Best Cryptocurrency Exchanges UAE & Dubai

Is eToro good for investing in crypto?

Yes, I’d say that eToro is a good crypto broker as they are they are regulated by the FCA for cryptocurrency activities. I’d say that eToro is better than Binance and Coinbase for crypto trading for the average investor, but for those who want more exotic cryptos and are happy to take on more risk a specialised crypto exchange may be more suitable.

2025 Awards: Best Cryptocurrency Broker

Market Access: eToro has quite a diversified range of markets to trade, so if crypto only forms a small part of your investing portfolio (as it should do)  you can also invest in other things like UK and US stocks and ETFs.

App & Online Platform:  You can withdraw cryptocurrency from eToro instead of keeping it on their trading platform, this is particularly important if you want to keep safe custody of your cryptocurrency so you don’t need to worry about, yet another crypto broker going bust.

Customer Service: Very good, you get an answer pretty quickly if you have any questions and if you accoutn is big enough you’ll get a personal account manager to help with any issues.

Research & Analysis: The social crypto trading feature is what makes eToro stand out. It’s really interesting to see what others are trading and why.

Pricing: There is a downside though to trading crypto through eToro and that’s the fees, they charge 1% commission, But this is still cheaper than Revolut and Coinbase. Generally, eToro is quite an expensive broker for crypto. eToro is expensive for crypto because quite they do at least some vetting before (as their UK MD told me) they add them to the platform, so you have a smaller chance of being caught up in a crypto pump-and-dump scam.

eToro is an FCA-regulated trading and investment platform that was founded in 2007 and currently has over 35 million registered users worldwide.

There are several benefits of buying crypto through eToro. One is that the platform has a really simple design and is therefore easy to navigate.

Another is that it offers access to a wide range of crypto-assets. Through eToro, you can invest in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cardano, and many other digital assets.

Additionally, eToro offers access to a range of crypto-based ‘Smart Portfolios’ such as CryptoPortfolio and CryptoEqual. These are essentially ready-made portfolios (they contain a mix of different crypto-assets) and they can be well suited to beginners.

It’s worth pointing out that to invest in crypto via eToro, you have to complete a short questionnaire to prove that you understand the risks. But this is relatively straightforward.

As for fees, eToro charges 1% for buying and selling crypto. So, for example, if you were to buy $2,000 worth of Bitcoin, the fee would be $20.

61% 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

eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk.

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 76% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Past performance is not an indication of future results. Trading history presented is less than 5 complete years and may not suffice as basis for investment decision.

Copy Trading does not amount to investment advice.  The value of your investments may go up or down.  Your capital is at risk.

Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more

eToro USA LLC does not offer CFDs and makes no representation and assumes no liability as to the accuracy or completeness of the content of this publication, which has been prepared by our partner utilizing publicly available non-entity specific information about eToro.

Is Capital.com any good for trading?

Capital.com has a user friendly and intuitive trading platform and app, that gives access to the most popular financial markets with competitive spreads with the ability to reduce risk by decreasing your leverage. Trading via the app has always been capital.com’s forte, and in 202, it won our award for “best trading app” not in part due to the fact that the company CTO has extensive experience in building engaging apps like Candy Crush.

What makes Capital.com different? Thumbs up, literally

Do you know what one of the most impressive thing about Capital.com is? They put the buy and sell buttons at the bottom of the app.

I don’t mean that in a facetious way, it’s genuinely a brilliant feature.

This may not sound like much but it’s a good example of how Capital.com has integrated decades of analytics, experience, feedback and customer data into creating a very easy-to-use intuitive trading app from scratch.

When Capital.com first became authorised by the FCA back in 2018, I visited their offices in London to have a chat about what they offer. The two main things we discussed were button placement and AI.

Trading App

But anyway, if you’ve updated your iPhone to the latest iOS you’ll notice that Apple has started moving things to the bottom of the screen, the search bar for instance. This is because, phones are getting bigger, and your thumb can’t reach the top of the screen if you are holding it with one hand. This is something that Capital.com figured out would make trading easier 5 years ago. I’ve just been through a bunch of other trading apps on my phone and still, amazingly enough, none of the other brokers have done this yet.

