Stock brokers in the UAE: ownership, custody and cost

Editorial illustration of the Dubai skyline

Start by checking what you own

A stock CFD and an underlying share can track a similar price while giving you different rights and costs. Ask whether the account buys securities, how beneficial ownership is recorded and who holds custody. Read the treatment of dividends, corporate actions and securities lending. Do not infer ownership from the word “stocks” on a broker’s menu.

Compare access and total holding cost

List the exchanges and instruments you actually need, then check the account’s eligibility. Include commission minimums, exchange and market-data charges, currency conversion, custody fees and transfer-out costs. A commission-free headline may be conditional and does not describe every cost of holding an international portfolio.

Understand the UAE presence

Interactive Brokers’ DIFC register entry lists arranging deals and arranging custody. Saxo’s UAE disclaimer describes representative offices. These are useful local contact and permission facts, but neither proves where an individual client’s assets are held. The account agreement and custody terms answer that question.

Providers to investigate

The directory below shows providers whose source material discusses securities investing. It is a research shortlist, ordered by name, not a scored recommendation. Read each profile’s entity limitations and obtain current fees for your market and account before comparing.