A local licence or an offshore one: the difference

A broker can take clients in United Arab Emirates in two ways: through a company licensed by the SCA here, or through a company licensed somewhere else. Both happen, and the second is not the same as being unregulated.

What changes is where you stand if something goes wrong. A locally licensed entity is answerable to the SCA and to the complaint route that comes with it; an offshore entity is answerable to its own regulator, in its own jurisdiction, under its own compensation rules - which may be generous, limited, or absent.

The ten below hold a local licence. The brokers that do not are not hidden: they have their own page, because the question a reader asks is usually about one named firm.

Licensed in United Arab Emirates, or not (74 of 75)

42Local licence

32Offshore

Affiliate links: we earn a commission; it never changes scores or order. CFDs are high-risk and leverage can lose you money rapidly.

Key facts (41 of 75 counts · 72 brokers onboarding UAE residents)

41of 75

qualify for this ranking

55% of 75

23of 41

scored on all six axes

56% of 41

60of 75

publish a price

80% of 75

53of 75

publish a leverage figure for this country

71% of 75

Top 3 (of 3 ranked)

1GO Markets4.47highest score of the three · locally licensed · withdrawal in 24 h 2Pepperstone4.38locally licensed 3HYCM4.38cheapest priced of the three · locally licensed · withdrawal in 24 h

A local licence or an offshore one: the difference (41 of 75)

By slice score, formula v1.0. · 41 of 72 brokers in this ranking · all 41

#	Broker	Round turn, USDUAE	Min deposit, USDUAE	Leverage	Withdrawal, hUAE	Score	Execution	Founded	Funding
1	CFI	—	100	500 groupUAE	24	4.62	ECN/raw + standard	1998	3 methods · local
2	HFM	6	0 AED	2000UAE	24	4.48	ECN/raw + standard	2010	4 methods · local
3	GO Markets	6	200	50UAE	24	4.47	ECN/raw + standard	2006	2 methods
4	Exinity	4	10000	—stated, not verified	24	4.46	ECN/raw + standard	2020	—
5	Capital.com	—	20	200UAE	24	4.39	—	2016	3 methods · local
6	Pepperstone	7	10 group	200UAE	48	4.38	ECN/raw + standard	2010	6 methods · local
7	HYCM	5	100 group	50UAE	24	4.38	ECN/raw + standard	1977	4 methods
8	Shuaa Capital	—	—	—stated, not verified	—	4.33	—	1979	2 methods · local
9	AvaTrade	9	100 group	400 groupUAE	48	4.33	Standard	2006	3 methods · local
10	Axi	7	5 group	30UAE	48	4.31	ECN/raw + standard	2007	3 methods
11	BHM Capital	—	—	—stated, not verified	—	4.27	—	2006	2 methods · local
12	StashAway	—	0	—stated, not verified	—	4.26	—	2016	1 methods · local
13	MultiBank Group	15	50	500UAE	48	4.22	ECN/raw + standard	2005	5 methods · local
14	ADCB Securities	—	—	—stated, not verified	—	4.22	—	2005	2 methods · local
15	XM	7	5	30UAE	24	4.21	ECN/raw + standard	2009	5 methods · local
16	Mitrade	6	20	200UAE	24	4.21	Standard	2011	5 methods · local
17	Eightcap	7	100 group	500UAE	48	4.12	ECN/raw + standard	2009	5 methods
18	CMC Markets	—	0	30UAE	48	4.12	ECN/raw + standard	1989	2 methods
19	Swissquote	16	1000	100UAE	24	4.1	ECN/raw + standard	1996	2 methods
20	Wio Invest	—	1	—stated, not verified	—	4.06	—	—	2 methods · local
21	STARTRADER	4	50 group	1000UAE	24	4.05	ECN/raw + standard	2019	4 methods
22	VT Markets	6	50	1000 groupUAE	72	4.05	ECN/raw + standard	2015	4 methods · local
23	Daman Markets	17	250	500UAE	48	4.02	ECN/raw + standard	1998	2 methods · local
24	Plus500	6	10	300UAE	72	4.01	Standard	2008	3 methods · local
25	Amana Capital	7	50	100UAE	24	3.97	ECN/raw + standard	2011	4 methods · local
26	Menacorp Financial Services	—	—	—stated, not verified	—	3.96	—	2005	1 methods · local
27	Equiti	7	0 group	500 groupUAE	24	3.92	ECN/raw + standard	2008	3 methods · local
28	Vantage	6	50 group	500UAE	168	3.9	ECN/raw + standard	2009	5 methods · local
29	FXTM	4	10 group	3000 groupUAE	24	3.88	ECN/raw + standard	2011	1 methods · local
30	XTB	9	0	30UAE	72	3.8	ECN/raw + standard	2002	3 methods · local
31	ATFX	7	500 group	30UAE	72	3.79	ECN/raw + standard	2017	3 methods · local
32	eToro	10	50	30UAE	240	3.71	Standard	2007	5 methods
33	Saxo Bank	7	0 group	30UAE	120	3.7	Standard	1992	2 methods
34	ADSS	14	100	500UAE	120	3.64	Standard	2011	2 methods · local
35	IG Markets	13.6	0	30UAE	120	3.61	ECN/raw + standard	1974	3 methods · local
36	Sarwa	—	500	—stated, not verified	48	3.6	—	2017	2 methods · local
37	Baraka	—	—	—stated, not verified	72	3.6	—	2020	3 methods · local
38	Century Financial	12	—	—stated, not verified	—	3.59	Standard	1989	2 methods · local
39	FAB Securities	—	2000	1UAE	48	3.22	—	—	2 methods · local
40	Daman Securities	35	250 group	500 groupUAE	—	3.2	ECN/raw + standard	2014	2 methods · local
41	Al Ramz Capital	—	0	—stated, not verified	—	—	—	1998	2 methods · local

