Page Summary
This guide helps you find the best trading platforms in UAE for day trading. Day trading gained popularity in the UAE trading community when online brokers introduced $0 commission trading. However, the variety of online brokers in UAE that allow day trading makes it hard to find the ideal platform for users’ individual needs.
A lack of research, comparison and information about brokers could motivate the trader to select a platform with high fees & commissions, low trading execution, high latency and limited day trading features.
This guide assesses 98 online brokers in UAE for users to evaluate and find the ideal platforms for their needs. To help them make an informed decision, a list of the best day trading platforms in the UAE is shared below, followed by detailed reviews and comparisons.
5 Best Day Trading Platforms in UAE:
- Interactive Brokers – Best Broker for Day Trading Overall
- TradeStation – Best For Futures Trading
- eToro – Best Day Trading Platform for Beginners
- IG Trading – Ideal Day Trading platform
- IC Markets – Great Trading conditions
- AVAtrade – Top For Beginners
Top 6 Day Trading Platforms in UAE Reviewed
Online brokers with the highest rated day trading platforms in UAE are reviewed in more detail below including pros, cons and key features.
1. Interactive Brokers – Best Broker for Day Trading Overall
Min Deposit: $0
Fees: 4.9
Assets available: 4.9
Total Fees:
All trading involves risk. More than 80% of investors lose in spread bet and CFD trading. As these complex instruments allow for the use of leverage, there is a high risk of losing more money than you have deposited. Before attempting to participate in spread bets and CFDs, consider how well you understand them and if you can afford to lose your money.
Interactive Brokers is a highly trusted global broker with a well-rounded offer of tradable markets, great educational content and sophisticated order type configuration. It is a high trusted and well capitalize company with an industry leading trading platform, a competitive fee structure and great global market access. Their low entry level and the Global Trader platform, which is intuitive and easy to use trading station, make this broker s great choice for beginners and advanced forex traders.
Professional and seasoned traders will appreciate the great selection of advanced trading tools and order type configurations available on their proprietary Trader Workstation desktop platform (TWS).
Pros
- Competitive trading fees and reliable platform
- Fast rade execution, industry leading performance
- Wide choice of trading instruments (Forex, CFDs, Futures, Options)
- Professional trading platform with special features for day traders
Cons
- Market data for all products in demo account delayed by 10-15 minutes except for OTC spot FX and OTC spot Metals
Key features
- Margin loan rates on stocks of 1.3%
- Access to 135+ global markets
- Advanced order types, tools and features
- Access to frictional shares
- Lowest commissions in the industry
All trading involves risk. More than 80% of investors lose in spread bet and CFD trading. As these complex instruments allow for the use of leverage, there is a high risk of losing more money than you have deposited. Before attempting to participate in spread bets and CFDs, consider how well you understand them and if you can afford to lose your money.
2. TradeStation – Best For Futures Trading
Min Deposit: $0 ($2000 – Margin account; $25000 – Day Trading account; $5000 – Futures account)
Fees: 4.8
Assets available: 5.0
Total Fees:
Tradestation is a reputable online broker known for its technology-leading trading platforms, great selection of tools and zero commission stock and ETF trading. Their industry leading trading platform suite combines a desktop, web and mobile version which are all performing above industry average. Tradestation offers a great selection of most popular asset classes including stocks, cryptos, options, futures, ETFs and IRAs.
Their trading fees vary based on account selection. Pricing is below industry average on the most used accounts (select and GO). Minimum deposit is $2000 and there are no monthly charges.
Pros
- Trading simulator for practice
- Fast trade execution, industry leading performance
- Competitive trading fees
Cons
- US regulated (Hedging not allowed, FiFo Rule on multiple trades with the same trading instrument)
Key features
- Access to over 20,000 stocks, ETFs, options, futures, mutual funds, bonds, and other financial instruments.
