Looking for the top broker in Dubai? After testing 80 brokers this year, our experts have identified the 7 best options tailored to diverse trading needs, complete with practical tips.
With over 3 million residents, Dubai is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Tax benefits, modern infrastructure, and world-class amenities have made Dubai a magnet for traders. It is a leading luxury travel destination, and several major trading industry conferences take place in the city, such as Forex Expo Dubai and Forex Traders Summit Dubai.
The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) and the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) are key regulatory bodies that oversee forex and CFD brokers in Dubai and the broader UAE, ensuring the integrity and stability of the financial markets in their respective jurisdictions. The Central Bank of the UAE also plays a role in overseeing Forex activities in the country as a whole, as well as setting standards and regulations for the financial industry in the UAE. In
We carefully considered the needs of traders in Dubai and focused on the points that benefit this group the most.
Our team of experts has identified each broker’s strengths and weaknesses using FXEmpire’s comprehensive methodology. Here’s how we test.
Now let’s go through the selected brokers.
Founded in 2008, Exness is a multi-faceted global forex and CFD broker providing trading in currencies, cryptocurrencies, stocks, indices, and commodities. One of the larger brokers I have reviewed, Exness has an active client base of over 400,000 and more than 2,000 employees across Asia and Europe (according to the broker’s website). Exness has 15 years of operating history and is regulated by multiple authorities, including top-tier CySEC and the UK FCA. Retail customers are assigned to entities regulated offshore.
Regional Features:
Exness offers a user-friendly Trading Terminal platform and also MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. Thanks to the intuitive proprietary platform and strong education and research materials, I judged Exness to be a suitable broker for beginners. Meanwhile, the availability of massive leverage, tight spreads, and advanced tools make it appealing to advanced traders.
Exness’s clients of different experience levels can choose between multiple account types that best match their needs – ranging from cent accounts to raw spreads accounts. Minimal swap fees and social trading capabilities are also a bonus for traders.
Plus500 was founded in 2008 and has grown to become one of the world’s leading forex and CFD brokers. Plus500 Ltd is now a FTSE 250 company listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE). The innovative broker is licensed by multiple regulators globally, including the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA).
Regional Features:
Plus500 is a great choice for traders looking for an intuitive and reliable platform with a diverse range of instruments and competitive trading costs. Its flagship WebTrader platform offers advanced features, including robust charting tools and sophisticated order types.
The broker also integrates +Insights, a research tool that provides unique data on trading activity, showing what traders at Plus500 are buying and selling.
Dubai residents can access an impressive selection of 2,800+ CFDs, spanning forex, commodities, indices, global stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies. Additionally, Plus500 offers comprehensive educational content, including ebooks, webinars, and platform tutorials, to support traders at all levels.
Moneta Markets was established in 2019 and is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa. I noted the broker’s competitive prices and wide range of tradable instruments. The spreads I recorded on instruments from every available asset class are better than the industry average. In addition, Moneta Markets’ rich offering of lower-risk securities like bonds enables the implementation of longer-term trading strategies.
Regional Features:
I opened a Prime ECN account with the broker, which offers raw spreads starting from 0.1 pips and a $6 round-turn commission per traded lot. I calculated that to trade a full-sized EURUSD position, it would cost me $7 (0.1 pips spread x $10 pip value + $6 commission). Given that the industry average is around $10–$11, I concluded that Moneta Markets’ fees are very low.
I was impressed by the practicality of Moneta Markets’ proprietary Pro Trader platform, which is powered by the seamless TradingView. The platform supports over 100 analytical tools and is very flexible. Price action can be easily scaled up and down, giving the trader an intricate outlook into price action behavior. The mobile app version of the platform, AppTrader, retains the same level of practicality.
Sydney, Australia-based FP Markets was founded in 2005 and has entities regulated by top-tier CySEC and ASIC. With over 800 instruments across stocks, indices, forex, commodities, and cryptocurrencies, traders can work with an exciting range of markets.
Regional Features:
FP markets’ clients can expect rock-bottom trading costs. Two main accounts are available: the commission-free Standard Account and the commission-based Raw Account with tighter spreads. In my active tests using the Standard Account, I experienced very competitive spreads – for example, as low as 14 pips in spot gold (XAU/USD).
The broker gives access to the markets via MT4/5, WebTrader, IRESS, and the proprietary FP Markets mobile app. The FP Markets mobile app is intuitive, and provides full account access, standard order types, charting with technical indicators, top-tier liquidity, and easy access to customer support.
Deposits and withdrawals are processed fast, and FP Markets does not apply any charges, even via bank wire. 24/7 customer support is available in Arabic, and clients can access swap-free Islamic accounts. My evaluation showed FP Markets to be an all-around winner, equally suitable for novice traders taking their first steps and experienced professionals looking for an edge in the market.
Founded in 2009, Vantage is an award-winning multi-asset broker headquartered in Sydney, Australia. A significant player in CFD brokerage, Vantage has over 50,000 active clients worldwide, trading forex, commodities, indices, shares, and cryptocurrencies. Entities are regulated by the top-tier ASIC and the offshore CIMA, the company undergoes regular audits, and all client funds are held in a segregated trust account.
