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best CFD brokers in UAE

Best CFD Brokers in UAE

The best CFD brokers in the UAE compared: XS, Pepperstone and Capital.com by UAE licence, swap-free accounts, minimum deposit, platforms and fees.

At a glance

The best CFD brokers in the UAE that we cover are XS, Pepperstone and Capital.com. Capital.com is the only one of the three with a UAE Capital Market Authority dealing licence (Category One, No. 20200000176), and it offers swap-free accounts and AED accounts to UAE residents from a $20 minimum deposit. Pepperstone is regulated in the Dubai International Financial Centre by the DFSA, and XS has no minimum deposit and no commission on its Standard account. CFDs are high risk, and most retail CFD accounts lose money.

  • Capital.com: UAE CMA Category One dealing licence No. 20200000176 (Capital Com MENA Securities Trading LLC), $20 minimum deposit, no trading commission, swap-free for UAE residents
  • Pepperstone: DFSA licence F004356 for the DIFC, $10 minimum deposit, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader and TradingView; its swap-free account is not offered to UAE residents
  • XS: no minimum deposit and no commission on the Standard account, spreads from 1.1 pips on EUR/USD, MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, swap-free option available
  • Check the licence yourself on the UAE CMA register, or the DFSA register for DIFC firms, and confirm which legal entity opens your account
  • Risk: leverage magnifies gains and losses; read each broker's own disclosed share of retail accounts that lose money

Best CFD brokers in UAE compared

The table compares the three brokers we cover on the points that matter most to UAE residents. The UAE's financial regulator, the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), is now called the Capital Market Authority (CMA). Firms inside the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) are regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) instead.

XS, Pepperstone and Capital.com for UAE residents

XS, Pepperstone and Capital.com for UAE residents
BrokerRegulatorsUAE licenceSwap-free for UAE residentsMinimum depositPlatformsTrading commission
XSASIC, CySEC, FSCA, FSA Seychelles, Labuan FSA, FSC Mauritius, UAE CMAUAE CMA licence No. 20200000339 for arrangement and advice (Category 5), not a retail trading licence; no DFSA licenceSwap-free option available; confirm the terms for your accountNo minimum (Standard account)MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5None on Standard; spreads from 1.1 pips on EUR/USD
PepperstoneASIC, FCA, CySEC, BaFin, DFSA, SCB, CMA KenyaDFSA licence F004356 for the DIFC; its UAE CMA licence is for arrangement and advice to professional clients, not retail tradingNo: the UAE is not on its eligible-country list$10MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, TradingViewNone on Standard (spread-only); per-lot commission on Razor
Capital.comFCA, CySEC, ASIC, UAE CMAUAE CMA Category One dealing licence No. 20200000176 (Capital Com MENA Securities Trading LLC); no DFSA licenceYes$20Capital.com web and app, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingViewNone; no deposit, withdrawal or account fees

XS

XS was established in Australia in 2010 and works through eight licensed entities, including ASIC (374409), CySEC (412/22), the FSCA in South Africa (53199), the Seychelles FSA (SD089) and the FSC in Mauritius (GB25204786). Which entity opens your account depends on where you live.

In the UAE, XS holds a CMA licence (No. 20200000339) through XSTrade Financial Consultation L.L.C. It is a Category 5 licence for arrangement and advice, not a retail trading licence, and XS has no DFSA licence. Check which entity your account opens under before you deposit.

The Standard account has no minimum deposit and no commission, with spreads from 1.1 pips on EUR/USD. XS runs MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 only, and a swap-free account option is available. A $400 deposit with XS through our link also unlocks the Best Trading Signal signals free. Trading CFDs carries a high level of risk to your capital. This is a paid affiliate link: we may earn a commission if you open an account. It does not change our ranking or what we publish about them. Visit XS

Pepperstone

Pepperstone is regulated by seven retail regulators: ASIC, the FCA, CySEC, BaFin, the DFSA, the Securities Commission of The Bahamas and the CMA in Kenya. Its DFSA licence (F004356) covers the Dubai International Financial Centre, so for UAE retail clients the DFSA is the licence to check.

Pepperstone also holds a UAE CMA licence (No. 20200000358), but it is a Category 5 licence for arrangement and advice to professional clients. It is not a retail trading licence.

The minimum deposit is $10, and you can trade on MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader or TradingView. Pepperstone offers swap-free accounts only to residents of an eligible-country list, and the UAE is not on that list. If you need a swap-free account as a UAE resident, look at Capital.com or XS instead. Risk warning (Pepperstone, Jul–Sep 2026): 72.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider under FCA and CySEC, 75.2% under BaFin, 79.6% under SCB and 75–95% under CMA. The figure depends on the licensed entity your account is opened with. Make sure you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford the high risk of losing your money. This is a paid affiliate link: we may earn a commission if you open an account. It does not change our ranking or what we publish about them. Visit Pepperstone

Capital.com

Capital.com is the only broker of the three with a UAE dealing licence. Capital Com MENA Securities Trading LLC holds a UAE Capital Market Authority Category One dealing licence, No. 20200000176. It does not hold a DFSA licence. The wider Capital.com group is also regulated by the FCA in the UK, CySEC in Cyprus and ASIC in Australia.

The minimum deposit is $20. Capital.com charges no trading commission and no deposit, withdrawal or account fees, and you can open an account in AED. Withdrawals are processed within 24 hours, although the time the money takes to arrive depends on your payment method.

You can trade on the Capital.com web platform and app, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 (with Expert Advisors) or TradingView. Swap-free (Islamic) accounts are available to residents of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. Trading CFDs carries a high level of risk to your capital. This is a paid affiliate link: we may earn a commission if you open an account. It does not change our ranking or what we publish about them. Visit Capital.com

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  1. 1Open an XS account through our link
  2. 2Deposit US$400 — the capital stays yours to trade
  3. 3Send your proof on Telegram and every signal is free
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Our trading signals are a separate service run by Best Trading Signal. They are not provided or endorsed by any broker; free access with an XS deposit is our own offer.

