage
- 500UAE
- Rank in this country
- #13
- Round turn, USD
- 6UAE
- Min deposit, USD
- 10 groupUAE
- Leverage
- 3000 group
- Rank in this country
- #32
- Round turn, USD
- 6UAE
- Min deposit, USD
- 100 groupUAE
- Leverage
- 300UAE
- Rank in this country
- #43
- Round turn, USD
- 6UAE
- Min deposit, USD
- 100 groupUAE
- Leverage
- 500UAE
- Rank in this country
- #20
- Round turn, USD
- 7UAE
- Min deposit, USD
- 10 groupUAE
- Leverage
- 200UAE
- Rank in this country
- #2
"group" marks a figure the broker publishes for the group rather than for this country. It is shown because the broker states it, and it is not ranked, averaged or used to sort.
Methodology(6 axes · formula v1.0)
Score = 2 + 3 × weighted mean of six axes scored 0–100. Range 2.0–5.0. An axis without data drops out and the remaining weights are renormalised; it is never scored zero or estimated. Group-wide figures never enter a UAE score. Full methodology
| Axis | Weight | What is measured | Interactive Brokers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 25% | Rating, volume and recency on one public review platform | 20 |
| Round-turn cost | 20% | Round turn on 1 lot EURUSD: spread plus commission, against the country median | 100 |
| Safety | 20% | Local authorisation, the entity that onboards you, any regulator warning | 0 |
| Payouts | 15% | Published withdrawal time, fees and the methods available in the country | 40 |
| Track record | 10% | Years since the firm was founded, from its own filings | 100 |
| Platforms | 10% | Which trading platforms the broker confirms for this country | 0 |
FAQ
- Does Interactive Brokers accept residents of United Arab Emirates?
- Yes. Group tier-1 regulated (SEC/FINRA US, CBI Ireland); no UAE domestic authorisation. UAE residents accepted. Onboarding entity: IBKR LLC
- Is Interactive Brokers licensed to serve clients in United Arab Emirates?
- No local DFSA/SCA licence for retail onboarding; served under US/EU-regulated group entities. Checked on 09.07.2026.
- How much does one round turn cost at Interactive Brokers?
- About 5.0 USD per standard lot on EUR/USD. The median across brokers measured for United Arab Emirates is 7.0 USD.
- What leverage does Interactive Brokers offer to retail clients in United Arab Emirates?
- Up to 1:50. leverageGeo: Modest DMA/margin leverage; FX up to ~1:50 (US entity) or ~1:30 (EU/IBIE).
- Which trading platforms does Interactive Brokers support?
- TWS, IBKR Desktop, IBKR mobile, GlobalTrader, client portal, API. Instruments: Multi-asset DMA: global stocks, options, futures, spot FX, bonds, funds, some CFDs.
- How can I withdraw money from Interactive Brokers in United Arab Emirates?
- Bank wire; no local UAE card/e-wallet rails typical of CFD brokers.
- What account types does Interactive Brokers offer?
- Cash or Margin (IBKR Pro/Lite); no fixed minimum to open (margin needs USD 2,000 for Reg T).
- Does Interactive Brokers offer a swap-free (Islamic) account?
- No. Interactive Brokers publishes no swap-free (Islamic) account for United Arab Emirates.
Taxes for a UAE resident(1 rule)
- 0% personal income tax and 0% capital gains tax on individual trading profits (forex, stocks, crypto, derivatives) - as of the review (2026);https://interactivebrokers.com/en/accounts/open-account-country-list.php
Not tax advice. Check with the Federal Tax Authority.