Best CFD Brokers in the UAE

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This guide compares five CFD providers for UAE residents, with Capital.com presented first as the featured provider.

Featured provider: Capital.comDisclaimer: Capital.com, a featured provider, is not responsible for the information presented regarding other providers, and MatchMyBroker confirms that all information is correct to the best of its knowledge.

Entity: Capital Com MENA Securities Trading L.L.C. serves UAE residents.

Licence: CMA licence 20200000176, and the official footer describes Category One permissions that include dealing in securities and trading-broker activities.

Platform access: Capital.com's own web and mobile platforms, TradingView, MetaTrader 4, and MetaTrader 5 on current UAE interfaces.

Verified funding minimum: USD 20 or AED 80 by card. Those figures are funding terms, and a low minimum is not risk control.

Costs: no separate dealing commission (Other fees apply). Dynamic spreads apply, overnight funding can apply to relevant positions, a 0.7% currency conversion charge applies where currencies differ, and a guaranteed-stop fee applies when a guaranteed stop triggers.

Regional risk warning: "Over-the-counter leveraged derivative contracts, including contracts for difference and spot foreign exchange products are complex financial instruments and carries a high degree of risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Trading Over-the-Counter leveraged derivatives may not be suitable for all investors. Before engaging in any trading activities, you should carefully consider your investment objectives, risk tolerance, and financial situation. Please seek independent financial advice before trading if necessary."

IG, XTB, Pepperstone, and ADSS follow, compared by reader need. The evidence itself, the entity names, licence numbers, funding facts, and limitations, comes from MatchMyBroker's review of official sources and applies the same standard to all five providers.

The table compares the five providers on the fields that decide your outcome: the account or arranging entity, the product-issuer caveat where one applies, the published market count where available, the funding minimum, and the key limitation. The sections below add regulator, platform, currency, and cost details. IG confirms no minimum for bank transfers; funding terms can differ by method and entity.

Treat the entity column as the anchor. If the entity named in your client agreement does not match the entity in the table, the regulator, protections, and terms in that row no longer describe your account, and your comparison starts again from the agreement in front of you.

This is an evidence-led comparison refreshed from official sources on 23 July 2026: regulator registers, client agreements and terms, legal footers, and current provider pages. We did not open, fund, or trade through any account, and no section of this comparison reflects hands-on testing.

Start your own comparison with the legal entity and the product issuer. Then check platform access, the full cost stack, the funding currency, the withdrawal route, and the protections that attach to that specific account. A global brand is not one uniform legal service, and the same logo can sit above different entities, regulators, and terms depending on how you onboard.

Two regulators appear throughout this guide: the Capital Market Authority, formerly SCA, which adopted its current name on 1 January 2026, and the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). A regulator's name identifies the jurisdiction and rulebook behind an entity; we do not treat it as a quality score.

Every product in this comparison is a leveraged over-the-counter derivative. None of the five providers fits you if you do not understand leverage, if you cannot afford to lose the funds you commit to the account, if you want to own the underlying asset, or if you want a low-maintenance long-term investment.

Key takeaways

• Capital.com appears first as the featured provider. The comparison table at the top of this guide names its CMA-licensed local entity and carries the regional risk warning inside that row.
• IG presents more than 17,000 markets, the widest range here, and its UAE application offers a choice between IG Limited under the DFSA and Bermuda-based IG International, so the entity you select decides your terms.
• XTB serves UAE residents through XTB MENA Limited under the DFSA, with no stated minimum deposit and USD-based funding evidence.
• Pepperstone lists its own web platform, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, and TradingView (Razor account), through Pepperstone Financial Services LLC, which is CMA-licensed in the UAE, and Pepperstone Financial Services (DIFC) Limited, which is regulated by the DFSA for professional clients only.
• ADSS operates as a UAE-based alternative under two CMA licences, with a USD 100 public minimum and its own platform beside MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5.
• Saxo is not included: Saxo Bank Dubai Limited left the DFSA register on 2 July 2017, and we have not confirmed the entity that currently contracts with UAE residents.

