4 Best SCA-Regulated Forex Brokers in the UAE for 2025

List of Top Forex Brokers Regulated by SCA

What is SCA Regulation?

The Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) is the national financial regulator of the United Arab Emirates. Its primary responsibilities include overseeing the functioning of financial markets in the UAE, assessing their stability, and managing exposure to financial risks.

The SCA also issues licenses to securities dealers (brokers) and regulates their operations, which directly impacts trading with financial derivative instruments in the country.

Traders in the UAE are advised to choose a broker authorized by the SCA to ensure they receive the full range of client protections afforded under UAE legislation.

How Did FXEmpire Select the Best SCA-Regulated Forex Brokers?

• Regulated by the SCA: We only selected brokers that are licensed and regulated by the SCA in the UAE.
• Local Office: We gave preferences to brokers who have local offices in the United Arab Emirates.
• Islamic Account: We only considered brokers that permit swap-free trading via Islamic accounts.
• Dirham (AED) as a Base Currency: We gave preference to brokers offering AED as a base currency to their clients.
• UAE Payment Methods: All our picks feature localized payment methods for UAE traders.
• Arabic Versions of Website/Platform: We only selected brokers whose websites and trading platforms are available in Arabic.

Our team of experts has identified each broker’s strengths and weaknesses using FX Empire’s comprehensive methodology. Here’s how we test.

Now let’s dive into the selected brokers.

How to Choose the Best SCA-Regulated Forex Brokers?

In this section, you will read about the most important things to consider when choosing a forex broker regulated in the UAE by the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA).

How to verify that a forex broker is safe?

To verify that the forex broker of your choosing is safe to use, you must ensure that it is fully licensed and regulated by the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA). Here’s how you can do it:

• Check the Broker’s Website: Look at the broker’s official website. Regulated brokers typically display their licensing and regulation information, including license numbers and the names of the authorities that regulate them, often found in the footer of the website or on an ‘About Us’ or ‘Regulation’ page.
• Contact the Broker Directly: If you are still unsure, contact the broker directly and ask for their regulatory information. A legitimate broker should be willing and able to provide clear details about their regulatory status.

How to check a forex broker’s protection level?

A safe and trustworthy forex broker must ensure the following safety requirements.

• Segregation of client funds: Brokers must keep their clients’ funds in separate bank accounts from the ones used for their corporate capital. This is crucial for mitigating the risk of accounting errors. The SCA mandates the segregation of client funds.
• Negative balance protection: Negative balance protection is a safety mechanism that ensures a trader’s losses cannot exceed their account balance. This protection is indispensable when trading high-risk instruments, such as Contracts for Difference (CFDs). The SCA mandates negative balance protection.
• Limited market exposure: Limiting market exposure protects traders against adverse price fluctuations. That is why most top-tier regulators cap the maximum retail leverage at 1:30. In comparison, less strict regulators can allow leverage as high as 1:2000. Typically, the SCA caps the maximum retail leverage extended to traders at 1:500.
• Compensation scheme: Depending on the jurisdiction where a broker is situated, a compensation scheme may also protect its clients against the broker’s credit risk and liabilities. For example, ESMA-compliant brokers are required to participate in the Investor Compensation Fund (ICF). In the unlikely event of the broker becoming insolvent, traders can be compensated by up to 20,000 EUR. There is no compensation scheme associated with SCA regulation.

Read more about Best regulated forex brokers.

How to Assess if a Broker’s Trading Fees Are Competitive?

A broker may have several account types, each with different pricing mechanisms. But how to know which one is best fitted for your particular trading style? Below, I will answer this question by providing an example with two accounts – STP and ECN.

Read more about Best STP forex brokers and Best ECN forex brokers.

The biggest difference between STP and ECN accounts, apart from the execution model, is the pricing mechanism. Usually, STP accounts afford commission-free trading and floating spreads, while ECN accounts have fixed commissions and raw spreads, typically starting from 0.1 pips. At first glance, the STP model sounds more favorable because you only have to pay one cost – the spread – rather than two.

Many brokers recognize the psychological significance of this sort of thinking and seek to exploit it by raising the spreads on their STP accounts to the point where they are no longer the more competitive option. Here is how to do a quick test for yourself to evaluate the competitiveness of a broker’s ECN and STP accounts.

Pick an instrument, say, the EURUSD. Suppose also that the spread on the pair is 0.9 pips on a broker’s STP account and 0.1 pips on its ECN account. There is also a $6 commission for trading a 1 lot (100,000 units) contract. If the EURUSD pip value is $10, you can do a simple calculation to determine the value of a hypothetical position on the EURUSD executed on both account types. The formula is the value of a trade = spread x pip value + commission. When we pop in the above values, this is what we discover about our hypothetical broker:

This is just a hypothetical example, but it illustrates how more can be less in trading. So it’s worthwhile evaluating the costs of a broker you consider opening an account with for yourself before doing so. And if you are still uncertain, you can always check out our database of reviews to sort out the most competitive brokers.