- Early-access to newly listed securities via TradeStation’s IPO trading platform
- Broad range of research and analysis tools for advanced traders like FuturesPlus, TSCrypto, Discover, and Insights
- Fully paid stock lending and margin trading available
- Low floating spreads, commissions, and other trading fees
- Perfect for both beginner and advanced traders
3. eToro – Best Day Trading for Beginners
Min Deposit: $200 ($500 for long-term investing and swing trading accounts)
Fees: Commission-free stocks and ETFs trading, 0,50% stamp duty fees on UK stocks, fixed and variable spreads on all assets
Assets available: 17 stocks, 260 ETFs, 74 cryptos, 52 forex pairs, and 2,300+ CFDs
Total Fees: $5 withdrawal fees, USD conversion fees, $10/month inactivity fees after 12 months of inactivity, 1,0 pips spread (on EUR/USD)
eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk.
eToro is an Israeli-based, global online forex and CFD trading broker. Its beginner-friendly trading platform provides users access to over 3,000 tradable financial instruments, including forex pairs, stocks, ETFs, commodities, and cryptocurrencies, with up to 30:1 or 500:1 leverage for retail and professional clients, respectively.
Besides its self-direct trading platform, eToro also features the world’s biggest Social Trading platform, with over 30 million users from 100+ countries.
Account opening is seamless, deposits are free of charge, and the minimum deposit requirement to open a live trading account is $200.
eToro is the best broker for beginner forex and day traders who want to use the broker’s beginner-friendly and intuitively designed proprietary trading platform.
Pros
- Access to a wide selection of financial instruments (3,000+), including stocks, CFDs, ETFs, commodities, and cryptocurrencies
- Trade with or without leverage up to 30:1 or 500:1
- Free demo account and Islamic swap-free account available
Cons
- No options or futures trading is possible
- Relatively high spreads and non-trading fees compared to other brokers
- Trading platforms might lack features required by advanced traders and investors
Key features
- Access to the world’s #1 social trading platform
- Trade over 3,000 financial instruments, including stocks, ETFs, commodities, and cryptocurrencies
- Industry average spreads and non-trading fees
- Well-suited for beginner day traders
- Advanced mobile day trading app
- Low minimum deposit requirement ($200) for live account opening
eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk.
4. IG Trading – Best Trading platform
Min Deposit: $5500
Fees: 3.7
Assets available: 4.5
Total Fees:
IG is one of the largest and most popular regulated forex and CFD brokers globally. Traders can trade thousands of markets using IGs trading platforms like L2 Dealer and ProRealTime or connect their IG brokerage account with MetaTrader 4.
IG offers educational material, daily market update videos, and both technical and fundamental analysis case studies. If you are new to online trading, you can practice with IG’s free demo paper trading account first. For experienced traders IG offers spread rebates and access to more advanced financial instruments like digital options.
Pros
- Wide choice of trading instruments (Forex, CFDs, Futures, Options)
- Good trade execution
- Provides signals for day traders
- Automated trading permitted
Cons
- Higher fees on stock CFDs compared to other brokers
Key features
- Trade over 17,000 markets with a broker that has been in business since 1974
- Access to Turbo24s, and CFDs and options on forex, indices, crypto, stocks, and commodities
- Unlimited free demo paper trading account
- Advanced research and analysis tools like L2 Dealer and ProRealTime
- Access to APIs to set up Expert Advisors and other automated trading software
- Receive trading signals and alerts to find excellent entry and exit points
75% of retail CFD accounts lose money
5. IC Markets – Best Trading conditions
Min Deposit: $200
Fees: 4.7
Assets available: 3.6
Total Fees:
Risk Warning: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71,65% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
IC Markets is an ASIC and CySEC-regulated broker operating globally. With IC Markets you can trade forex, CFD, and crypto with up to 1:500 leverage. IC Markets has over 2,000 tradable assets and charges low, floating spreads from 0,0 pips.
IC Markets has multiple trading platforms available and is compatible with MetaTrader, cTrader, myfxbook AutoTrade, and ZuluTrade. Professional traders can open a Raw Spread, Standard or Islamic account at IC Markets, whilst beginners can practice trading with their unlimited demo paper trading account.
You can fund your IC Markets account by bank transfer, credit card, or e-wallets like PayPal at 0% commission and receive access to a free VPS server after opening an account with them.