Ten are shown; the button opens the rest.

"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.

— the broker does not publish this figure; it is not read as a zero and it is not scored.

Eightcap publishes a retail leverage of 1:500 without naming the entity that grants it, so the figure is marked group and left out of the leverage ranking and median.

The ten above illustrate the term. SCA-regulated brokers in United Arab Emirates lists every broker that qualifies, with the figure each one publishes.

Identical for every row, so it is stated once: Who onboards Local · SCA · Swap-free fee none, no limit · AED account Yes.

1. GO Markets — highest score of the three · locally licensed · withdrawal in 24 h (score 4.47)

Round turn: 6 USD
AED account: AUD/USD/EUR/GBP; local AED account not verified at review.
Leverage: 50UAE
Accepts residents: yes
Onboarding entity: GO Markets MENA DMCC
Founded: 2006
Register: https://financemagnates.com · 09.07.2026
Group leverage: localgroup
Instruments: Margin FX, CFDs, commodities/DGCX products; crypto per approvals.
Platforms: MT5cTraderWebTradingView
Funding: Cards, bank wire; AED-specific rails not verified at review.
Not served: United States, Canada, Belgium, Ukraine, Israel

Reviews25%65
Round-turn cost20%95
Safety90
Payouts15%80
Track record10%100
Platforms70

Why it ranks here

Round turn 6 USD against the slice median 7 USD. strongest axis track record 100 of 100. total score 4.47.

Watch for

Payouts axis 58 of 100; e-wallet times not published.

Full review of GO Markets

2. Pepperstone — locally licensed (score 4.38)

Round turn: 7 USD
Withdrawal: Up to 2 business days
AED account: 10 base currencies (AUD, USD, JPY, GBP, EUR, CAD, CHF, NZD, SGD, HKD); no local-currency accounts.
Leverage: 200UAE
Licence: SCA F004356
Accepts residents: yes
Onboarding entity: UAE retail clients are onboarded onshore under the UAE Securities & Commodities Authority (SCA/CMA) entity; DFSA (DIFC) entity serves professional clients.
Founded: 2010
Register: https://pepperstone.com/en/about-us · 09.07.2026
Group leverage: local
Instruments: 1,200+ instruments: 90+ forex pairs, indices, commodities/metals, share CFDs, ETFs and crypto CFDs.
Platforms: MT5MT4Web
Funding: AED via local bank transfer (fee-free), Visa/Mastercard, Skrill, Neteller and PayPal.
Not served: United States, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Belgium, France, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Sudan

Why it ranks here

Round turn 7 USD against the slice median 7 USD. strongest axis safety 100 of 100. total score 4.38.

