Robinhood Secures Dubai’s DFSA Approval to Launch Crypto, Stocks, ETFs in Middle East
Highlights
- Robinhood Markets secured approval from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA).
- The platform will offer services across the Middle East from the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
- It will offer stocks, crypto assets, ETFs, investment tokens, and other services to retail investors.
Robinhood Markets on Thursday said it has received approval to launch its retail investing platform in the Middle East from a new Dubai base. It plans to offer trading and custody across all 10 asset classes, including stocks, crypto, ETFs, and investment tokens.
Robinhood Expands to Middle East with Dubai’s DIFC as Regional Headquarters
The commission-free trading platform Robinhood Markets secured approval from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). It will launch its retail investing platform in the Middle East from the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
This marks a major milestone amid the company’s international expansion. As CoinGape reported earlier, Robinhood expanded in the UK and EU amid rising demand. The Dubai approval positioned it as regional headquarters for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
The company confirmed the authorization will enable it to offer trading and custody services across all 10 DFSA-approved asset classes. These include stocks, crypto assets, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and investment tokens.
The company plans to launch its full product suite in 2027. This would give local retail investors broader access to global markets through its familiar, commission-focused platform.
Also Visit: Best Crypto Exchanges in UAE and Dubai
CEO Vlad Tenev and Others on Dubai Expansion
Dubai’s status as a global hub for financial innovation and growing demand for technology-driven investment services in the Middle East. Earlier in October, Kraken secured full Dubai VARA approval through Payward, preparing to launch UAE crypto trading services.
“The DIFC is one of the world’s most important financial hubs, and our expansion there brings us closer to building a global platform that enables anyone, anywhere to own the highest quality financial assets,” said Vlad Tenev, Chairman and CEO of Robinhood.
Salah Kaddoura, senior executive officer and president of Robinhood MENA, will lead the operations in the DIFC. He said the company is looking forward to building regional presence and expanding access to the global financial ecosystem for a new generation of investors.
Notably, the move follows a DFSA Category 4 license application and a meeting between Vlad Tenev and DIFC President Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum last year.
Crypto companies, including crypto exchange Binance, have drawn to Dubai’s clear regulatory frameworks for traditional finance and crypto.
Also Read: Ripple and BCG Report Uncovers Why Financial Institutions Are Betting Big on Custody
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