Pros
- MetaTrader 4 (MT4), MetaTrader (MT5) and cTrader platforms are available
- Automated trading permitted
- Low trading fees on Forex and CFDs
Cons
- Only offers Forex and CFDs
Key features
- Access to over 2,000 CFDs on stocks, bonds, indices, commodities, forex, and digital currencies
- Islamic swap-free accounts available on request
- Compatible with MetaTrader 4, 5, cTrader, ZuluTrade, and Myfxbook AutoTrade
- Raw spreads from 0,0 pips
- Well-suited for both beginner and experienced traders
- Expert Advisors and other forms of automated trading allowed
Risk Warning: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71,65% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
6. AVAtrade – Best For Beginners
Min Deposit: $100
Fees: 4.9
Assets available: 4.9
Total Fees: 0.9 pip
AVAtrade is a well trusted global online broker for forex and CFD trading. Their multi-asset trading platform and mobile trading app enable traders to access 1365+ tradable symbols overall, including 1200+ CFD’s, major currency pairs with low forex spreads and premium options.
Beside their proprietary platform AVAtradeGo and MetaTrader, AVAtrade has great selection of copy trading solutions including ZuluTrade, DupliTrade and AVAsocial.
Account opening is fast, deposits and withdrawals are free of charge. The minimum deposit is $100.
Choose AVAtrade if you are a beginner or semi advanced forex trader, looking to trade major forex currency pairs, options or CFDs as stocks, cryptos, indices or commodities with premium services.
Pros
- MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader (MT5) trading platforms are available for day trading
- Good choice for automated trading
- Fast trade execution
Cons
- Futures not available
Key features
- Access to 1250 CFDs and 44 forex options
- Excellent copy trading features
- Advanced mobile trading app (AvaOptions)
- Industry average pricing
- Perfect for casual and advanced traders
- Access to the full meta trader suite
71% of retail CFD accounts lose money
The Top Online Brokers For Day Trading Compared
The key features of the highest rated online brokers for day trading in UAE are compared in the table below.
| Broker | Interactive Brokers | TradeStation | eToro | IG Trading | IC Markets | AVAtrade |
| Available Assets | Stocks, Options, Futures, Forex, Bonds, ETFs, Mutual Funds, Cryptos, CFDs | Stocks, ETFs, Options, Futures, Mutual funds, Crypto | CFDs on stocks, ETFs, cryptos, and forex | Forex, CFDs, Stocks, ETFs, Cryptos | Forex, CFDs (Indices, Commodities, Bonds, Cryptocurrencies, Futures, Stocks) | Forex, CFDs, Options |
| Margin Rates | 1:20 | 1:4 | 30:1 | 1:500 | 1:500 | 1:400 |
| Trade Execution | Fast and reliable | Fast and reliable | Fast and reliable | Fast and reliable | Fast and reliable | Fast and reliable |
| Customer Service | Phone, Email, and Live Chat | Phone, Email, and Live Chat | Phone, Email, and Live Chat | Phone, Email, and Live Chat | Phone, Email, and Live Chat | Phone, Email, and Live Chat |
Automated Trading Features Compared
Automated trading features of the highest rated online brokers for day trading in UAE are compared in the table below.
| Automated Trading | Interactive Brokers | TradeStation | eToro | IG Trading | IC Markets | AVAtrade |
| Trading platforms | IBKR Global Trader, Client Portal, IBKR Mobile, TraderWorkstartion, IBRR EventTrader, Impact | TradeStation, TS Futures Options | Web, Desktop, Mobile | MT4, ProRealTime, L2 Dealer, IG Trading platform | MT4, MT5, cTrader | MT4, MT5, WebTrader, AvaGo |
| Advanced charting | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Algorithmic Trading | APIs | APIs | No | MT4, PRT, APIs | MT4, MT5, cTrader | MT4, MT5 |
| Copy Trading | No | No | Yes | Mql5.com | IC Social, ZuluTrade, Myfxbook AutoTrade, Mql5.com | Ava Social, DupliTrade, Mql5.com |
| VPS | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Fees Compared
Fees of the top rated online brokers for day trading in UAE are compared in the table below.