How we built this comparison

We compared the five providers on entity clarity, the regulator attached to that entity, the identity of the product issuer, market access, the full cost stack, funding evidence, platform availability, and the limitations each structure creates. We treat entity clarity as the starting point in every section, because every other factor changes when the contracting entity changes.

We report only what official sources support. That excludes spread comparisons, execution quality, typical UAE trader behaviour, and claims about sales practices, because we hold no verified evidence for them. It also excludes hands-on results, because we opened no accounts.

Saxo illustrates the standard we applied: Saxo Bank Dubai Limited withdrew from the DFSA register on 2 July 2017, and the current MENA page points to Saxo Bank A/S with entity allocation based on residence. Saxo stays out of this comparison until we capture the actual contracting entity for UAE residents.

Capital.com: Featured Provider

Capital.com

Who provides the account

Capital Com MENA Securities Trading L.L.C. serves UAE residents under CMA licence 20200000176, and the official footer describes Category One permissions that include dealing in securities and trading-broker activities. The account therefore sits with a locally licensed entity. Check the current entity name and fee details against the official pages before you apply, because both can change.

What Capital.com offers

Capital.com presents more than 5,000 markets on its UAE pages. Current UAE interfaces include Capital.com's own web and mobile platforms, TradingView, MetaTrader 4, and MetaTrader 5. Capital.com announced the refreshed app and brand identity on 1 June 2026, after the updated mobile app became available globally from May 2026; the refresh reworked navigation and analytics, added AI Search, and introduced the current Midnight, Light, and Gold identity.

Costs and funding

Capital Com MENA charges no separate dealing commission (Other fees apply). Dynamic spreads apply, overnight funding can apply to relevant positions, a 0.7% currency conversion charge applies where currencies differ, and a guaranteed-stop fee applies when a guaranteed stop triggers (fees and charges). Conversion can touch realised profit and loss, overnight adjustments, guaranteed-stop fees, dividends, and conversions of account balances, including transfers between sub-accounts in different currencies. The minimum card deposit stands at USD 20 or AED 80. Those figures are funding terms, and a low minimum is not risk control.

Main limitation

Funding an AED-denominated account in AED avoids currency conversion at deposit. Conversion can still apply to transactions in other currencies or transfers between sub-accounts in different currencies. The product remains a leveraged over-the-counter derivative whatever currency funds it.

IG: Best Broad Market Range

IG

Who provides the account

IG Limited holds DFSA reference F001780. IG's UAE application, however, offers a choice between IG Limited under the DFSA and Bermuda-based IG International. The entity you select determines the regulator, the protections, and the leverage terms that attach to your account, so the DFSA reference describes one available path, not an automatic outcome.

What IG offers

IG presents more than 17,000 markets in its UAE materials, the widest count in this comparison. That breadth makes the onboarding step above more consequential, because product availability and terms depend on the legal entity that holds the account.

Costs and funding

IG's UAE funding page shows AED bank funding. That is deposit-route evidence only; it does not establish that AED is an available account base currency, and we found no evidence for that further step. IG states that bank deposits have no minimum; confirm method and entity-specific terms before funding. The cost categories later in this guide, spread, any commission, overnight funding, and conversion where currencies differ, can each apply depending on the account and market. IG bank-deposit minimum.

Main limitation

The onboarding choice is the limitation. Nothing about the brand guarantees the DFSA entity: the application offers both, and the agreement you accept decides which firm holds your account. Confirm the entity named in that agreement, and read its terms rather than the terms of the entity you assumed.

XTB: Best Clear DFSA Entity

XTB

Who provides the account

XTB MENA Limited holds DFSA reference F006316. We found no current CMA entity for XTB and make no claim of one.

What XTB offers

XTB runs its own xStation platform and lists more than 1,900 CFD instruments, with more than 4,400 instruments across its full range. The single-platform approach trades variety for coherence: you learn one interface, and the entity behind it does not change depending on which application path you took.

