Our picks of the Best UAE CFD Trading Platforms Reviewed
Good Money Guide Shortlisted Our Featured CFD Brokers Based On:
- Over 30,000 votes and reviews in the annual Good Money Guide awards
- Our team’s experiences testing the UAE CFD trading platforms with real money
- In-depth comparison of the features that make these Dubai CFD brokers the best
- Exclusive interviews with the CFD brokers CEOs and senior management
- Find out more about our review process in the How We Test Providers page.
Summary:
In recent years many well-known CFD brokers have established a presence in the UAE. You can use our trading platform comparison tables to compare pricing on the most popular traded instruments in Dubai and Abu Dhabi like Gold and Oil. You can also rank, brokers by what account types they offer and how many markets they offer access to.
- Forex.com: Best for trading signals
- Pepperstone: Best for MT4 CFDs
- Plus500: Trading on Major Markets
- IG: Best broker for liquidity
- CMC Markets: Best trading platform
- Saxo Markets: Best for direct market access
Forex.com: Best UAE CFD broker for trading signals
👍Featured👍
- CFD markets available: 5,000
- Minimum deposit: $1
Forex.com UAE CFD Trading Review
Name: Forex.com UAE CFD Trading
Description: Forex.com is a global provider of CFDs and other trading instruments. CFD traders in Dubai can access a wide range of CFDs on various asset classes, including stocks, indices, commodities and forex. Forex.com provides competitive pricing, tight spreads, and a user-friendly trading platform for executing CFD trades. But what makes Forex.com stand out are the SMARTSignals and performance analytics that can help CFD trading become more profitable.
Summary
Overall, an excellent CFD trading platform with lots of markets 25 commodities, with spreads as low as 0.8 for gold trading and 0.3 for crude oil. If you are a forex trader, then Forex.com’s trading signals, platform and trading performance data make it one of the best platforms for currency trading.
- DFSA Reference Number: F000542
- UAE Address: Forex.com (StoneX): Office 48D Almas Tower Jumeirah Lakes Towers PO Box 125942 Dubai, UAE
Pros
- Trading Signals
- Post Trade Analytics
- Forex Specialists
Cons
- Limited Market Range
- No DMA
-
Pricing
(4)
-
Market Access
(4.5)
-
Online Platform
(4.5)
-
Customer Service
(4)
-
Research & Analysis
(4)
Overall
4.2Pepperstone: Best UAE CFD broker for MT4
👍Featured👍
- CFD markets available: 1,200
- Minimum deposit: $1
Pepperstone UAE CFD Trading Review
Name: Pepperstone UAE CFD Trading
Description: Pepperstone announced in June 2020 that it had obtained a Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) license to expand its CFD brokers services in the Middle East and Dubai. Led by Tarik Chebib, who has prior experience setting up similar CFD trading services operations in the region.
Summary
Pepperstone focus on MT4 and automated trading strategies and cater to high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) in the Gulf states and the wider Middle East, who want to trade CFD on popular local markets like Oil and Gold as well as the most popular international indic
- DFSA Reference Number: F004356
- UAE Address: Pepperstone Financial Services (DIFC) Limited – Office 1502, Al Fattan Currency House, Tower 2 – Dubai – United Arab Emirates
Pros
- Tight pricing
- Wide range of MT4 markets
- Pre-built MT4 indicator packages
Cons
- Limited market access
- Only third-party platforms
-
Pricing
(4.5)
-
Market Access
(3.5)
-
Online Platform
(4)
-
Customer Service
(4)
-
Research & Analysis
(4)
Overall
4Plus500: UAE CFD Trading on Major Markets
👍Featured👍
- Markets available: 2,000
- Minimum deposit: $100
Plus500 Review
Name: Plus500
Description: Plus500 is an online trading company that operates in more than 50 countries worldwide. Founded in 2008, it has more than 26 million customers today.
Plus500 is headquartered in Israel, however, it’s listed in the UK on the London Stock Exchange (it’s a member of the FTSE 250 index). Here in Britain, its platform is operated by Plus500UK Ltd, which has offices in London.
In the UK, you can only trade CFDs with Plus500. CFDs are financial instruments that allow you to profit from the price movements of a security without owning the underlying security itself.
80% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Is Plus500 a good broker?
Overall, Plus500 is a good online trading platform for traders who do not want to do anything more complicated than buy and sell CFDs. The broker does provide sentiment indicators and are quite transparent with costs and fees. In summary:
- Plus500 is a trading platform that offers CFDs.
- You can trade a range of assets on Plus500 including stocks, indices, and currencies.
- There are no commissions when placing a CFD trade on the Plus500 platform but there are some other fees to be aware of.