Check out our list of Best lowest spread forex brokers.

How to Choose a Trading Platform?

• User-Friendliness and Interface: Choose a platform with an intuitive design, easy navigation, and customizable workspaces for efficient trading.
• Available Assets and Markets: Ensure the platform supports your preferred financial instruments, whether forex, stocks, commodities, or indices.
• Charting and Technical Analysis Tools: Look for high-quality charts, multiple timeframes, and at least 50+ technical indicators for in-depth analysis.
• Order Execution and Speed: Opt for a platform with fast execution, one-click trading, and direct market access (DMA) for minimal slippage.
• Compatibility and Accessibility: Select a platform that works across desktop, web, and mobile to ensure seamless trading on any device.

Read more about Best forex brokers with fast execution.

Here are some of the most popular retail trading platforms:

• MetaTrader 4 (MT4): The most widely used forex trading platform, known for its simplicity, reliability, and extensive indicator library. Supports automated trading through Expert Advisors (EAs).
• MetaTrader 5 (MT5): A more advanced version of MT4 with additional timeframes, order types, and asset classes, including stocks and futures. Offers a built-in economic calendar and improved strategy testing for algorithmic trading.
• TradingView: A web-based platform with powerful charting, social trading features, and a large community of traders. Supports multiple asset classes and broker integrations.
• cTrader: A high-performance trading platform designed for ECN/STP execution, ideal for professional traders. Offers advanced order types, in-depth market depth, and superior charting tools.

Discover Best forex trading platforms in our dedicated guide.

What to Avoid When Choosing a SCA-Regulated Forex Broker?

Here is a quick rundown of some of the most important things to avoid when choosing a forex broker in the UAE:

• Insufficient Client Protection: Avoid brokers that fail to provide at least two of the following safeguards: segregated funds, negative balance protection, compensation schemes, or a cap on retail leverage at 1:30. These measures are crucial for protecting your funds and limiting financial risk.
• Poor Execution Quality: Brokers unable to ensure at least two of the following should be avoided: a best execution policy, regular quality execution reports, or order execution speeds averaging under 100 milliseconds. These factors are essential for achieving efficient and accurate trade execution.
• High Spreads and Commissions: Avoid brokers with floating spreads of 1.8 pips or higher on STP accounts, as well as round-turn commissions exceeding $7 on ECN accounts. Excessive fees can significantly impact your trading profitability over time.

How to Avoid Forex and CFD Scams?

Scammers often exploit traders’ trust by promising quick and risk-free profits. They may also impersonate reputable companies by using deceptive branding. To counter this, regulators like the FCA maintain registers to help traders identify fraudulent entities.

The best and easiest way to protect yourself is to make sure you work with a trustworthy and transparent broker. You can find a comprehensive list of reliable brokers by jurisdiction here.

Steps to Protect Yourself

1. Choose a Reliable Broker: Work only with trustworthy and transparent brokers. You can find a list of reliable brokers by jurisdiction here.
2. Ensure Online Safety: Avoid sharing personal information on suspicious pop-ups. Be cautious of unsolicited calls or emails promising enormous profits—licensed brokers don’t make cold calls.
3. Verify Promises: If someone contacts you with extraordinary offers, remember: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
4. Do Your Research: Always verify a broker’s licensing, regulation, and reputation before opening an account.

By staying vigilant and conducting thorough research, you can protect yourself from falling victim to trading scams.

Our Methodology

At FXEmpire, we have developed a unique methodology for evaluating OTC derivatives brokers worldwide. Our goal is to provide an unbiased, comprehensive assessment, helping traders make informed decisions.

Our expert team continuously refines our system to stay aligned with market trends. We evaluate brokers using over 250 variables across nine categories: Trust, Fees, Account Types, Tradable Instruments, Platforms and Tools, Deposits and Withdrawals, Customer Support, Research, and Education.

To ensure objectivity, we review broker licenses, analyze Client Agreements, and assess regulation, fees, and transparency. We open live accounts to test services in real-time, measuring spreads, swaps, and commissions against industry benchmarks.

Additionally, we evaluate platform functionality, tradable instruments, customer support, and the quality of research and educational resources to deliver a thorough, data-driven review.

For this guide, we selected only SCA-regulated brokers in the UAE, prioritizing those with local offices and support for Islamic (swap-free) accounts. Preference was given to brokers offering AED as a base currency and supporting localized UAE payment methods. Additionally, we ensured that all chosen brokers provide Arabic versions of their websites and trading platforms.

We abide by our strict guidelines for editorial integrity based on the objective standards we have set for our reviews. You can read more about our review process here.

Meet Our Writers

The team of forex and CFD analysts and editors at FXEmpire is composed of trading industry professionals and seasoned financial journalists. Our experts have been published on leading financial websites such as Investopedia and Forbes. In addition, they all have extensive trading experience.

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