Capital.com was also the first to integrate artificial intelligence to help you improve your trading, they say, based on the Martingale theory. When I spoke to Chris Demetriou, the head of sales in the UK, he said that the system should give you prompts based on your previous trades. So for example, if you are about to do a trade that is similar to ones you have constantly lost on before, you should get a “are you sure you want to do this” notification.

Leverage Control

Everybody knows, that one of the main reasons people lose money when trading is overleverage. This could be either from not having enough free cash on account to give your position breathing space, or simply putting on trades that are too risky. One really good feature is that you can change your leverage based on asset class. The default leverage is the max that retail traders in the UK are permitted, but you can change this to 1:1 so you need to fully pay up for positions. A sensible thing to do if you are just getting started, which can help reduce excessive losses. As your experience grows you can increase your leverage accordingly.

Hedging

You can also set the platform to put on hedging positions, so you can be long and short the same thing at the same time. Why you ask? Well, it can help you run longer-term positions and short-term hedges. This in fact is the very point of CFDs. They were originally hedging tools, and still a good way to protect your long-term investment portfolio against short-term market corrections without having to close off your positions.

Customer Support

Customer support is pretty good too, you can get in touch via the chat widget on the platform, whatsapp or telegram. When I tested it I got a response within a minute and the issue I had was dealt with quickly (uploading ID to verify my account if you must know).

TradingView

You can’t trade from the charts, but when you have open positions they are overlayed along with your stops and limits, which you can move by dragging and dropping. But, if charting is your thing, you can join the other 78,000 Capital.com customers using and trading from TradingView.

Proprietory Tech

One thing I quite like though is that instead of relying on third-party software, the Capital.com trading platform is built in-house, and if you want something you can ask for it. For example, previously on the app you could see where an asset is as a percentage relative to the daily range. But, a customer asked, if you could see it in points too. So, that was quickly integrated so that you can now toggle between percentages and points. A small thing, but indicative of a broker that can do things and does do things, rather than just logging a helpdesk ticket.

Refinitiv

There are no trading signals on the platform or app, but you do get access to Refinitiv reports on US stocks, which give you a good overview of historic and potential future financial health. A good feature for those looking at slightly longer-term positions.

Overnight funding

Talking of long positions, or longer long positions, Capital.com also display quite clearly what your overnight financing rates are going to be on a daily basis. I’m sure this is a regulatory obligation anyway, but it’s done in a way that you can actually see what the price is, rather than an opaque formula. It gives a bit more transparency about how much a position is going to cost you.

Investmate

If you are new to trading, they have a stand-alone app called Investmate, which puts you through a series of bitesize courses that explain the financial markets. Capital.com also own currency.com if you fancy a punt on crypto, and shares.com so we can expect to see more comprehensive physical investing options soon.

IBKR In The UAE

Interactive Brokers has recently opened an office in Dubai, as the UAE prime broker seeks to underpin its presence in the region and internationally.

The new Interactive Brokers Dubai office “will establish its presence in the Middle East”, the firm said in a statement today.

“Opening an office in DIFC underscores our commitment to focusing on clients in this important region and connecting investors worldwide to global markets,” said Interactive Brokers chief executive Milan Galik. 

“DIFC is quickly becoming a global financial hub known for embracing technology, and we are pleased to solidify our presence in the market and serve local investors.”

Several major hedge funds and other financial institutions have increased their presence in the United Arab Emirates, including Dubai, or relocated to the low-tax country entirely in recent years.

Among them is London-based hedge fund Brevan Howard,  which established an office Abu Dhabi last year.

The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) saw a 25% rise in registrations of new firms in 2023.

Interactive Brokers currently serves over three million clients in more than 200 countries and territories.  

Clients of the platform can trade on 150 markets to invest in global stocks, options, futures, currencies, bonds and funds.

The firm also offers a wealth management solution for financial advisers, as well as an advanced trading platform for institutions such as family offices, which have an increasingly strong presence in Dubai.

The Launch of the new Dubai office comes after the firm announced a partnership with Saudi Arabia’s  SNB Capital earlier this month.

The Interactive Brokers Saudi tie-up makes the trading platform the first global broker to allow foreign investors to directly own and trade securities listed on the Saudi stock exchange.