BEST TRADING APPS
BEST TRADING APPS IN THE UAE
You probably went to Google searching for the best online brokers in the UAE. You are interested in and wish to trade a particular asset class, such as Forex, International Stocks, or Cryptos, or maybe a specific asset, like Apple Stocks, Oil instruments, or the latest DeFi Cryptocurrency.
Although you already know the asset or asset class you want to trade, Google isn't inside your mind (yet). So, it brought you here, and Google couldn't figure out whether you wished to trade Forex or US stocks or buy investment fund units.
This article is long but has the basics of what you need to know about the best investment and trading platforms. So, let's talk about the UAE's top online trading apps, divided by asset class.
Which Asset Class are you looking for?
Top Forex Brokers in UAE
Forex Online Brokers focus, in particular, on the Middle East. The industry has developed rapidly over the past years thanks to growing investor appetite from the local client base (Led by Dubai's Financial services industry). According to Bloomberg.com, the most popular Forex currency pairings are EURUSD, GBPUSD, XAUUSD, EURJPY, and XAGUSD, which align with global trading demand.
As a result of this growth, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait moved to stifle speculation against the Riyal and Dinar in the forwards market, as the FX market was causing liquidity issues for the local currencies.
The list we propose here does not include online brokers offering FX pairs with foreign currencies pegged to the Dirham. Instead, it allows you to trade the global major and minor pairs.
An important point to emphasise regards Shariah-compliant forex trading, which are swap-free accounts (Shariah-compliant). Recently, more and more online brokers increased the availability of Islamic trading products. If you respect Islamic principles, you should open an account with the following alternatives. Second, before placing any FX trades, please ask the customer service team to switch your account to the Shariah-compliant version.
FX PLATFORM #3
With over 5,000,000 clients since being founded in 2009, XM is a Cypriot broker licensed locally by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). It has grown into a large and well-established international investment firm and has become an industry leader.
XM is a good choice for traders of all levels, handling the client base with an extensive international team capable of dealing in 30 languages.
Regarding its Forex offering, XM allows traders to trade in +55 pairs with good spreads and exceptional trade execution. XM grants access to MT4, MT5, and its proprietary XM WebTrader platforms.
FX PLATFORM #2
Pepperstone is an FX Trading Platform founded in 2010 in Melbourne, Australia. The app serves over 300,000 accounts from clients based in more than 150 countries.
Pepperstone processes an average of USD 125.5 billion in Trading orders per day, making it one of the largest FX brokers globally.
Pepperstone is licensed locally by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA).
FX PLATFORM #1
AvaTrade is an extraordinary FX online brokerage. With one of the vastest offerings in terms of currency pairs (+50) and the characteristics every good FX Broker should have (Low Spreads and excellent trade execution), it has several unique features that make it an excellent alternative for traders in UAE.
First, its account opening and depositing processes are fast, simple, and hassle-free. This is important since some online brokers operating with clients in UAE are painful to deal with in these areas.
Second, it is a multi-regulated company licensed in the UAE by the Abu Dhabi Global Markets (ADGM) Financial Regulatory Services Authority. Also, they hold brokerage licenses in some of the strictest jurisdictions: Europe, Australia, Japan, the British Virgin Islands, and South Africa.
Third, it offers a unique tool for FX Options trading called AvaOptions. This tool allows you to approach your FX Trading differently and uniquely, adding Call and Put instruments to your Forex risk management.
Last, AvaTrade offers an insurance service called AvaProtect, which protects your trades against losses for a chosen time frame in exchange for a fee paid at the time of purchase.
Top Crypto Trading Apps in UAE
Cryptocurrencies are mined or purchased from exchanges. Their skyrocketing value has made them popular as trading instruments. They are also, to a limited extent, used for cross-border transfers.
Cryptos have taken over (by surprise) the financial world. As a result, everybody is talking about them for good and bad reasons. There's an innumerable amount of new cryptos launched every week to tackle or solve a problem in particular (Like cross-border payments, tokens used for purchases in the metaverse, etc.). You even get meme coins launched to make a trading profit (A shady strategy called pump and dump). So, you have to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. This list displays the top crypto trading platforms available in the UAE. We display three platforms we have used, deposited money, traded and withdrawn successfully.
Important: Investing in cryptocurrencies, Decentralized Finance (DeFi), and other Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) is highly risky and speculative, and the markets can be highly volatile. Consult with a qualified professional before making any financial decisions. This article is not a recommendation by Asinko or the writer to invest in cryptocurrencies, nor can the accuracy or timeliness of the information be guaranteed.
CRYPTO APP #3
StormGain takes a different approach to the other crypto trading platforms. They offer a trading platform via cryptocurrency futures contracts. So, with StormGain, you do not own the crypto tokens, but instead, you aim to make a profit based on the crypto's price volatility.
If your goal is to trade and you do not care about owning cryptocurrencies, this platform might be a good alternative since it is based and quoted in Tether (USDT).