- The platform offers a range of features including a demo account, alerts, market news, and an economic calendar.
- There are platforms that offer more markets than Plus500.
Pros
- With Plus500, you can trade CFDs on a range of assets including shares, currencies, indices, and ETFs.
- There are no commissions when placing a CFD trade on Plus500’s platform.
- Plus500 offers a range of features to help traders navigate the markets and capitalise on opportunities including charting tools, alerts, an economic calendar, and market news.
Cons
- Other platforms offer more markets than Plus500.
- You can only trade CFDs on the platform (you can’t invest in stocks directly).
- You can’t contact the company by telephone if you require support.
-
Pricing
(4.5)
-
Market Access
(4.5)
-
Online Platform
(4)
-
Customer Service
(4)
-
Research & Analysis
(4)
Overall
4.2IG: Best UAE CFD broker for liquidity
- CFD markets available: 17,000
- Minimum deposit: $250
IG UAE CFD Trading Review
Name: IG UAE CFD Trading
Description: IG, a global provider of CFD trading services, opened an office in Dubai in 2008. This expansion allowed IG to establish a physical presence in the region and cater to the needs of traders and investors in Dubai and the wider Middle East. With the Dubai office, IG can provide local support to CFD traders, personalized service, and tailored contracts-for-difference trading solutions to clients in the region.
Summary
Overall a good CFD broker for UAE traders who want deep liquidity on a wide range of markets. Plus their expansion into the UAE demonstrated IG’s commitment to serving the growing demand for online trading services in Dubai and further solidified its position as a leading broker in the industry.
- DFSA Reference Number: F001780
- UAE Address: IG Limited – Level 27, Currency House – Tower 2, Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai, 506968, United Arab Emirates
Pros
- Wide market range
- Excellent liquidity & DMA equities
- Listed on the London Stock Exchange
Cons
- Customer service can be slow
- No DMA futures trading
-
Pricing
(4)
-
Market Access
(4)
-
Online Platform
(4)
-
Customer Service
(4)
-
Research & Analysis
(4)
Overall
4CMC Markets: Best UAE CFD broker trading platform
- CFD markets available: 12,000
- Minimum deposit: $1
CMC Markets UAE CFD Trading Review
Name: CMC Markets UAE CFD Trading
Description: CMC Markets started offering CFDs (Contracts for Difference) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2019. This allowed traders in the UAE to access a wide range of CFD products, including indices, commodities, forex, and more, through CMC Markets’ online trading platform.
Summary
A good CFD broker for traders who want a sophisticated and fast trading platform with unique sentiment trading tools.
CMC Markets Connect, established its physical presence in the UAE in 2019 and rebranded in January 2021. With the expanded office, CMC Markets aims to continue building its reputation in the Middle East and support its existing clients in the region. Richard Elston, the Group Head of Institutional at CMC Markets Connect, expressed confidence in the new office, highlighting the UAE’s growth as a global financial hub.
- DFSA Reference Number: F002740
- UAE Address: CMC Markets Middle East Limited. Unit 2903, Level 29, ICD Brookfield Place, DIFC, PO Box 507183, Dubai, UAE
Pros
- Excellent trading platform
- Good liquidity
- Unique sentiment tools
Cons
- Trading only, no investing account
- Limited smaller cap stocks
-
Pricing
(4)
-
Market Access
(4)
-
Online Platform
(4)
-
Customer Service
(4)
-
Research & Analysis
(4)
Overall
4Saxo Markets: Best UAE CFD broker for direct market access
- CFD markets available: 9,000
- Minimum deposit: $1
70% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider
Saxo Markets UAE CFD Trading Review
Name: Saxo Markets UAE CFD Trading
Description: Saxo Bank offers CFD trading in Dubai where traders can access over 8,800 instruments, including single stocks, indices, forex, commodities, options, and bonds. Saxo’s CFD trading platform provides ultra-competitive pricing with tight spreads and low commissions.
Summary
SaxoTraderGO, offers charting with 50+ technical indicators, integrated Trade Signals, and innovative risk-management features. Key to Saxo’s UAE offering is that Saxo Bank has a strong reputation with over 30 years of experience, serving 1,000,000 satisfied customers.
