FP Trading has opened a new office in Dubai, giving the international forex and CFD group a physical onshore presence in the UAE following its receipt of a Category 5 licence from the UAE Capital Market Authority.
The UAE entity, FP Trading Securities L.L.C, operates under Licence No. 20200000467 and is authorised for specified introduction and promotion activities involving financial services and financial products.
The licence gives FP Trading a locally regulated commercial presence, but it does not authorise the Dubai entity to execute forex or CFD trades or hold client funds. Those functions remain with the group’s separately regulated brokerage entities.
FP Trading Moves From Remote Coverage to an Onshore UAE Presence
The Dubai office marks a change in how FP Trading approaches the Middle East.
Rather than supporting the region primarily from overseas operations, the company now has a locally established base from which it can conduct activities permitted under its UAE authorisation and maintain closer relationships with clients, partners and other market participants.
FP Trading said the move followed months of regulatory preparation and market research as the company assessed the growing importance of the UAE to its wider international strategy.
The decision also reflects a broader trend among international brokers toward establishing physical, regulated operations in markets they consider strategically important.
Expansion Takeaway
What FP Trading’s CMA Category 5 Licence Actually Allows
The scope of FP Trading’s UAE licence is particularly important when assessing the significance of the expansion.
FP Trading Securities L.L.C holds a Fifth Category authorisation covering activities including the introduction and promotion of financial services and financial products.
This creates a regulated framework through which the UAE entity can conduct local marketing and introduce eligible clients to the group’s relevant brokerage operations.
However, Category 5 should not be confused with a licence to operate a local forex and CFD execution business.
The UAE company is not authorised under this permission to execute clients’ derivative trades or hold their trading funds.
Regulatory Takeaway
Trade Execution Remains Outside the UAE Entity
FP Trading has previously clarified that trade execution and the handling of client funds continue to sit with the group’s existing regulated brokerage entities outside the UAE.
This means a trader interacting with the Dubai office should distinguish between the company responsible for local promotion or introduction and the legal entity ultimately providing the trading account.
That distinction affects the regulatory framework, contractual terms and protections applying to the client relationship.
The presence of a UAE-licensed group company therefore should not automatically be interpreted as meaning that a client’s forex or CFD positions are executed under that UAE licence.
| Area | FP Trading UAE Structure |
| UAE Entity | FP Trading Securities L.L.C |
| Regulator | UAE Capital Market Authority |
| Licence Number | 20200000467 |
| Category | Fifth Category: Arrangement and Advice |
| Permitted Activities Highlighted by FP Trading | Introduction and promotion of financial services and products |
| Forex/CFD Trade Execution Under UAE Licence | No |
| Client Fund Handling Under UAE Licence | No |
| Dubai Office | ATX Tower, Al Barsha First, Dubai |
Dubai Office to Serve as a Regional MENA Base
FP Trading intends to use the Dubai operation as a regional hub for the UAE and the wider Middle East and North Africa market.
The office will support local relationship management, partner engagement and market education, while allowing the company to maintain more regular contact with regional stakeholders.
This can be particularly relevant for relationships with introducing brokers and affiliates, where local responsiveness and face-to-face engagement often play an important role.
The office also gives FP Trading a physical base from which to organise local activities rather than coordinating every regional initiative from another jurisdiction.
Local Presence Can Improve Partner Relationships
The company has highlighted relationships with partners as one of the main reasons for establishing an onshore operation.
Introducing brokers and affiliates frequently act as important distribution channels in the retail trading sector, particularly in markets where clients place greater value on local language support and personal relationships.
A Dubai-based team can potentially respond more quickly to regional partners, participate in local events and develop relationships that would be more difficult to manage entirely from overseas.
FP Trading also expects the office to help the company better understand changes in client expectations and competitive conditions across the region.
Business Takeaway
Client Education Forms Part of the Regional Strategy
FP Trading also plans to use its Dubai presence to support market-education initiatives.
Education has become an increasingly common component of broker expansion strategies, particularly when firms enter regions with growing retail participation in global financial markets.
Local workshops, digital content and other educational formats can allow companies to address market-specific questions while building relationships with regional audiences.
Educational activity should remain clearly distinguished from promises about trading outcomes, particularly when leveraged products such as forex and CFDs are involved.