Costs and funding

XTB currently states no minimum deposit, and its UAE account page shows USD deposits (account and fees). A USD 30 charge applies to withdrawals below USD 50, which matters for anyone routing a small amount back to a UAE bank. The absence of a minimum is a funding term like any other; it says nothing about the exposure a position creates.

Main limitation

The funding evidence is USD-based, so conversion can apply somewhere on the route for an AED-funded reader, small withdrawals can incur the USD 30 charge, and no CMA entity has been verified. None of these undermines the entity clarity; they define the terms that come with it.

Pepperstone: Best Platform Choice

Pepperstone

Who provides the account

Two Pepperstone companies appear in the UAE picture. Pepperstone Financial Services LLC holds the CMA licence (number 20200000358) and covers all UAE clients. Pepperstone Financial Services (DIFC) Limited is regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) under licence number F004356 and serves professional clients only. Read your account agreement and note which company you contract with, because that company's rules decide your leverage, client money arrangements and protections.

What Pepperstone offers

Pepperstone presents more than 1,350 markets, and its UAE pages list its own web platform, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, and TradingView (Razor account). Readers comparing specific interfaces, including cTrader, can weigh that list against the layered structure above.

Costs and funding

Card funding starts at USD 10 or local equivalent, and domestic bank transfer carries no stated minimum (trading accounts). Pepperstone's official pages conflict on international wire withdrawal charges, so we do not report withdrawals as universally free; read the funding terms attached to your entity alongside the pricing page. Pepperstone funding methods.

Main limitation

The UAE setup involves more than one Pepperstone company, so you need to read which one you deal with. Leverage and protections depend on that company, and the client agreement it names defines who owes you what if a position or the firm itself goes wrong.

ADSS: Best UAE-Based Alternative

ADSS

Who provides the account

ADS Securities L.L.C S.P.C. operates under the CMA with Category One licence 305027 and Category Five licence 20200000217, and ADSS's official regulation page states both licences. Like Capital Com MENA, this places the contracting relationship with a locally licensed UAE firm.

What ADSS offers

ADSS runs its own native platform beside MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, so a reader can choose between the in-house interface and the two MetaTrader standards without leaving the entity.

Costs and funding

The current public minimum deposit is USD 100. AED may be available depending on the account, and we do not state that every account supports AED, because current signup evidence has not been captured; the terms of business and the account application govern what your specific account settles in.

Main limitation

The USD 100 public minimum sits above several peers on this list, and account-currency availability requires confirmation during signup rather than assumption from marketing pages. For a reader set on a UAE-based CMA firm with MetaTrader access, both points are checks rather than blockers.

Official evidence gallery

The source references below point to each provider's legal, platform, funding, or regulation pages. Read the original terms to confirm the entity and product issuer that would hold your account.

Registers and legal pages change without notice. Read the register entry and legal terms for your specific entity on the day you apply, alongside the provider sources linked here.

UAE entity versus international entity

Four roles decide who actually stands behind a UAE CFD account. A local provider contracts with you under a UAE regulator, as Capital Com MENA does under the CMA and ADS Securities does with its two CMA licences. A brand can also split clients by type, as Pepperstone does: Pepperstone Financial Services LLC is CMA-licensed for all UAE clients, while Pepperstone Financial Services (DIFC) Limited is regulated by the DFSA for professional clients only. An onboarding choice splits one brand into two entities, as IG's application does between IG Limited and IG International. And a single named entity fronts the relationship, as XTB MENA Limited does under the DFSA, though even then the agreement confirms the issuing party.

The entity and your client classification then decide the terms: account leverage, margin-closeout terms, negative balance treatment, and the complaint or compensation route if the firm fails. We make no blanket claim that every UAE account carries negative balance protection, compensation coverage, an AED base currency, or the same leverage, because none of those follows from a brand name. The client agreement and the regulator's register carry the answer for your account, and reading both before relying on a brand-level claim is the single habit this guide most wants to leave you with.

