ActivTrades UAE CMA Category 5 Licence
ActivTrades Financial Services L.L.C., the UAE subsidiary of ActivTrades, now holds a Category 5 licence from the UAE’s Capital Market Authority (CMA), registration number 20200000480. FX News Group reported the grant yesterday, and the registration is confirmed on ActivTrades’ own regulatory disclosure, which lists the entity as licensed for financial consultation, arrangement, introduction and promotional activities.
Category 5 is understood in the industry to function as a tier distinct from a full brokerage licence. UAE financial-services training material characterises it as an introducer tier that does not permit ActivTrades Financial Services L.L.C. to hold client money or execute trades onshore in the UAE. A client referred through the UAE entity still transacts and holds funds with one of ActivTrades’ other regulated entities, offshore of the CMA’s perimeter. The licence extends the group’s marketing reach into the UAE without bringing execution or custody within the regulator’s scope.
The new licence sits alongside ActivTrades’ existing regulatory footprint: the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK, where ActivTrades PLC is registered under number 434413, the CMVM in Portugal for its EU business, the Securities Commission of the Bahamas (SCB) for ActivTrades Corp, Brazil’s Bacen and CVM for ActivTrades CCTVM, and the Financial Services Commission (FSC) in Mauritius for ActivTrades Markets Ltd. UAE clients introduced through the Category 5 entity will continue to trade and hold funds with one of these offshore entities rather than with a CMA-regulated counterparty.
The table below sets out ActivTrades’ regulatory relationships by jurisdiction, including the new UAE registration.
| Jurisdiction | Regulator | Legal entity | Regulator relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) | ActivTrades PLC | Licensed and regulated |
| Portugal/EU | CMVM | ActivTrades entity | Licensed and regulated |
| Bahamas | Securities Commission of the Bahamas (SCB) | ActivTrades Corp | Licensed and regulated |
| Brazil | Bacen/CVM | ActivTrades CCTVM | Licensed and regulated |
| Mauritius | Financial Services Commission (FSC) | ActivTrades Markets Ltd | Licensed and regulated |
| UAE | Capital Market Authority (CMA) | ActivTrades Financial Services L.L.C. | Category 5 (introducer/promotional) |
The UAE entry is the only jurisdiction where a specific licence tier is confirmed; industry training material characterises it as carrying no execution or custody rights, unlike the other five.
Trade-press reports indicate ActivTrades joins a wave of FX/CFD brokers that have taken the same UAE CMA Category 5 licence this year, including FP Markets, licensed on the 9th of September, and Vantage, BitDelta, Mitrade, Pepperstone, XM and Eightcap, along with Blueberry, licensed on the 24th of July. The pattern reflects sustained broker interest in UAE and wider MENA market access since the regulator’s rebrand from the Securities and Commodities Authority to the Capital Market Authority, effective the 1st of January. For firms assessing ActivTrades’ UAE presence, or that of any peer holding the same tier, a Category 5 registration is understood in the industry to signal a promotional and referral arrangement rather than a locally regulated brokerage able to hold funds or execute trades within the Emirates.