Regional Features:
My hands-on tests revealed that Vantage has better than average CFD spreads across forex, commodities, shares, and indices. For example, I experienced spreads of 26 pips in gold and 1 pip in the Dow 30.
The Arabic version of the website (vantagemarkets.com/ar/) allows UAE residents to easily navigate the site in their native language. 24/7 support in Arabic is available via live chat, phone, and email.
Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Mauritius, FXTM has three global entities regulated by the UK FCA, Kenya’s CMA, and the FSC Mauritius. It offers over 600 CFD instruments covering forex, stock indices, commodities, cryptocurrency, share CFDs, and over 500 real US shares. The broker offers multiple trading accounts, free trading signals, and popular trading platforms, including MT4 and MT5.
Regional Features:
FXTM clients can access the MT4 platform via desktop, web, and mobile. The desktop platform caters to advanced traders seeking automated trading functionality. The web platform is the most user-friendly and comes with useful features like one-click trading, customized watchlists, and 30 technical analysis indicators. The mobile app is also easy to use and a good option for trading on the move.
Users can also access extra MT4 add-ons from the client portal. These include extra indicators such as a pip value calculator, pivot point calculator, and spread indicators. Additionally, there are free trading signals from Acuity’s Signal Centre.
Our live test showed an average spread for EUR/USD of 1.9 pips – higher than the industry average for a commission-free account. Users can access lower spreads from 0.0 pips from the Advantage account, which has a competitive commission of 3.50 USD per lot per side, which is in line with industry standards.
AvaTrade was founded in 2006, making it an early mover in the forex and CFD industry. The Dublin-based broker has grown tremendously since then and now provides services to 400,000 traders globally. With a broad network of regulatory compliance across several international agencies, such as ASIC and CySEC, it stands as a highly trusted player in the global trading landscape.
Regional Features:
I was particularly impressed by the broad range of copy trading platforms available to AvaTrade clients. The MetaTrader-compatible DupliTrade platform allows traders to automatically copy more experienced traders’ strategies in-real time. The popular ZuluTrade platform enables clients to copy top-performing traders from different brokers. Meanwhile, AvaSocial allows clients to copy and learn from traders within the AvaTrade community.
AvaTrade provides a great range of trading accounts and platforms to trade on over 1,250 instruments covering forex, stocks, indices, commodities, cryptos, and FX options. Clients can select from various accounts suitable for beginner and advanced traders, including CFD, Islamic, and Options Accounts.
Consider the following questions when searching for a suitable broker to work with in Dubai.
Take into account the regulatory status of the broker. Forex brokers regulated by top-tier financial authorities must undergo audits, meet capital requirements, and provide segregated accounts and negative balance protection.
The UAE SCA requires brokers to segregate company and client funds and to provide negative balance protection. The UAE DFSA upholds high ethical standards by not allowing brokers to accept credit cards for funding trading accounts and by ensuring that all marketing and educational material is not misleading. A compensation fund is sometimes available in the event of broker insolvency.
You can search the regulator’s website to confirm the broker’s status and check for any disciplinary action. The broker’s size and operating history are also worth considering. You can usually find these on the company’s LinkedIn page.
Read more about Best regulated forex brokers.
An intuitive, easy-to-navigate platform will allow you to launch into the trading world with minimal hitches. The most user-friendly platforms are typically browser-based platforms created by the broker. Look for easy-to-implement features such as watchlists, trading from the chart, search, news, and a customizable interface.
Here are our picks of Best forex trading platforms.
The MetaTrader 4 and 5 platforms have advanced features like backtesting, automated trading, and a wide range of order types – but are less user-friendly. Also, check on the availability of a good, broker-designed (proprietary) mobile app.
The popular MetaTrader platform is available in Arabic, making it easier to navigate for non-English speakers in Dubai.
Read more about Best MetaTrader 4 brokers and Best MetaTrader 5 brokers.
Working with a broker that keeps costs such as the spread to a minimum can make the difference between profit and loss at the end of the day. For example, a spread of 1 pip or less in EUR/USD is competitive and makes it much less expensive to enter and exit positions in the market.
This low cost of entering trades is a crucial point for day traders. Inactivity fees and fees for withdrawing funds are other areas to keep an eye on when considering a broker. Traders in Dubai can select from the world’s most competitive brokers in terms of fees, such as FP Markets, which offers better-than-average spreads.
Check out our guide on Best lowest spread forex brokers.
Dubai residents also have the opportunity to trade on Islamic, or swap-free accounts that are designed to align with the principles of Islamic finance, particularly the prohibition of interest (‘Riba’).
In regular forex accounts, traders are typically charged or credited with swap fees (or interest) for positions held overnight. However, in Islamic forex accounts, swap fees are not applicable due to the prohibition of interest.
Instead, Islamic accounts commonly employ other types of fees. One such fee is the administration or financing fee, which is a fixed fee charged on trades held overnight. There may be a grace period where these fees are not applied, but it varies between brokers.