Narayan Joshi: FP Trading Is Building a Long-Term Presence
Narayan Joshi, General Manager at FP Trading, said the office reflects a longer-term commitment to the Middle East rather than a temporary market initiative.
“This licence and our new Dubai office are an important step for FP Trading in the Middle East.”
— Narayan Joshi, General Manager, FP Trading
Joshi said being onshore allows the company to work more closely with its partners and support regional growth with an actual physical presence.
He also framed the investment as evidence that FP Trading intends to remain active in the market over the longer term.
Why Dubai Is Attracting More International Brokers
FP Trading’s expansion is part of a wider shift taking place across the forex and CFD brokerage industry.
International firms have increasingly been establishing regulated entities, offices and commercial teams in the UAE rather than servicing the country entirely from offshore jurisdictions.
Dubai offers access to a broad financial-services ecosystem that includes brokers, fintech companies, payments providers, institutional firms, introducing brokers and technology suppliers.
Its geographic position also makes it a practical base for firms targeting markets across the Gulf and wider MENA region.
Industry Takeaway
Category 5 Licences Are Becoming Part of Broker MENA Strategies
FP Trading is not alone in using a Category 5 structure as part of its UAE expansion.
The model can give international financial firms a regulated local route for marketing, introductions and certain advisory activities without transferring their full trading infrastructure into the country.
For brokers, this can provide a bridge between a purely offshore model and a fully local execution operation.
For clients, however, it makes understanding the entity structure particularly important.
A local office and locally licensed promotion company do not necessarily mean that the client’s money or trades sit within that entity.
FP Trading Operates Through Multiple Legal Entities
FP Trading currently operates through a multi-entity international structure.
Its website identifies additional regulated companies including FPK Trading (PTY) Limited in South Africa and FP Trading (MU) Limited in Mauritius.
Those companies operate under their respective licences and regulatory requirements.
The legal entity providing a particular client account can therefore vary by jurisdiction and onboarding arrangement.
Clients should check the company name in their account documentation rather than assuming that every service associated with the FP Trading brand is provided by the Dubai entity.
Client Takeaway
An Onshore Office Does Not Remove CFD Risk
The addition of local regulatory and operational infrastructure does not change the fundamental risk associated with leveraged trading.
Forex and CFDs can produce rapid losses because leverage allows traders to control market exposure greater than the capital committed as margin.
FP Trading currently states that 75.5% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading derivatives with the provider.
Clients should therefore assess product risk independently from the company’s licensing, office expansion or regional marketing activity.
Physical Presence Adds Accountability but Not Execution Rights
For potential clients and partners, a physical Dubai office makes the company easier to engage with locally and places specific commercial activities within a UAE regulatory framework.
That can provide a clearer point of contact and a more direct regulatory relationship for the activities actually conducted by FP Trading Securities L.L.C.
At the same time, the scope of the licence remains critical.
Local presence should not be used to imply that the UAE company has permissions beyond those granted under its Category 5 authorisation.
What Comes Next?
With its CMA licence already in place and the Dubai office now operational, FP Trading has moved into the next phase of its Middle East strategy.
The company now has a platform for expanding local partnerships, regional promotion, client introductions and educational activities while remaining physically present in the UAE.
Further growth across MENA could include additional partnerships, local staffing and regulatory development as the company expands its international footprint.
The most important structural point, however, remains unchanged: the Dubai operation strengthens FP Trading’s local commercial presence, while trade execution and client fund handling continue through separately regulated brokerage entities.
Risk Warning: Forex and CFD trading involves significant risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Leveraged products can result in rapid losses. Regulatory licensing and a physical office do not reduce the underlying market risk of leveraged trading.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, regulatory or investment advice. FP Trading Securities L.L.C’s UAE Category 5 licence applies to specified introduction and promotion activities and should not be interpreted as authorisation for that entity to execute forex or CFD trades or hold client funds.
About FP Trading
FP Trading is an international forex and CFD brokerage group operating through regulated entities in multiple jurisdictions. Its UAE company, FP Trading Securities L.L.C, is licensed by the UAE Capital Market Authority under Licence No. 20200000467 for permitted Fifth Category activities including introduction and promotion of financial services and products.