Watch for

Min deposit 200 USD, double the UAE median of 50; withdrawal time not published.

Full review of Pepperstone

3. HYCM — cheapest priced of the three · locally licensed · withdrawal in 24 h (score 4.38)

Round turn: 5 USD
Withdrawal: 1 working day
AED account: USD, EUR, GBP; local AED account not verified at review.
Leverage: 50UAE
Licence: F000048
Accepts residents: yes
Onboarding entity: UAE clients served by locally-licensed Henyep Capital Markets (DIFC) Ltd; retail also onboarded via offshore HYCM Ltd (Cayman).
Founded: 1977
Register: https://hycm.com · 09.07.2026
Group leverage: offshoregroup
Instruments: FX (~60+ pairs), indices, commodities, shares, crypto CFDs.
Platforms: MT5WebMobile
Funding: Visa/Mastercard, bank wire, Skrill, Neteller; local UAE rails not verified at review.
Not served: Afghanistan, Belgium, Hong Kong, United States

Why it ranks here

Round turn 5 USD against the slice median 7 USD. strongest axis round-turn cost 100 of 100. total score 4.38.

Watch for

Onboards UAE residents through an offshore entity: no SCA licence, no SCA complaints route, no AED account.

Full review of HYCM

What the data shows(41 of 75 distributions · 72 brokers)

Swap-free availability (41 of 75 brokers)

Offered30Not offered14

Admin fee after the free period (41 of 75 swap-free)

Never16After 3–30 days9not published5

Who onboards UAE residents (41 of 75 brokers)

Local SCA entity20Offshore entity24

AED account (41 of 75 brokers)

Yes16No23not published5

Who grants the leverage figure (63 of 75)

10Local entity

26Offshore entity

27Not stated

Full list(41 of 75)