- DFSA Reference Number: F001014
- UAE Address: Saxo Bank (Dubai) Ltd. Boulevard Plaza – Tower 1 30th floor, office 3002 Dubai Downtown, Burj Khalifa area Dubai, UAE
Pros
- Direct market access
- Low commissions
- Robust trading platform
Cons
- See as a trading platform for professionals
-
Pricing
(4)
-
Market Access
(4)
-
Online Platform
(4.5)
-
Customer Service
(4)
-
Research & Analysis
(4)
Overall
4.1Compare CFD Brokers in the UAE (Dubai & Abu Dhabi)
Use our comparison tables to compare the best United Arab Emirates CFD brokers. Choose or switch to a CFD broker that offers the most markets, best pricing and client security.
| UAE CFD Broker | Markets Available | Minimum Deposit | Our Rating | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5,000 | $1 | See Platform | |
 | 1,200 | $1 | See Platform | |
| 2,000 | $100 | See Platform | |
| 17,000 | $250 | See Platform | |
| 12,000 | $1 | See Platform | |
| 9,000 | $1 | See Platform |
UAE CFD Broker FAQs:
Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions by people searching for the best CFD brokers in Dubai and UAE.
Yes, Dubai & The UAE has been trying to establish itself as a financial trading centre for much of the last decade, it is now generating some traction, as the collective of small middle eastern states evolves into more than just a holiday destination or long haul stopover.
The UAE or the United Arab Emirates is composed of seven emirates, the two largest and most well-known being Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
There are approximately 1.40 million emiratees and some 7.80 million ex-pats, spread across the seven micro-states, which occupy an area of 32,300 square miles.
The principal regulator is the DFSA, the Dubai Financial Services Authority which regulates financial businesses, based in Dubai’s special economic zone.
Which is centred around the Dubai International Finacial Centre or DIFC. This special economic zone consists of 272 acres of commercial real estate, which houses hundreds of financial institutions, that operate under a tax and business-friendly regime.
More than 25,000 finance professionals work within the DIFC for over 2500 companies, details about those companies can be checked on the DIFC public register which can be found on their website.
The DFSA oversees the special economic zone and the businesses within it, including asset managers, insurers, banks and credit service providers, brokers, fund managers and custodians.
The DFSA enforces anti-money laundering regulations and has the power to investigate the activities of companies on the DIFC register.
Yes. The regulator has also introduced negative balance protection for the retail clients, of the CFD brokers it regulates, limiting a client’s maximum loss to the balance of funds on their account
And at the same time, the DFSA has imposed an automatic close out rule whereby open positions are closed if a client’s equity falls below 50% of their margin requirement.
CFD trading is very popular in Dubai. The UAE has been trying to establish itself as a financial trading centre for much of the last decade, it is now generating some traction, as the collective of small middle eastern states evolves into more than just a holiday destination or long haul stopover.
The UAE or the United Arab Emirates is composed of seven emirates, the two largest and most well-known being Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
There are approximately 1.40 million emiratees and some 7.80 million ex-pats, spread across the seven micro-states, which occupy an area of 32,300 square miles.
IG offers the most markets to UAE traders, with over 17,000 tradable instruments. Followed closely by City Index’s 12,000, although City Index also has some excellent added value trader tools like SMART signals and performance analytics.
Saxo Markets offers the most account types for trading in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, including direct market access futures and options.
Yes. We have extensively tested each of the brokers in this list, interviewed the CEOs and analysed the key data points that make trading platforms stand out. You ca see what others think of them and read our full reviews of the individual trading platforms here
- City Index review
- IG review
- CMC Markets review
- Pepperstone review
- Saxo Markets review
- Interactive Brokers review
- Spreadex review
- Markets.com review
- XTB review
- eToro review
- Plus500 review
- Capital.com review
If you would like to see what we think of each trading platform for specific products you can read our CFD broker reviews, or our forex trading platform reviews.
It is possible to be classified as a professional client of a Dubai based broker.
Though to qualify for that designation you will need to meet some quite stringent criteria, including having a portfolio with an unencumbered value of US $1.0 million or greater.
You should be able to demonstrate that you have made 40 or more significant leveraged trades over the last year.
Each of these trades should have had a minimum notional value of US $50,000.
Alternatively, you will need to have worked in a relevant professional position in a DFSA regulated firm, within the DIFC. Or, at an overseas firm regulated by an equivalent body, such as the FCA or ESMA etc, and have done so within the last two years.
Professional clients in Dubai are not subject to the DFSA margin restrictions however and they can receive volume-related rebates on their trading activities.
The principal stock exchange in the UAE is the ADX which is based in Abu Dhabi, the Emirates capital.
ADX was founded in November 2000 and is now the second-largest stock market in the Arab region, and offers trading in stocks, bonds, ETFs, and other instruments approved by the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority.
The exchange operates a main market for blue-chip stocks, alongside a growth section and a newly established derivatives market, that currently trades equity futures.
Index futures and other derivatives are due to be introduced as this section of the ADX exchange expands.
Non UAE residents can open a trading account with a regulated broker in the UAE, however, those brokers are not allowed to openly solicit business from UK nationals.
