How we build the extract
Every row on this site traces to a public document. When we cannot trace it, we do not print it.
Sources
| Data | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Licensees and status | CMA register of licensed companies — uaecma.gov.ae | 2026-09-29 |
| Law and categories | Published by the Capital Market Authority | 2026-09-29 |
| Session times | IANA time zone database | On change |
| Exchange rate | open.er-api.com — USD/AED | 2026-09-28 |
Reconciliation, step by step
- 1Read the register as the regulator publishes it and record the retrieval date.
- 2Map every row onto four columns: licensee, licence number, activity, status.
- 3Drop anything we could not reconcile rather than print it from memory.
- 4Publish with the check date. If the register cannot be read, the table is replaced by a notice and a link to it — which is what some countries on this network show today.
What we do not do
We do not rank brokers, score them, or publish reviews. We do not show a licensee table we have not reconciled; the page shows the gap and links the regulator instead.
The Starting Point Is Always a Primary Source, Not a Summary
This guide is built from documents you can open yourself, not from second-hand summaries. Where a broker's status matters, the only source treated as authoritative is the CMA register of licensed companies at uaecma.gov.ae. Nothing about licensing is inferred from advertising, review sites or a broker's own marketing pages.
Session hours are stated in Gulf Standard Time, UTC+4, because that is the clock your banking app and your trading platform both run on. The hours published here are Sydney 02:00-11:00, Tokyo 04:00-13:00, London 12:00-21:00 and New York 17:00-02:00 GST. The London and New York overlap, 17:00-21:00 GST, is described as an overlap and nothing more.
Where a figure would be needed, such as a spread, a fee, a minimum deposit or a transfer limit, this guide does not supply one. Those numbers change without notice and vary by account type. Instead you are pointed to the broker's own funding page, the bank transfer app, or the CMA register, so the number you see is current.
Three Regulators Operate in the UAE and the Licence Tells You Which One
The UAE does not have a single forex regulator, and this guide never pretends otherwise. Three regimes coexist: the Capital Market Authority onshore, the DFSA in the DIFC and the FSRA in the ADGM. A broker's licence says which one applies to it.
That distinction is not cosmetic. It determines which body handles a complaint if something goes wrong, and how that complaint proceeds. When this guide discusses disputes or escalation, it names the regime the licence points to rather than offering one generic route.
No broker is described here as licensed, safe or best. That judgement is yours to make against the register, and the guide's job is to tell you where to look and what the licence actually means.
Payment Rails Are Described by Type, Never by Amount
Funding methods are covered in categories: bank transfer as the main rail, alongside local bank transfer, card and international wire. Each behaves differently in timing and in how a reversal would be handled, and that is what the guide explains.
What it does not do is quote a fee, a limit or a processing time as though it were fixed. Those live on the broker's funding page and inside your own bank's transfer screen, where they reflect your account and your bank's current terms.
For an expatriate with a UAE bank account, the practical difference between a local transfer and an international wire is usually visible in the app before you confirm anything. Check there first.
Updates Follow a Fixed Review, Not a Marketing Calendar
Pages are reviewed when a source they depend on changes: the CMA register, the published session hours, or the set of payment rails a broker supports. If none of those move, the page stays as it is rather than being rewritten to look fresh.
Each revision replaces the underlying fact and keeps the structure intact, so a returning reader can see what actually changed. Corrections are made at the source level, not patched in a footnote.
If you spot something here that no longer matches the register or your own platform, treat the register as correct and this page as out of date. That is the honest ordering.
Questions
Check the CMA register of licensed companies at uaecma.gov.ae. It is the public list maintained by the Capital Market Authority, and it is the only source this guide treats as authoritative on that question. Remember that the DFSA in the DIFC and the FSRA in the ADGM are separate regimes, so the register entry tells you which one a firm sits under.
Because those figures change and vary by account, and a number printed here would quickly contradict the table beside it. The guide tells you where to check instead: the broker's funding page for costs and deposit terms, and your bank's transfer screen for what your own account will charge. That way the figure you act on is current.
In Gulf Standard Time, London runs 12:00-21:00 and New York runs 17:00-02:00, so their overlap falls at 17:00-21:00 GST. That window sits in the UAE evening, which suits many people working local hours. Sydney and Tokyo run earlier in the day, from 02:00 and 04:00 GST respectively.