CRYPTO APP #2
Coinbase is a U.S.-regulated cryptocurrency exchange that allows users to buy, sell, send, receive, and exchange altcoins via a web browser or mobile app. Coinbase is an app for beginners with a simple interface and limited transaction types.
Although some competitors offer user-friendly experiences, they are usually never as easy to use as Coinbase is.
CRYPTO APP #1
Binance is the #1 Crypto trading platform globally, with the highest cryptocurrency offering and trading volumes. Although it has a steep learning curve, it supports advanced users and provides hundreds of crypto trading, staking and DeFi alternatives to international traders.
No competitor can beat Binance's low cost in the crypto space. Low fees, comprehensive charting options, and hundreds of cryptocurrencies make Binance a must-try alternative.
Top Stock Broker Platforms in UAE
US stocks like Apple, Tesla, and even seniors like Ford and McDonald's. UK stocks like BP, Rolls-Royce, and Tesco, as well as European, Japanese, and Australian stocks. We all love owning stocks.
International Stocks are one of the main gateways to start investing; everyone wants a share of the brands they like and use.
Although some investors in the UAE focus only on local stocks (and debt instruments), most use a global portfolio. Stockbrokers and trading platforms have granted the general public easy and understandable access to international markets. We bring you three of the best alternatives available locally.
STOCKBROKER #3
An innumerable dose of trading, research, and e-learning tools, an easy-to-use web trading tool, low account set-up requirements, and an unbeatable regulation level make AvaTrade one of the top stock trading apps.
Although it does not offer the vastest number of CFDs on stocks, you may trade more than 600 of the most renowned companies on the New York, Nasdaq, London, and European Exchanges.STOCKBROKER #2
STOCKBROKER #1
From Tech to Energy, New York to Singapore, eToro grants traders real-time access to stocks from 17 exchanges worldwide at 0% commission (applies when investing in non-leveraged, BUY stock positions). You may also invest in fractional shares, a portion of an equity stock smaller than one total share. Fractional shares enable you to purchase stocks based on the dollar amount you want to invest, allowing you to diversify an investment portfolio without much money.
Over a decade ago, eToro set out to open financial markets to everyone. Today, over 20 million registered users have simple, affordable access to stock investment in an easy-to-use platform.
eToro (ME) Limited is licensed and regulated by the Abu Dhabi Global Market's Financial Services Regulatory Authority
Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply. For more information, visit etoro.com/trading/fees.
ETFS
Buying and selling ETFs is straightforward at eToro. Moreover, the minimum investment is low, making it accessible for beginners.
eToro offers more than 300 ETFs focusing on asset classes, including stock indices, thematic ETFs, commodities, inverse ETFs, and leveraged ETFs.
Leveraged and speculative product. Not suitable for all investors. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Capital is at risk.COMMODITIES
PAYMENT GATEWAYS
Do you need a payment provider to transact in different currencies?
Wise is an online account that facilitates sending money, receiving payments, and moving money across borders. Wise allows you to hold 53 different currencies and make local transfers in 10. It works worldwide and lets you withdraw cash at ATMs with a MasterCard card. In addition to being free, you can check the exchange rate before sending money abroad, and there are no hidden fees. Furthermore, it is a safe app, as the FCA and FinCEN regulate it. Also, if you need to solve payments with your company, it offers a practical solution for companies to pay invoices, suppliers, and employees in 80 countries.
COPYTRADING
eToro is the world's leading Social Broker. It works as a social network: there are popular investors, a news feed and a private messaging system. You can see in each investor profile how many copiers they have, what specific assets they are investing in, and their historical earnings. To choose the trader and the strategy you wish to follow and copy, you can filter by profit, risk rating, and country of origin, among other criteria. Remember that all trades are executed proportionally, and the platform does not charge additional fees for Copy Trading.
Leveraged and speculative product. Not suitable for all investors. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. Capital is at risk.
Conclusions on our List of Top Trading Brokers
Many websites that write about trading and financial instruments topics will recommend "The Best Online Broker", and it will probably be the platform that pays them the best commissions. Moreover, they will do it in a way that looks professional. But, on the contrary, we remark that there is no "Best Broker" that covers all the needs of a trader because, should there be a "perfect trading platform", it would have to have the following:
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0 commissions,
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0 spreads,
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Outstanding order execution,
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A Great Visual interface,
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Complete access to every financial market.
Unfortunately, no online trading app offers all of these features simultaneously. However, many aspects make them stand out in specific aspects/markets. This article lists 3 Brokers per asset class (Forex, stocks, crypto, etc.) and why it can be recommendable over the others available, specifically for local traders. Why do we present just three options? We believe that when trading instruments of each asset class, there are not 100 infallible brokers available; some stand out above others. Also, you will find that some apps appear more than once because they are the top option on several.
ASINKO receives a commission from specific online platforms for referring clients, but it does not charge a commission to you nor from all the ones we present here. Notwithstanding this, if we consider that a platform has to be in the Top 3, we will do so whether we promote them or not. Please note that the lists presented here are part of our professional opinion: there is a possibility that this does not fit 100% of all traders' needs. In other words, try them before depositing money.