By the Economies.com editorial desk · UAE CFD brokers · Last verified 25 October 2026 against Capital.com’s UAE site and MENA help centre, and each competitor’s own UAE pages and regulatory disclosures. Capital.com spreads are those on its UAE market pages at the 23 October 2026 close; they move with the market.
The short answer
Capital.com is our pick for the best CFD broker in UAE for 2026. Its UAE company, Capital Com MENA Securities Trading L.L.C. in Dubai, holds an onshore dealing licence from the Capital Market Authority (CMA). It adds an 80 AED minimum deposit, Lean bank transfers and swap-free accounts.
Capital.com is the best CFD broker in UAE in our 2026 review, because its UAE company holds a CMA licence to deal with clients directly, and pairs it with no commission, AED funding and swap-free accounts. Few brokers hold that onshore licence: in our 23 October 2026 check, ADSS (CMA 305027) and XTB (CMA 20200000405) were the others. IG, Pepperstone, Plus500, eToro and AvaTrade serve UAE clients through the DFSA in Dubai, the FSRA in Abu Dhabi or an offshore company.
That is not a verdict that free-zone regulation is weaker. It means Capital.com’s UAE clients contract with a Dubai company supervised by the federal markets regulator, under a licence category that covers dealing.
Our #1 pick1. Capital.com: best CFD broker in the UAE overall
Capital Com MENA Securities Trading L.L.C. is licensed by the CMA (20200000176) as an execution-only dealer, based in Jumeirah Emirates Towers. UAE clients trade CFDs on forex, indices, commodities, shares and crypto with no commission.
Best for: UAE residents who want an onshore CMA-licensed account with AED funding and swap-free trading.
2. IG: the most markets, through two entities
IG Limited in the DIFC is authorised by the DFSA (F001780), but that licence covers arranging, custody and matched-principal dealing. IG’s UAE site says CFD leverage of up to 1:200 comes with an IG International account, which is IG’s Bermuda company.
Best for: experienced traders who want the largest market list and accept a Bermuda contract for CFDs.
3. Pepperstone: raw spreads with a Dubai presence
Pepperstone holds a DFSA licence (F004356) in the DIFC and a CMA licence (20200000358) for introduction and financial consultation only. Clients of its UAE site trade with Pepperstone Markets Ltd, licensed in The Bahamas (SIA-F217).
Best for: high-volume forex traders who want raw pricing and cTrader.
4. Plus500: a DFSA-licensed local company
Plus500AE Ltd is authorised by the DFSA (F005651), so UAE clients deal with a Plus500 company in the DIFC. It runs only its own web platform and app.
Best for: traders who want a simple proprietary app from a DIFC-licensed firm.
Three regulators license CFD brokers serving the UAE. Onshore it is the Capital Market Authority (CMA); in the DIFC, the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA); in Abu Dhabi Global Market, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA).
The CMA is the new name of the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), so older pages use either. Capital.com’s own site shows the change half-done: its UAE homepage says CMA, while some UAE market-page descriptions and its MT4 page still say SCA. Both names refer to the same regulator.
| Broker | UAE entity | Regulator and licence | Scope as published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital.com | Capital Com MENA Securities Trading L.L.C. (Dubai) | CMA 20200000176 | Category One – Dealing in Securities; execution only |
| IG | IG Limited (DIFC) | DFSA F001780 | Arranging, custody, matched principal; CFDs via IG International (Bermuda) |
| Pepperstone | Pepperstone Financial Services (DIFC) Ltd; Pepperstone Financial Services LLC | DFSA F004356; CMA 20200000358 | CMA licence for introduction and consultation; products issued from The Bahamas |
| Plus500 | Plus500AE Ltd (DIFC) | DFSA F005651 | Not detailed on the page we read |
| XTB | XTB MENA Ltd; XTB’s UAE company | DFSA (number not shown); CMA 20200000405 | UAE page says “regulated by the DFSA”; CMA licence per our 23 October 2026 check |
| ADSS | ADSS (Abu Dhabi) | CMA 305027 | Onshore dealing licence per our 23 October 2026 check |
| eToro | eToro (ME) Ltd (Abu Dhabi) | ADGM FSRA 220073 | Financial Services Permission |
| AvaTrade | Ava Trade Middle East Ltd (Abu Dhabi) | ADGM FSRA 190018 | Not detailed on the page we read |
Two cautions. Exness says it is regulated by the CMA in the UAE but names no UAE entity or licence number. Pepperstone also announced an SCA Category 5 licence in December 2025, for professional clients and partners rather than retail traders.
You can fund a Capital.com UAE account from 20 USD, EUR or GBP, or 80 AED. You can pay by bank transfer through Lean, ordinary bank transfer, card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Lean is the route listed for paying in directly from UAE banks.
One open question: Capital.com’s Bahamas help centre also lists the UAE for USDT deposits and gives 50 AED as a minimum deposit currency. Capital.com does not say which company onboards a given UAE resident, so check the entity named in your client agreement.
