Asked every day in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and most answers come from sites that earn a commission when you register with a particular broker. This page does not promote any broker: it explains why jurisdiction in the UAE is split across more than one authority, and puts the registers and warning pages that exist in front of you — so you can search for yourself.
Not legal advice. We are a measurement tool — not a broker, not a financial adviser, not a legal authority. What follows is general information about the regulators and what they publish, with links to their own sites. Rules change, and this page is not enough to judge the legality of a specific case or product. For your own situation, ask the regulator directly or a qualified lawyer in the UAE.
Scope of this page: trading currencies through a broker (spot forex or CFDs on currencies). Which authority applies depends on the actual product and activity and on where the entity sits: securities and derivatives with the three authorities named below, each in its own zone; banks, exchange houses and transfers with the Central Bank.
The UAE authorities publish registers of firms licensed for specific financial activities — under more than one authority: the federal Capital Market Authority (which replaced the Securities and Commodities Authority on 1 January 2026; sca.gov.ae now redirects to uaecma.gov.ae), the DFSA inside the Dubai International Financial Centre, the FSRA inside Abu Dhabi Global Market, and the Central Bank for banks and exchange houses. This page is not enough to judge the legality of a specific case or product.
Each of the first three keeps a separate public register, and presence in one register does not prove a licence from another. Alongside its register of licensed companies, the federal authority publishes a warnings page naming entities that advertise regulated activities without a licence, and the DFSA publishes an alerts page.
So the practical question is: which exact entity will hold your account, which authority does it claim a licence from, and is the activity you want inside that licence in that authority's register? An office in Dubai or a free-zone trade licence answers none of the three.
The federal authority that replaced the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) on 1 January 2026 under Federal Decree-Law No. 32 of 2025, as its legal successor. The old sca.gov.ae now redirects to uaecma.gov.ae.
Regulates firms inside the Dubai International Financial Centre, with a public register separate from the federal one, and publishes an alerts page.
Regulates firms inside Abu Dhabi Global Market. Its public register covers firms, individuals, funds and exempt persons — a third register, independent of the other two.
Licenses banks, exchange houses and money-transfer businesses. If what you are being offered is a bank account, a transfer service or currency exchange, the relevant authority is the Central Bank, not the securities registers.
Under it the Capital Market Authority replaced the Securities and Commodities Authority, established by Federal Law No. 4 of 2000, in its rights, obligations and contracts, as its legal successor, with effect from 1 January 2026. Older badges and documents on broker sites still say SCA, which by itself proves nothing — the register does.
The "Licensed Companies" page describes itself as the entities licensed or authorised by the authority to engage in a specific financial activity or provide a particular financial service — a licence is tied to an activity, not a general certificate covering everything the firm offers.
The authority publishes warnings about entities that advertise carrying out regulated activities or providing regulated services without obtaining the required licence, authorisation or approval from it.
Source: uaecma.gov.ae — Warnings
The DIFC and ADGM are financial free zones, each with its own regulator and register. An entry in the DFSA, FSRA or federal register means a licence for a specific activity from that specific authority — and says nothing about a licence from another.
Source: adgm.com — FSRA public register
The full legal name as written in the client agreement — not the brand name in the advert. One group may hold five entities in five countries.
Ask: what exactly is the product, and which authority does the entity say licensed it? The registered address in the agreement (DIFC, ADGM or elsewhere) is a pointer to which register to start with — no more.
And match the name, the licence number and the activity. An entry in another authority's register does not carry over, even an Emirati one.
The federal authority publishes warnings and the DFSA publishes alerts. One minute here saves a great deal.
A commercial licence from a free zone or an economic department proves the company exists, not that it is licensed to provide financial services.
If the beneficiary name on the transfer differs from the entity you contracted with, do not transfer until you understand the relationship between them and have verified it with the authority.
Many groups keep a marketing office in Dubai while the entity you sign with is registered in another country under another regulator. An office is an address; a licence is an entry in a register.
The sentence can be true of three different registers. Identify the authority the entity claims a licence from and its activity, then search that authority's register specifically.
A firm licensed for local share brokerage or asset management is not necessarily licensed for what you are being offered. The federal register is classified by activity for exactly this reason.
A licence is not a guarantee of profit. A licence says who may offer a particular activity and under what supervision. It has nothing to do with whether you make or lose money. Trading currencies with leverage risks your capital, at a licensed broker and an unlicensed one alike.
BasketGo is not a broker. It opens no accounts, holds no money, recommends no broker and takes no commission from any. It is a measurement tool: we compute the strength of the eight majors from 28 pairs and publish the numbers as they are — measurement, not advice. Choosing a broker and checking its licence is your decision; this page exists to make that easier, not to steer it.
The UAE authorities publish registers of firms licensed for specific financial activities, under more than one authority: the federal Capital Market Authority, the DFSA in the DIFC, the FSRA in ADGM, and the Central Bank for banks and exchange houses. The practical answer is to search for the entity you will deal with in the register of the authority it claims a licence from; this page is not enough to judge the legality of a specific case or product. General information, not legal advice.
The CMA is the federal authority. The DFSA regulates inside the Dubai International Financial Centre, and the FSRA inside Abu Dhabi Global Market. Each keeps a separate public register, and presence in one does not prove a licence from another. Which authority applies follows the activity and where the entity sits, not the brand name.
The Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) was replaced by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) on 1 January 2026 under Federal Decree-Law No. 32 of 2025, so the sentence may be true of an earlier licence. But the name is not the point: search for the firm in the register on uaecma.gov.ae and match its legal name and licensed activity.
No. An office is an address; a licence is an entry in a register. Many groups keep a marketing office in Dubai while the entity you sign with is registered elsewhere under another regulator. The name that matters is the one on the agreement.
The Capital Market Authority offers a complaint service for capital-market transactions on its site and publishes warnings; the DFSA publishes its own alerts for the DIFC. Start with the authority that covers the entity.
No. A licence says who may offer a particular activity and under what supervision. It has nothing to do with whether you make or lose money. Trading currencies with leverage risks your capital, at a licensed broker and an unlicensed one alike.
We are not a broker. We open no accounts, hold no money, recommend no broker and take no commission from any. We publish measurements of currency movement, which is why this page points at official registers rather than at a list of firms.