Additionally, Islamic accounts may charge slightly wider spreads to compensate for the absence of swap fees. A spread is the difference between the buy and sell price of a currency pair or other trading instrument.
Read more about best Islamic (swap free) forex accounts.
The minimum deposit to trade live can vary from less than $100 to more considerable sums of over $1000.
Typically forex accounts are denominated in a currency like USD, EUR, GBP, or JPY. This currency (the base currency) shows your account balance. Some brokers offer AED as a base currency, making it a more familiar reference point for residents of the UAE.
Check out our guide to Best forex brokers in UAE.
DFSA-regulated brokers can offer leverage of up to 1:30. SCA-regulated brokers can offer 1:500. If you decide to work with a UK (FCA) or EU (CySEC) based broker, the maximum is 1:30. While most offshore brokers offer 1:500 leverage or even higher in some cases.
Leverage is one of the most appealing features of CFD trading and can work in your favor when used wisely. Beware of using excessive leverage, even if it is tempting. It’s an enthralling feeling to control a large position in the market. But when markets are moving fast, and you hold a highly leveraged position, there is a high risk of losing money. Accounts can get wiped out in seconds.
Check out our guide on Best high leverage forex brokers.
As a forex trader in Dubai, it’s convenient to have customer support in your native language of Arabic, which is offered by some but not all brokers. Check the hours of availability, for example, whether help is on hand 24/7 or only during business hours. Chat support is the most convenient, so look for an easy-to-access chat window built into the broker platform. In the case of a platform outage, it is also helpful to be able to contact support via phone.
A common scam in the forex and CFD industry involves vendors offering a trading strategy that guarantees an outlandishly high return in little time. These may involve automated trading using bots or a signal service sharing trades via chat or social media. Nobody can guarantee returns with certainty, and it is more likely that such strategies will lose money. When assessing strategy or signal providers, you should look for a live track record audited by a third party, but remember that past performance does not guarantee future results.
Traders should also be highly cautious about opening an account with an unregulated offshore broker. Such brokers may offer a straightforward account opening process, bonuses, and high leverage levels, but client funds are not protected. Meanwhile, brokers regulated by top-tier authorities must undergo regular audits and are held accountable for misconduct. Traders can also benefit from having their funds held in segregated accounts, negative balance protection, and a compensation fund in the event of broker insolvency.
To select the best forex brokers for Dubai residents, we used our proprietary methodology, refined over the years and based on 250+ data points per broker. FXEmpire has been reviewing brokers since 2010, pioneering in-depth CFD broker evaluations.
We assess brokers across nine categories, including trust, fees, platforms, tradable instruments, customer service, deposits & withdrawals, account types, research, and education.
We gather data through live testing, research, questionnaires, broker demonstrations, opening accounts and testing spreads, swap fees, and trading costs on standard accounts.
Our side-by-side analysis ensures a fair comparison of brokers, while our strict editorial integrity guidelines keep reviews objective and independent. For this guide, we prioritized DFSA- and SCA-regulated brokers, ensuring swap-free Islamic accounts, AED as a base currency, Arabic language support, and competitive trading fees. We also evaluated platform usability to highlight feature-rich, user-friendly options for Dubai traders.
The team of forex and CFD writers and editors at FXEmpire comprises trading industry professionals and seasoned financial journalists. Our writers have been published on leading financial websites such as Investopedia and Forbes. In addition, they all have extensive trading experience.
Dan Blystone began his career in the trading industry in 1998 on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Later Dan gained insight into the forex industry during his time as a Series 3 licenced futures and forex broker. He also traded at a couple of different prop trading firms in Chicago. Dan is well-equipped to recommend the best forex brokers due to his extensive experience and understanding of the brokerage industry.
Jitan Solanki is a professional trader, market analyst, and educator. He day trades major currency and index markets and focuses on swing trading US equities and commodities. A qualified Market Technician, Jitan also works with trader education and brokerage companies on various projects. These include market analysis, live trading events, and broker reviews. As an experienced trader and educator, Jitan brings all his qualities in action when reviewing and recommending brokers.
Having been a retail trader since 2013, Plamen has gained an in-depth understanding of the challenges that novice traders face today. His expertise is swing trading and day trading with a heavy emphasis on psychological and fundamental analysis. Plamen’s favourite trading instruments include FX majors and gold. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics and International Relations. Plamen's broad experience has equipped him with the expertise to recommend the best forex brokers.
In more than 15 years of trading in the financial markets, Vladimir dealt with a wide range of brokers and financial instruments. His career as a day-trader at a proprietary trading firm goes back to 2007. Later, Vladimir turned to longer time frames and became an independent trader and analyst managing his own portfolio. Using his experience, he helps traders find the best broker in his reviews.
Dan Blystone began his career in the trading industry in 1998 on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Later Dan gained insight into the forex industry during his time as a Series 3 licenced futures and forex broker. He also traded at a couple of different prop trading firms in Chicago. Dan is well-equipped to recommend the best forex brokers due to his extensive experience and understanding of the brokerage industry.
At FXEmpire, we strive to provide unbiased, thorough and accurate broker reviews by industry experts to help our users make smarter financial decisions.