Open a CMA-regulated Capital.com account
Fund from 80 AED by Lean bank transfer, card or Apple Pay, with no deposit or withdrawal fees.
Open a Capital.com UAE accountOver-the-counter leveraged derivative contracts, including contracts for difference and spot foreign exchange products, are complex financial instruments and carry a high degree of risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. They may not be suitable for all investors. Capital Com MENA Securities Trading L.L.C. is regulated by the UAE Capital Market Authority (CMA), licence 20200000176; it publishes no retail-loss percentage.
Yes. Capital.com’s MENA help centre says swap-free (Islamic) accounts are available to UAE clients, so leveraged positions are not charged the usual overnight swap.
The pages we read do not set out the MENA swap-free conditions. Ask for them in writing, including whether any fee replaces the swap and which markets qualify. Standard accounts pay overnight funding instead: a fee of 4% a year either side of a benchmark rate, booked at 21:00 UTC.
Capital.com’s Bahamas entity runs its own swap-free programme under Annex 1 of its terms. It covers residents of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and other Arab countries. That is one more reason to confirm which company holds your account.
Capital.com’s MENA help centre lists maximum leverage of 300:1 on forex, rising to 500:1 on 15 named pairs including EUR/USD and GBP/USD. It does not say whether those limits are for retail or professional clients.
| Asset class | Maximum leverage | Higher tier |
|---|---|---|
| Forex | 300:1 | 500:1 on 15 named pairs, including EUR/USD and GBP/USD |
| Indices | 300:1 | 500:1 on 8, including US Tech 100 and UK 100 |
| Commodities | 200:1 | 500:1 on spot gold |
| Shares | 20:1 | 33:1 on 20 named stocks, including Tesla and Apple |
| Crypto | 100:1 | – |
The market pages are more cautious. When we checked, the UAE EUR/USD page showed a 0.50% margin, which is 200:1, and Bitcoin 5%, which is 20:1. Treat the help-centre figures as ceilings and the deal ticket as the figure that applies.
Capital.com adds that leverage may be cut temporarily around geopolitical events, earnings reports and before weekends. For scale, UK and EU retail clients are capped at 30:1 on major forex. At 500:1, a 0.2% move against you would wipe out the whole margin on a position.
Capital.com’s UAE clients get negative balance protection and segregated client money, but no published compensation scheme and no published retail-loss percentage.
The MENA help centre says “your trading losses can never exceed the funds on your account”. Client money is held in segregated accounts at what Capital.com calls top-tier, regulated banks, kept apart from company funds; the banks are not named.
What UAE clients do not get is a published safety net if the firm fails. Capital.com’s UK clients have the FSCS up to £85,000 and its Cyprus clients the Investor Compensation Fund up to €20,000; it names no equivalent for the UAE entity. Nor does the UAE site give the share of retail accounts that lose money, which the UK (65%) and EU (74%) entities publish.
Before you fund
Check three things. Your agreement should name Capital Com MENA Securities Trading L.L.C., and the CMA’s public register should show licence 20200000176. Also confirm whether you have been classed as retail or professional.
Trade with a Dubai-based, CMA-licensed broker
Swap-free accounts with MT4, MT5 and TradingView, from a 20 USD minimum deposit.
Start with Capital.com UAEOver-the-counter leveraged derivative contracts, including contracts for difference and spot foreign exchange products, are complex financial instruments and carry a high degree of risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. They may not be suitable for all investors. Capital Com MENA Securities Trading L.L.C. is regulated by the UAE Capital Market Authority (CMA), licence 20200000176; it publishes no retail-loss percentage.
Important information. This article is general information and editorial opinion published by Economies.com on 25 October 2026. It is not investment advice or a personal recommendation and does not take account of your objectives, financial situation or needs. CFDs and spread bets are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Capital.com’s international entity, Capital Com Online Investments Ltd (SCB, SIA-F245), states that 79.75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with it; Capital Com (UK) Limited (FCA 793714) states 65% for spread bets and CFDs. Capital.com is not available in some countries, including the United States, Singapore, Canada, Belgium, India and Japan. In the UAE, Capital.com is operated by Capital Com MENA Securities Trading L.L.C., Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai, licensed by the UAE Capital Market Authority (CMA, formerly the SCA) under licence 20200000176; it publishes no retail-loss percentage and no compensation scheme. Capital.com figures were taken from its own regional sites and help centres on 25 October 2026; competitor figures are from those firms’ own sites on the same date. Spreads, fees and leverage change; check the provider’s site before you trade. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.