1CFI4.62
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Min deposit, USD
100
Leverage
500 groupUAE
AED
Yes
2HFM4.48
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
6
Min deposit, USD
0 AED
Leverage
2000UAE
AED
Yes
3GO Markets4.47
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
6
Min deposit, USD
200
Leverage
50UAE
AED
Yes
4Exinity4.46
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
4
Min deposit, USD
10000
AED
Yes
5Capital.com4.39
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Min deposit, USD
20
Leverage
200UAE
AED
Yes
6Pepperstone4.38
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
7
Min deposit, USD
10 group
Leverage
200UAE
AED
Yes
7HYCM4.38
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
5
Min deposit, USD
100 group
Leverage
50UAE
AED
Yes
8Shuaa Capital4.33
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
AED
Yes
9AvaTrade4.33
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
9
Min deposit, USD
100 group
Leverage
400 groupUAE
AED
Yes
10Axi4.31
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
7
Min deposit, USD
5 group
Leverage
30UAE
AED
Yes
11BHM Capital4.27
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
AED
Yes
12StashAway4.26
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Min deposit, USD
0
AED
Yes
13MultiBank Group4.22
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
15
Min deposit, USD
50
Leverage
500UAE
AED
Yes
14ADCB Securities4.22
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
AED
Yes
15XM4.21
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
7
Min deposit, USD
5
Leverage
30UAE
AED
Yes
16Mitrade4.21
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
6
Min deposit, USD
20
Leverage
200UAE
AED
Yes
17Eightcap4.12
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
7
Min deposit, USD
100 group
Leverage
500UAE
AED
Yes
18CMC Markets4.12
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Min deposit, USD
0
Leverage
30UAE
AED
Yes
19Swissquote4.1
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
16
Min deposit, USD
1000
Leverage
100UAE
AED
Yes
20Wio Invest4.06
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Min deposit, USD
1
AED
Yes
21STARTRADER4.05
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
4
Min deposit, USD
50 group
Leverage
1000UAE
AED
Yes
22VT Markets4.05
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
6
Min deposit, USD
50
Leverage
1000 groupUAE
AED
Yes
23Daman Markets4.02
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
17
Min deposit, USD
250
Leverage
500UAE
AED
Yes
24Plus5004.01
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
6
Min deposit, USD
10
Leverage
300UAE
AED
Yes
25Amana Capital3.97
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
7
Min deposit, USD
50
Leverage
100UAE
AED
Yes
26Menacorp Financial Services3.96
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
AED
Yes
27Equiti3.92
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
7
Min deposit, USD
0 group
Leverage
500 groupUAE
AED
Yes
28Vantage3.9
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
6
Min deposit, USD
50 group
Leverage
500UAE
AED
Yes
29FXTM3.88
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
4
Min deposit, USD
10 group
Leverage
3000 groupUAE
AED
Yes
30XTB3.8
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
9
Min deposit, USD
0
Leverage
30UAE
AED
Yes
31ATFX3.79
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
7
Min deposit, USD
500 group
Leverage
30UAE
AED
Yes
32eToro3.71
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
10
Min deposit, USD
50
Leverage
30UAE
AED
Yes
33Saxo Bank3.7
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
7
Min deposit, USD
0 group
Leverage
30UAE
AED
Yes
34ADSS3.64
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
14
Min deposit, USD
100
Leverage
500UAE
AED
Yes
35IG Markets3.61
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
13.6
Min deposit, USD
0
Leverage
30UAE
AED
Yes
36Sarwa3.6
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Min deposit, USD
500
AED
Yes
37Baraka3.6
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
AED
Yes
38Century Financial3.59
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
12
AED
Yes
39FAB Securities3.22
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Min deposit, USD
2000
Leverage
1UAE
AED
Yes
40Daman Securities3.2
Onboards
Local · SCA
Swap-free
none, no limit
Round turn, USD
35
Min deposit, USD
250 group
Leverage
500 groupUAE
AED
Yes

How to read the ten below

Start with the figure this page ranks on.
Every row here is ordered by computed score, highest first; unscored brokers follow. A broker that publishes no figure is shown without one rather than guessed at.
Check which company would onboard you.
The same brand can take a resident of United Arab Emirates through a locally licensed entity or an offshore one, and the leverage cap, the complaint route and the protection all follow the entity, not the brand.
Read the cost beside the deposit.
The median round turn across this country is 7.0 USD and the median minimum deposit 50.0 USD; a low deposit beside a wide spread takes the difference back on every trade.

Neighbouring slices(6 rankings · 5 explainers)

Same country

Explained

FAQ

How many brokers qualify for this ranking in United Arab Emirates?: 41 of 75 brokers measured for this country qualify.
Which broker leads it, and on what basis?: GO Markets leads it with a score of 4.47. The order is computed score, highest first; unscored brokers follow.
What does a trade typically cost here?: The median round turn - spread plus commission for one standard lot, in and out - is 7.0 USD across the brokers that publish both parts.
Why do some rows show a dash instead of a figure?: Because the broker does not publish that figure for this country. A dash is a statement about what is published, and a figure is never filled in from a group-wide page as if it applied locally.
Why are only ten brokers shown here?: This page explains the term; the ten illustrate it. The full ranking lists 41 of 75 and is one click away.

How this slice is scored

Slice score = 2 + 3 × weighted mean of the six axes; the swap-free fee and availability feed price and reliability. A missing axis drops out and weights are renormalised; group-wide figures never enter. Full methodology

Verified · What changed · Sources(41 of 75 broker records)

Verified01.10.2026

data re-captured 28.09.2026

Risk warning and affiliate disclosure

CFDs are complex instruments with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. A swap-free account removes overnight interest, not market risk. We earn a commission on some links; paid rows are marked and never ranked first.