The full CFD cost stack

Every CFD cost starts with the spread, the difference between the provider's buy and sell price. A separate commission can apply on top depending on the provider, the account, and the market, and relevant positions can incur overnight funding. Because CFD profit and loss are calculated on the full notional exposure rather than the margin you post, each of these costs scales with the position, not with the deposit that opened it.

Currency conversion joins the stack when the instrument, account, deposit, or withdrawal currency differs. Capital.com's 0.7% conversion charge shows how wide the touchpoints run: realised profit and loss, overnight adjustments, guaranteed-stop fees, dividends, and conversions of account balances, including transfers between sub-accounts in different currencies, can each trigger it. A guaranteed-stop fee applies when a guaranteed stop triggers, deposit or withdrawal charges can apply under provider terms, as XTB's USD 30 charge on withdrawals below USD 50 shows, and market data charges can also apply under provider terms. A minimum deposit belongs in this section only as a funding term. It is not a safe trade size, and the smallest minimum on this list carries the same leveraged loss mechanics as the largest.

AED funding and currency conversion

Four currencies can differ on one route: the currency you deposit, the base currency of the trading account, the currency in which the product settles, and the currency your withdrawal arrives in. Evidence about the first step proves nothing about the other three, and AED bank funding does not prove that the trading account or the product settles in AED.

The current evidence splits the list. IG's funding page shows AED bank funding. Capital.com lists an AED 80 or USD 20 card minimum; its general funding schedule also lists EUR 20 and GBP 20. ADSS may support AED depending on the account. XTB's UAE account page shows USD deposits. Wherever the currencies differ at any step, conversion can apply: at deposit, inside the account on realised results and adjustments, or on the withdrawal back to your UAE bank.

CFDs versus owning the asset

A CFD gives you a leveraged position on a market's price without ownership of the underlying asset. A share CFD carries no shareholding, long and short positions can both lose money, and the structure is built for leveraged trading rather than for holding anything over years.

Readers who want to own the underlying asset, or who want a low-maintenance long-term holding, are outside this product category. Our comparison of the best stock brokers in the UAE covers providers built for ownership, and it is the better starting point for that goal.

UAE tax in outline

The UAE does not levy personal income tax on individuals. The Federal Tax Authority states that a natural person falls within UAE Corporate Tax only when the person conducts a UAE business or business activity and the relevant annual turnover exceeds AED 1 million, and it excludes wages, personal investment income, and real estate investment income from business activities for that test.

Whether leveraged derivative activity counts as personal investment income or business activity depends on the facts of the individual case, and this guide does not decide your position. Another country can also hold tax rights over you based on residence, domicile, source, or other rules. UAE CFD profits are therefore not universally tax free, and a qualified tax adviser, not a broker comparison, is the right place to settle your individual position.

A neutral provider selection checklist

Run every shortlisted provider, including the five above, through the same eight checks before you sign anything.

• Legal entity: the name in the client agreement matches the entity you researched.
• Regulator: the licence or reference number appears on the regulator's own register.
• Product issuer: you know which firm issues the CFD, especially where an arranger sits in the middle.
• Platform: the interface you plan to use is available on that specific account.
• Total cost: spread, any commission, overnight funding, conversion, deposit and withdrawal charges, and any guaranteed-stop fee.
• Funding route: the currency and method you will use, with any minimum read as a funding term.
• Withdrawal route: the currency, charges, and thresholds on the path back to your UAE bank.
• Market specification: the contract details for each instrument you plan to trade, taken from the entity's own documents.

You can run these criteria across providers with BrokerMatch, which organises the same entity-first checks side by side so you can compare terms in one place.

Frequently asked questions

Which legal entity will hold my account?

The entity named in your client agreement. Across this list that can mean Capital Com MENA Securities Trading L.L.C., IG Limited or Bermuda-based IG International, XTB MENA Limited, a Pepperstone firm depending on its role, or ADS Securities L.L.C S.P.C. The agreement carries the answer, and it can differ from the name on a marketing page.

Does the UAE entity or an international entity issue the CFD?

