Robinhood DFSA Authorisation, Middle East
Robinhood Markets, Inc. said yesterday that the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) has authorised it to bring its retail investing platform to the Middle East. The US-listed retail brokerage and crypto platform (NASDAQ: HOOD) has named the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) as its regional headquarters.
Robinhood said the authorisation lets it offer trading and custody, the safekeeping of clients’ assets, across all 10 DFSA-approved asset classes. It listed equities, crypto, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and investment tokens, meaning tokenised digital investment instruments, among them.
Vlad Tenev, Chairman and CEO of Robinhood, said of the move:
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.
Vlad Tenev, Chairman and CEO, Robinhood
Robinhood said it plans to launch its product suite in 2027. Operations will be based in the DIFC and led by Salah Kaddoura, Senior Executive Officer and President of Robinhood MENA. Kaddoura said demand for modern, accessible financial tools across the region is immense. Arif Amiri, CEO of DIFC Authority, said the decision reinforces Dubai’s position as a global hub for financial innovation.
For brokers, liquidity providers and payment firms selling retail trading into the Gulf, the entrant is a US-listed, app-first broker with a DFSA-regulated base. Its pitch of equities, crypto, ETFs and investment tokens in one app could put pressure on offerings built around contracts for difference (CFDs), and on local brokers’ pricing, onboarding and product breadth. With launch not planned until 2027, incumbents look likely to have a window to respond before Robinhood’s pricing and product terms are known.
