US trading platform Robinhood has received approval from the Dubai Financial Services Authority to offer trading and custody services in the Middle East, with the Dubai International Financial Centre as its regional headquarters.
The company said on Thursday the license covers all 10 asset classes approved by the regulator, including equities, cryptocurrencies, exchange-traded funds and investment tokens, The National reported.
Robinhood plans to start offering its products in the region in 2027.
Salah Kaddoura, senior executive officer and president of Robinhood MENA, will lead the Dubai operations and build out the regional team.
“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,” said Vlad Tenev, chairman and chief executive of Robinhood.
Arif Amiri, chief executive of the DIFC Authority, said the decision reflected growing demand for technology-driven investment services across the Middle East.
The DIFC registered 2,318 new companies in the 12 months to the end of June, up 30% from a year earlier, according to figures the center released in July.
Firms that opened regional offices there in the first half of 2026 include Citadel, JP Morgan International Advisors and Allianz Trade Middle East.
Dubai is also developing a AED100 billion second phase of the financial center, the DIFC Zabeel District, which will raise its capacity to 42,000 companies.
