Best Forex Brokers in United Arab Emirates for 2025

IG is the best forex broker in the UAE in 2025. When considering all forex brokers licensed by the DFSA, FSRA, or SCA (and that accept residents of the UAE), IG stands out as the clear favorite. IG delivers excellent trading platforms, a suite of powerful mobile apps, top-notch research, and the highest attainable Trust Score for a forex broker. With its wide range of currency pairs and a vast selection of tradeable markets, IG is our top pick for investors based in the UAE.

Check out a gallery of screenshots from IG's trading platforms, taken by our research team during our product testing.

Saxo is my pick for the best forex trading platform provider in Dubai in 2025, when considering all forex brokers regulated in the UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA) and that accept residents. Saxo’s platform suite (SaxoTraderGO for web and mobile and SaxoTraderPRO for desktop) strikes a near-perfect balance of ease-of-use and advanced features, creating a rich trading experience for traders of all experience levels. Learn more about why I rate Saxo’s trading platforms so highly by checking out my review of Saxo.

Browse a gallery of screenshots from Saxo's trading platforms, taken by our research team during our product testing.

IG’s mobile app, IG Trading, is the best forex app in the UAE, winning our 2025 Annual Award for #1 Mobile App. It does a great job juggling between ease of use while still providing advanced features, offering top-tier charting with 30 technical indicators, 20 drawing tools, and seamless syncing with the web platform. Traders also get real-time news from Reuters, signals from Autochartist, and a well-designed layout for smooth navigation. While it lacks predefined watchlists, its powerful charting and research tools make it the top choice for mobile traders in Dubai.

Yes, the MetaTrader platform, including MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), is legal and available to residents of the UAE – provided your forex broker is regulated locally (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA). If you are looking for the best forex broker in the UAE for MetaTrader users, our top pick is Pepperstone.

IG is the best forex broker for beginners in 2025, due to its vast selection of educational resources, which include guided courses that allow you to chart your own progress as you learn about forex and CFD trading. DailyFx – IG’s in-house content developer – produces a healthy variety of informative articles and videos, and IG has even developed its own standalone mobile app (in addition to its award-winning IG Trading app) that is exclusively dedicated to teaching beginners the ins and outs of the financial markets.

Residents can verify authorization directly with the SCA, DFSA, or FSRA by checking the public registers on their official websites. It’s important to confirm that a broker is properly licensed before opening an account.

• SCA website: https://www.sca.gov.ae
• DFSA website: https://www.dfsa.ae
• FSRA (ADGM) website: https://www.adgm.com

Forex traders in the UAE benefit from a variety of regulatory safeguards provided by the country’s three main authorities: the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA). Each regulator enforces rules around leverage, client-money protections, risk disclosures, and negative balance protection. All three issue investor alerts and provide mechanisms for filing complaints or resolving disputes with licensed firms.

The SCA, which supervises markets across the UAE mainland, has put out numerous warnings for investors to avoid dealing with brokers that aren’t licensed in the UAE, and has taken enforcement action against licensed brokers in cases of violations. The SCA also provides a complaints submission service for disputes that cannot be resolved directly with a broker.

The UAE’s tri-peak regulatory structure works as follows: the SCA regulates financial markets on the UAE mainland, the DFSA oversees firms in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), and the FSRA supervises firms in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). In addition, the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) regulates monetary policy and the broader banking system.

According to public records, the DFSA regulated over 600 financial institutions as of mid-2023, while the SCA supervised more than 120 licensed firms, including 14 brokers that were subject to compliance inspections in its latest annual report. The FSRA also licenses a growing number of firms in the ADGM, reinforcing the UAE’s reputation as a well-regulated and trusted hub for forex and financial markets.

Yes. If you reside in Dubai or anywhere in the UAE, you can legally trade forex with brokers that are properly licensed and regulated by either the DFSA, FSRA, or SCA. Brokers in the DIFC are overseen by the DFSA, those in ADGM by the FSRA, and brokers outside these free zones by the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA). It’s also worth noting that the Central Bank of the UAE regulates monetary policy and banking, but forex brokers themselves fall under one of the three main regulators.

The UAE’S financial markets

Forex traders may recognize the dirham (AED) as the national currency of the United Arab Emirates. Though comprised of seven separate emirates, the main financial centers of the UAE are undisputedly Abu Dhabi and Dubai. As such, the UAE features two primary financial securities exchanges: the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX), and the Dubai Financial Market (DFM).

The ADX, based in Abu Dhabi, was established in the year 2000 and operates as a market for trading securities while also being vested with certain supervisory powers. One of the largest markets in the Arab world, the ADX offers shares, bonds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and other SCA-approved financial instruments. The DFM, based in Dubai, functions as a secondary market for trading securities, bonds, mutual funds, as well as other local or foreign DFM-approved financial instruments.

The UAE’s regulatory landscape follows a three-peak structure. The Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) oversees markets and financial firms on the UAE mainland, including the ADX and DFM. Within Dubai, the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) regulates firms based in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), while in Abu Dhabi, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) supervises firms operating in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). Each regulator provides licensing frameworks for forex and CFD brokers, enforcing rules on leverage, client-money protections, and investor safeguards.

The Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) regulates monetary policy and the banking sector across the country. Taken together, the SCA, DFSA, and FSRA form the backbone of forex and financial market regulation in the UAE, with the CBUAE focusing on banks and payment providers.

Interactive Brokers offers some of the lowest forex spreads in the UAE, with an average spread of just 0.25 pips on EUR/USD (August 2025) and an all-in cost as low as 0.65 pips when factoring in commissions. Unlike market-making brokers, IBKR operates an agency execution model, sourcing prices from top liquidity providers to ensure tight spreads. While its per-trade commissions may not suit low-budget traders, high-volume traders can unlock additional discounts, making it one of the most cost-effective forex brokers in the region. Learn more by reading my review of Interactive Brokers.

If you want to start trading forex in the United Arab Emirates, it’s important to choose a broker that is well-regulated and licensed by the SCA, DFSA, or FSRA. While this list isn’t exhaustive (not every trader’s needs are the same), here are five general steps to get started:

1. Choose a regulated forex broker. Make sure your broker is licensed with the SCA, DFSA, or FSRA. This helps reduce your risk of falling victim to forex scams
2. Use a free demo account before trading real money. Learn how the platform works and practice execution before committing funds. A free demo account is a great way to experiment with managing open orders and placing trades – without risking real money.
3. Develop a trading plan. Define your risk tolerance, trade size, and goals.
4. Learn to identify trading opportunities. Use technical analysis, research, and signals to refine your strategy.
5. Test with real money. Start small with capital you can afford to lose, and scale up only after gaining confidence.

Forex Risk Disclaimer

There is a very high degree of risk involved in trading securities. With respect to margin-based foreign exchange trading, off-exchange derivatives, and cryptocurrencies, there is considerable exposure to risk, including but not limited to, leverage, creditworthiness, limited regulatory protection and market volatility that may substantially affect the price, or liquidity of a currency or related instrument. It should not be assumed that the methods, techniques, or indicators presented in these products will be profitable, or that they will not result in losses. Read more on forex trading risks.