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XTB MENA Acquires License To Operate In Dubai & The GCC

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Written By
William Berg
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Written By
William Berg
Securities Law Expert
William contributes to several investment websites, leveraging his experience as a consultant for IPOs in the Nordic market and background providing localization for forex trading software. William has worked as a writer and fact-checker for a long row of financial publications.
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James Barra
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James Barra
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James is Head of Content and a brokerage expert with a background in financial services. A former management consultant, he's worked on major operational transformation programmes at top European banks. A trusted industry name, James's work at DayTrading.com has been cited in publications like Business Insider.
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Fact Checked By
Tobias Robinson
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Tobias Robinson
CEO and Head of Broker Testing Panel
Tobias is the CEO of DayTrading.com, an active investor, and a brokerage expert. He has over 30 years of experience in financial services, including supervising the reviews of more than 500 trading brokers, and contributing via CySEC to the regulatory response to digital options and CFD trading in Europe. Tobias' expertise make him a trusted voice in the industry, where he's been quoted in various financial organizations and outlets, including the Nasdaq.
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Updated
Mar 5, 2026

X-Trade Brokers (XTB) has acquired a new financial services license in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA). After being granted a category 3A license by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), XTB can begin providing FX and CFD trading services to clients in the United Arab Emirates and the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Global Development

Earlier in 2021, the broker stated its intention to seek a license from the DFSA. XTB’s president, Omar Arnaout, said in April, “We are very close to launching operations in the United Arab Emirates. We intend to start operating in this market in the first half of 2021.”

Following the acquisition of the license, Omar issued another statement, “Today we have marked a very significant step in continuing our global development strategy by obtaining a DFSA license, which allows XTB to offer its services to clients in the MENA region. With the opening of our new office in DIFC, we will be able to build close relations with our clients by providing them with world-class technology and best-in-class support.”

XTB MENA license

With this new license, XTB MENA will offer local investors access to over 1600 instruments, including forex, stocks, commodities and other CFDs. The proprietary xStation desktop and mobile platforms are being updated to run in Arabic and local customer service will be provided in both English and Arabic.

About X-Trade Brokers

XTB was already a leading name in European forex and CFD trading, with stocks, indices, cryptos and commodities supporting a 2,000-strong asset list. These can all be traded on either xStation or MetaTrader 4, one of the industry’s most popular platforms, available on desktop, web browser and mobile. The broker is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) and won the #1 spot of EMEA Bloomberg for forex accuracy in Q3 2018 and Q2 2020.

xStation 5 Trading Platform
xStation

XTB already has a strong client base throughout the EMEA economic area, with reputable licenses from the CySEC, KNF and FCA. This latest addition to their arsenal is a big move for the broker and demonstrates their plans for global expansion.

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Review
Founded in 2002 in Poland, XTB now serves more than 1 million clients. The forex and CFD broker combines a heavily regulated trading environment with an extensive selection of assets and a commitment to trader satisfaction, featuring an intuitive in-house platform with superb tools to support aspiring day traders.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69-83% 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