FP Markets Secures UAE CMA Category 5 Licence

FP Markets has expanded its regulatory presence in the Middle East after securing a Category 5 licence from the United Arab Emirates’ Capital Market Authority.

The licence is held by FP Markets MENA Securities L.L.C. S.O.C., the broker’s regional group entity. It allows the company to conduct marketing, promotional, and client-introduction activities in Dubai and across the wider UAE. FP Markets announced the approval on September 9, 2026.

What the Category 5 Licence Covers

The scope of the licence is important.

A UAE Category 5 licence generally covers arrangement, advisory, promotional, or introduction-related activities. It does not automatically permit an entity to execute trades, manage client portfolios, or provide brokerage services for derivatives, unregulated commodity contracts, and spot forex.

The UAE regulator specifically distinguishes Category 5 permissions from licences authorising trading operations or the execution of client orders. The CMA describes the category as “Arrangement and advice”.

This means traders should not assume that FP Markets MENA Securities is the entity that will directly hold their trading account or execute their orders. The relevant account-opening documents should identify the contracting entity and the regulator responsible for overseeing that entity.

FP Markets Expands Its UAE Presence

The approval gives FP Markets a regulated route for promoting its services and introducing clients within the Emirates.

FP Markets said the licence supports its longer-term approach to regulatory expansion and creates a more direct relationship with the UAE market. The region has attracted growing interest from forex brokers, CFD providers, fintech companies, and trading-platform businesses seeking access to a major financial-services hub.

The broker’s wider group operates through entities regulated in several jurisdictions. Its announcement lists oversight from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, the Seychelles Financial Services Authority, South Africa’s Financial Sector Conduct Authority, and Kenya’s Capital Markets Authority.

Each licence applies to a specific legal entity and set of activities. Protections, available products, leverage limits, and complaint procedures may therefore differ depending on the entity serving the client.

What Traders Should Check

The new licence strengthens FP Markets’ formal presence in the UAE, but traders should still confirm several details before opening or funding an account:

• Which FP Markets entity will hold the account
• Which regulator supervises that entity
• Whether the account is covered by UAE rules
• What activities the relevant licence permits
• Which protections and dispute-resolution procedures apply
• Whether forex and CFD execution is provided locally or through another group entity

These checks matter because a licence covering promotion and client introductions is not the same as authorisation to provide brokerage and trade-execution services.

FP Markets Continues Regulatory Expansion

FP Markets was established in Australia in 2005 and provides access to forex and CFD markets through platforms including MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, TradingView, and cTrader.

Its Category 5 approval represents another step in the group’s international expansion. For traders in the UAE, the key distinction is that the new permission supports FP Markets’ regional marketing and client-introduction activity without, by itself, authorising the licensed MENA entity to execute forex or CFD transactions.

Trading CFDs involves significant risk due to leverage. Traders should confirm the applicable legal entity, regulatory protections, and product terms before opening an account.