Best CFD brokers in the UAE compared
| Broker | UAE licence | Swap-free for UAE residents | Minimum deposit | Trading commission |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperstone | DFSA (DIFC), F004356 | No (the UAE is not on its swap-free list) | $10 | Depends on account type |
| Capital.com | UAE CMA Category One dealing licence, No. 20200000176 (no DFSA licence) | Yes | $20 | None |
| XS | UAE CMA Category 5 (arrangement and advice), No. 20200000339; not a retail trading licence | Yes | None (Standard account) | None (Standard account) |
Pepperstone, Capital.com and XS are our partners. We may earn a commission if you open an account through our links. That does not change the facts in this table.
Pepperstone
Partner · DFSA licenceDFSA-licensed in the DIFC, $10 minimum deposit, MetaTrader 4 and 5, cTrader and TradingView.
Open a Pepperstone accountPepperstone serves UAE retail clients through its firm in the Dubai International Financial Centre, licensed by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA, F004356). It also answers to six other retail regulators: ASIC, the FCA, CySEC, BaFin, the SCB in the Bahamas and CMA Kenya. The minimum deposit is $10, and you can trade on MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader or TradingView.
One limit matters in the UAE. Pepperstone offers its swap-free account only in a list of eligible countries, and the UAE is not on that list.
Capital.com
Partner · UAE CMA licenceUAE CMA dealing licence, $20 minimum deposit, no trading commission, swap-free and AED accounts.
Open a Capital.com accountCapital.com is licensed onshore in the UAE. Its local firm, Capital Com MENA Securities Trading LLC, holds a Category One dealing licence from the UAE Capital Market Authority (formerly SCA), No. 20200000176. It does not hold a DFSA licence. The group is also regulated by the FCA, CySEC and ASIC.
The minimum deposit is $20. There is no trading commission and there are no deposit, withdrawal or account fees. You can trade on the Capital.com web platform and app, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 (Expert Advisors supported) or TradingView. UAE residents can open a swap-free account and hold it in dirhams (AED). Withdrawals are processed within 24 hours; when the money arrives depends on the payment method.
XS
Partner · No minimum depositNo minimum deposit or commission on the Standard account, MetaTrader 4 and 5, swap-free account.
Open an XS accountXS was established in Australia in 2010. It works through eight entities, licensed by ASIC, CySEC, the FSCA in South Africa, the FSA in Seychelles, the LFSA in Labuan, the FSC in Mauritius and the UAE CMA, plus a commercial licence in Kuwait. Its UAE CMA licence (No. 20200000339) is Category 5, which covers arrangement and advice. It is not a retail trading licence, so check which XS entity your account opens under.
Spreads start from 0.1 pips on EUR/USD on the Elite account ($6 round-turn commission, $500 minimum), and the Standard account has no minimum deposit and no commission. You trade on MetaTrader 4 or MetaTrader 5, and a swap-free account is available.
How to choose a CFD broker in the UAE
- Check the licence yourself. Search the firm's legal name on the regulator's own register: the UAE Capital Market Authority (formerly SCA) for onshore firms, and the DFSA register for firms in the DIFC. Look at the licence category too. A dealing licence for retail clients is not the same as a licence for arrangement and advice.
- Confirm the legal entity. Your account opens with one company in the group. That company's regulator sets your protections and your leverage limits.
- Read the swap-free terms. If you need an Islamic account, check that the broker offers it to UAE residents and whether any fee replaces the overnight swap.
- Add up the full cost. Compare the spread, any commission, overnight financing and any account fees, not just one of them.
- Pick your platform. MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, TradingView or the broker's own app: make sure the one you use is offered.
- Check deposits and withdrawals in dirhams. Ask whether you can hold an AED account, which payment methods work from a UAE bank, and how long withdrawals take.
What a CFD is, and the risk
A contract for difference (CFD) is an agreement with a broker to settle the change in an asset's price. It gives you exposure to the price of a share, index, currency or commodity without owning it. CFDs use leverage: you put down only part of the position's value as margin, so a small price move becomes a large gain or a large loss compared with your deposit.
Most retail CFD accounts lose money. Brokers publish the share of their own retail accounts that lose money; read that figure on the broker's website before you open an account. If you want to own shares rather than trade their price, read CFDs versus owning shares.
Islamic (swap-free) CFD accounts in the UAE
A swap-free account removes the overnight swap, the interest-based charge or credit on positions held past the daily close. Some brokers charge a fixed fee instead or limit how long a position can stay open, so read the account terms.
Capital.com and XS offer swap-free accounts to UAE residents. Pepperstone does not: its swap-free account is limited to a list of eligible countries, and the UAE is not on it. That is one reason traders in the UAE who want an Islamic account choose Capital.com.
We describe swap-free accounts as a product feature only. Whether a particular account meets your religious requirements is a question for a qualified scholar.
More from the UAE
Buying US shares rather than trading CFDs? See how to buy US stocks from the United Arab Emirates, which covers brokers, tax and funding. For a wider list of share CFD brokers, see best US share CFD brokers.