Not always the same firm. At Pepperstone, UAE clients are covered by the CMA-licensed Pepperstone Financial Services LLC, while the DFSA-regulated DIFC company serves professional clients only, and IG's application can place you with Bermuda-based IG International rather than the DFSA firm. Check which firm issues the product in your agreement, because the issuer's terms govern the CFD.

Does AED funding mean the account and trade settle in AED?

No. AED bank funding is evidence about the deposit route only. The account base currency, the settlement of the product, and the withdrawal currency are separate questions, and conversion can apply wherever they differ.

Which fees can apply beyond the spread?

A separate commission depending on provider, account, and market, overnight funding on relevant positions, currency conversion where currencies differ, deposit or withdrawal charges under provider terms, a guaranteed-stop fee when a guaranteed stop triggers, and market data charges under provider terms.

What happens to withdrawals routed to a UAE bank?

The outcome depends on your account currency and your bank currency. Conversion can apply where they differ, and provider terms can add a charge, as XTB's USD 30 charge on withdrawals below USD 50 shows. Read the withdrawal section of the terms attached to your entity before you fund.

Does buying a share CFD mean I own the share?

No. A share CFD gives you a leveraged position on the share's price without a shareholding, and any dividend-related amounts on a CFD arise from the contract terms rather than from ownership rights.

What protection applies if the broker or issuer fails?

Protection depends on the legal entity that holds your account and on your client classification. Negative balance treatment, margin-closeout terms, and complaint or compensation routes differ across the entities in this guide, and no blanket claim covers every UAE account. Read the client agreement and the regulator's register entry for your specific entity.

Does the UAE tax CFD profits for an individual?

The UAE levies no personal income tax on individuals, and the Federal Tax Authority applies Corporate Tax to a natural person only for a UAE business or business activity with relevant annual turnover above AED 1 million, excluding wages, personal investment income, and real estate investment income from that test. Whether your CFD activity is personal investment or business depends on your facts, and another country can hold tax rights over you, so the answer is not a universal no.

Conclusion

Capital.com is the featured provider in this comparison, delivered through Capital Com MENA Securities Trading L.L.C. under CMA licence 20200000176, with more than 5,000 markets, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and TradingView beside its own platforms, and card funding from USD 20 or AED 80.

The rest of the list serves different needs. A single clear DFSA entity with no stated minimum points to XTB. The widest market range points to IG, provided you confirm the entity your application assigns. Readers specifically comparing cTrader can include Pepperstone, read alongside its CMA and DFSA structure. A UAE-based CMA firm with its own platform points to ADSS, at a USD 100 public minimum.

Readers weighing non-CFD services can start with our broader UAE broker guide. Whoever you shortlist, the entity in the client agreement, and not the brand above it, defines your account, your costs, and your protections.

If Capital.com matches your checklist on entity, platforms, and funding, you can visit Capital.com to read the current client agreement and fee schedule before you commit funds.

Capital.com UAE key information

Capital Com MENA Securities Trading L.L.C.
CMA licence 20200000176

Market range5,000+ markets

FundingAED 80 or USD/EUR/GBP 20

PricingNo separate dealing commission (Other fees apply)

Other fees apply: spreads, overnight funding, currency conversion, and conditional order or funding charges under the account terms.

Visit Capital.com

Over-the-counter leveraged derivative contracts, including contracts for difference and spot foreign exchange products are complex financial instruments and carries a high degree of risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Trading Over-the-Counter leveraged derivatives may not be suitable for all investors. Before engaging in any trading activities, you should carefully consider your investment objectives, risk tolerance, and financial situation. Please seek independent financial advice before trading if necessary.

Advertisement Feature. Capital.com paid for placement as the featured provider. MatchMyBroker may receive compensation if you use an affiliate link. This content is for information and does not assess your personal circumstances.

Over-the-counter leveraged derivative contracts, including contracts for difference and spot foreign exchange products are complex financial instruments and carries a high degree of risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Trading Over-the-Counter leveraged derivatives may not be suitable for all investors. Before engaging in any trading activities, you should carefully consider your investment objectives, risk tolerance, and financial situation. Please seek independent financial advice before trading if necessary.