Capital.com is the best CFD broker in UAE in our 2026 review, because its UAE company holds a CMA licence to deal with clients directly, and pairs it with no commission, AED funding and swap-free accounts. Few brokers hold that onshore licence: in our 23 October 2026 check, ADSS (CMA 305027) and XTB (CMA 20200000405) were the others. IG, Pepperstone, Plus500, eToro and AvaTrade serve UAE clients through the DFSA in Dubai, the FSRA in Abu Dhabi or an offshore company. That is not a verdict that free-zone regulation is weaker. It means Capital.com’s UAE clients contract with a Dubai company supervised by the federal markets regulator, under a licence category that covers dealing. Our #1 pick1. Capital.com: best CFD broker in the UAE overall Capital Com MENA Securities Trading L.L.C. is licensed by the CMA (20200000176) as an execution-only dealer, based in Jumeirah Emirates Towers. UAE clients trade CFDs on forex, indices, commodities, shares and crypto with no commission. Best for: UAE residents who want an onshore CMA-licensed account with AED funding and swap-free trading. 2. IG: the most markets, through two entities IG Limited in the DIFC is authorised by the DFSA (F001780), but
Three regulators license CFD brokers serving the UAE. Onshore it is the Capital Market Authority (CMA); in the DIFC, the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA); in Abu Dhabi Global Market, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA). The CMA is the new name of the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), so older pages use either. Capital.com’s own site shows the change half-done: its UAE homepage says CMA, while some UAE market-page descriptions and its MT4 page still say SCA. Both names refer to the same regulator. Two cautions. Exness says it is regulated by the CMA in the UAE but names no UAE entity or licence number. Pepperstone also announced an SCA Category 5 licence in December 2025, for professional clients and partners rather than retail traders.
You can fund a Capital.com UAE account from 20 USD, EUR or GBP, or 80 AED. You can pay by bank transfer through Lean, ordinary bank transfer, card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Lean is the route listed for paying in directly from UAE banks. One open question: Capital.com’s Bahamas help centre also lists the UAE for USDT deposits and gives 50 AED as a minimum deposit currency. Capital.com does not say which company onboards a given UAE resident, so check the entity named in your client agreement. Open a CMA-regulated Capital.com account Fund from 80 AED by Lean bank transfer, card or Apple Pay, with no deposit or withdrawal fees. Over-the-counter leveraged derivative contracts, including contracts for difference and spot foreign exchange products, are complex financial instruments and carry a high degree of risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. They may not be suitable for all investors. Capital Com MENA Securities Trading L.L.C. is regulated by the UAE Capital Market Authority (CMA), licence 20200000176; it publishes no retail-loss percentage.
Yes. Capital.com’s MENA help centre says swap-free (Islamic) accounts are available to UAE clients, so leveraged positions are not charged the usual overnight swap. The pages we read do not set out the MENA swap-free conditions. Ask for them in writing, including whether any fee replaces the swap and which markets qualify. Standard accounts pay overnight funding instead: a fee of 4% a year either side of a benchmark rate, booked at 21:00 UTC. Capital.com’s Bahamas entity runs its own swap-free programme under Annex 1 of its terms. It covers residents of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and other Arab countries. That is one more reason to confirm which company holds your account.
Capital.com’s MENA help centre lists maximum leverage of 300:1 on forex, rising to 500:1 on 15 named pairs including EUR/USD and GBP/USD. It does not say whether those limits are for retail or professional clients. The market pages are more cautious. When we checked, the UAE EUR/USD page showed a 0.50% margin, which is 200:1, and Bitcoin 5%, which is 20:1. Treat the help-centre figures as ceilings and the deal ticket as the figure that applies. Capital.com adds that leverage may be cut temporarily around geopolitical events, earnings reports and before weekends. For scale, UK and EU retail clients are capped at 30:1 on major forex. At 500:1, a 0.2% move against you would wipe out the whole margin on a position.
Capital.com’s UAE clients get negative balance protection and segregated client money, but no published compensation scheme and no published retail-loss percentage. The MENA help centre says “your trading losses can never exceed the funds on your account”. Client money is held in segregated accounts at what Capital.com calls top-tier, regulated banks, kept apart from company funds; the banks are not named. What UAE clients do not get is a published safety net if the firm fails. Capital.com’s UK clients have the FSCS up to £85,000 and its Cyprus clients the Investor Compensation Fund up to €20,000; it names no equivalent for the UAE entity. Nor does the UAE site give the share of retail accounts that lose money, which the UK (65%) and EU (74%) entities publish. Before you fund Check three things. Your agreement should name Capital Com MENA Securities Trading L.L.C., and the CMA’s public register should show licence 20200000176. Also confirm whether you have been classed as retail or professional.
Yes. Capital Com MENA Securities Trading L.L.C., company number 1994695, is authorised by the UAE Capital Market Authority under licence 20200000176 to deal in securities.
Yes. Crypto CFDs appear on Capital.com’s UAE site, and the Bitcoin page showed a spread of 50 at the 23 October close. Crypto prices can swing sharply, and leverage makes those swings larger.
Yes. Its UAE company sits at Level L14, Unit 14C, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, and Dubai is among the offices Capital.com lists. Support is available 24/7 in English.
Neither label is automatically safer. What matters is the entity you sign with, the protections it publishes and whether its licence covers dealing with you, so check all three for any broker.