Trading forex and CFDs carries a real risk of losing money. Our signals are general market analysis, not personal financial advice.

How to choose a CFD broker in the UAE

Our guide on how to verify a broker's licence shows each step, and the safe broker guide for GCC residents explains what each regulator protects.

  • Check the licence on the regulator's own register. Search the UAE Capital Market Authority (formerly SCA) register for onshore firms, and the DFSA public register for firms in the DIFC. Do not rely on a logo or a certificate image on the broker's website.
  • Check what the licence covers. A dealing licence lets a firm deal with clients. A Category 5 licence covers arrangement and advice only, so it is not the same thing.
  • Confirm the legal entity on your account. International brokers open accounts under different entities in different countries. The entity named in your account terms decides which regulator and which rules apply to you.
  • Read the swap-free terms. Check whether the account is available where you live, and whether the broker charges an admin fee or a wider spread instead of swaps.
  • Compare all the fees. Look at spreads, commission, overnight fees, inactivity fees and any deposit or withdrawal charges.
  • Check the platforms. Make sure the broker offers the platform you already use, such as MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader or TradingView.
  • Check deposits and withdrawals in AED. An AED account avoids conversion costs on deposits and withdrawals, so ask which payment methods work in AED and how long withdrawals take.

What is a CFD, and how risky is CFD trading?

A CFD (contract for difference) is a contract with a broker that pays out the change in an asset's price. You get exposure to the price of a currency pair, gold, an index, a share or a cryptocurrency without owning the asset itself.

CFDs are traded with leverage, so a small deposit controls a larger position. Leverage magnifies gains and losses alike, and a fast move can wipe out your deposit. Most retail CFD accounts lose money. Many regulated brokers publish the share of their retail accounts that lose money, so read that figure on the broker's own website before you open an account, and only trade with money you can afford to lose.

Islamic (swap-free) CFD accounts in the UAE

A normal CFD account charges or pays a swap, which is an overnight fee for holding a leveraged position past the daily rollover. A swap-free account removes that charge, so no interest is paid or received. Some brokers charge a fixed admin fee or a wider spread instead, so read the terms before you trade.

Of the three brokers here, Capital.com offers swap-free accounts to UAE residents, and XS offers a swap-free account option; confirm with XS that it applies to your account. Pepperstone's swap-free list does not include the UAE, which is one reason UAE traders who need a swap-free account often choose Capital.com.

This describes a product feature, not a religious ruling. If Sharia compliance matters to you, ask a qualified scholar. Our Islamic trading accounts guide explains the mechanics in more detail.

Ready to get started?

Save up to US$2,500 a year

Get the signals free

Open a trading account with XS through our link and deposit US$400 — the capital stays in your account, yours to trade — and you unlock full signals access free, replacing a subscription worth around US$2,500 a year.

  1. 1Open an XS account through our link
  2. 2Deposit US$400 — the capital stays yours to trade
  3. 3Send your proof on Telegram and every signal is free
Open an XS account
Rather just subscribe?

No broker account needed — subscribe through our Telegram bot and get every signal with a clear entry, take-profit and stop-loss, straight to your phone.

Subscribe on Telegram

Our trading signals are a separate service run by Best Trading Signal. They are not provided or endorsed by any broker; free access with an XS deposit is our own offer.

Trading forex and CFDs carries a real risk of losing money. Our signals are general market analysis, not personal financial advice.

Written and reviewed by
Best Trading Signal — editorial & analysis team

We review brokers on licensing, cost and withdrawals — and state the cons, not just the pros. How our signals are produced · Risk Disclosure · Last updated 15 October 2026

Frequently asked questions

Of the three brokers we cover, Capital.com holds a UAE Capital Market Authority Category One dealing licence (No. 20200000176) through Capital Com MENA Securities Trading LLC. Pepperstone is licensed by the DFSA for the Dubai International Financial Centre. XS holds a UAE CMA licence for arrangement and advice, which is not a retail trading licence. Always check the regulator's own register.

The best CFD brokers in the UAE that we cover are XS, Pepperstone and Capital.com. Capital.com has a UAE dealing licence and swap-free accounts for UAE residents, Pepperstone is DFSA-regulated in the DIFC, and XS has no minimum deposit and no commission on its Standard account.

Capital.com offers swap-free (Islamic) accounts to UAE residents, and XS also offers a swap-free account option, so confirm with XS that it applies to your account. Pepperstone does not offer its swap-free account to UAE residents, because the UAE is not on its eligible-country list. A swap-free account is a product feature, not a religious ruling, so ask a qualified scholar if that matters to you.

XS has no minimum deposit on its Standard account, Pepperstone's minimum deposit is $10 and Capital.com's is $20. Capital.com also offers AED accounts. Start with an amount you can afford to lose, because CFDs are high risk.

Yes. CFD trading is regulated in the UAE by the Capital Market Authority (formerly SCA) for onshore firms and by the DFSA for firms in the Dubai International Financial Centre. Use a broker whose licence you can find on one of those registers, or check carefully which foreign entity your account opens under.

No. Capital.com is licensed in the UAE by the Capital Market Authority (Category One dealing licence, No. 20200000176), not by the DFSA. Of the three brokers we cover, only Pepperstone holds a DFSA licence.

Related guides

Trading forex, CFDs and crypto carries a real risk of losing money and isn't suitable for everyone — our signals are analyst opinions and general information, not personal financial advice, and past performance is no guarantee of future results.

Last updated 15 October 2026

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