| Fees | Interactive Brokers | TradeStation | eToro | IG Trading | IC Markets | AVAtrade |
| Commision US Shares | From $0 | From $0 | $0 | $0.02 per share (min $15) | – | – |
| Commision Futures | From $0.25 per contract | $1.5 per contract | – | – | – | – |
| Commision Options | From $0.15 per contract | $0.6 per contract | $0.65 per contract | Spread from 6 | – | Spread from 7 |
| Commision Forex | $2 | – | 1 pip | 1,2 | $3 | – |
| Spread Forex (in points) | From 1 | – | 1 pip | From 6 | From 0 | From 6 |
| Inactivity Fee | 1 if trades commision does not meet the account minimum | $50 after 1 year | $10 USD per month | $18 after 24 months | – | $50 after 3 mo of non use |
| Funding Fees | 1% deposit | $35 per wire for withdrawal | $0 | – | – | No |
How To Find The Optimal Day Trading Platform in UAE
Criteria for finding the most suitable trading platform for day trading in UAE are listed below.
- Fees – Every broker charges fees, and you should only trade with brokers charging competitive fees. Look for 0% fee brokers, or the lowest possible.
- Regulation – We recommend trading with regulated brokers holding licenses from top-tier regulators.
- Customer service – A good broker offers excellent customer service and is always ready to help. Make sure your broker speaks your language.
- Banking Options – Funding your brokerage account should be easy. Our broker reviews cover payment options and minimum deposits required to open accounts.
- Trading platforms – The best brokers have multiple trading platforms available like custom WebTraders, MetaTrader 4 and 5, and cTrader.
- Available assets – Your broker should offer many assets, including: stocks, bonds, ETFs, commodities, and more.
- Mobile Apps – We cover the mobile apps brokers offer their clients, so you can trade anywhere you want.
What is Day Trading in UAE?
Day traders trade everyday, and use short term strategies to profit, and open multiple positions across asset classes to gain from any market volatility there is. They close their positions by the end of the day to avoid overnight fees.
What do Professional Traders Look for in a Day Trading Platform in UAE?
Professional UAE traders look for a trading platform that has fast execution speeds, excellent customer service, and as low fees as possible. Fees add up as day traders open many positions daily.
If there is a technical outage or a trader has a question, customer service must respond fast. The best day trading platforms in UAE have both live chat and phone support available 24/7.
Which Assets do Day Traders in UAE Trade?
Volatility creates profits for day traders, and UAE day traders should trade the most volatile asset classes like cryptocurrencies, forex, stocks, and commodities.
Conclusion
The various online brokers in UAE offering different platforms and trading conditions make finding the ideal choice for individual needs difficult. Comparing and evaluating the services of other providers requires time and effort.
Our experts have worked hard by evaluating top brokers for different types of day traders and their needs. The results of our analysis of the best day trading platforms in UAE are wrapped up in the table below.
| RANK | BROKER | PLATFORM SCORE | BEST FOR | WEBSITE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Interactive Brokers | 4,9/5 | Overall | Official website |
| #2 | TradeStation | 4,9/5 | Futures Trading | Official website |
| #3 | eToro | 4,7/5 | Day Trading For Beginners | Official website |
| #4 | IG Trading | 4,2/5 | Multiple trading platforms | Official website |
| #5 | IC Markets | 4,5/5 | Trading conditions | Official website |
| #6 | AVAtrade | 4,9/5 | Beginners | Official website |
FAQ
Is day trading legal in UAE?
Yes, day trading is a legal trading strategy in UAE.
Can day traders use multiple trading platforms at the same time?
Yes, day traders commonly use multiple trading platforms with different brokers at the same time.
What are the risks of day trading?
Day trading is an advanced trading strategy that requires certain level of knowledge, expertise and general understanding of the financial markets from the trader to be profitable.
Is day trading legal in UAE?
It is legal to day trade in the United Arab Emirates, and the SCA regulates all trading platforms and brokers operating in the country,
What is the fastest trading platform in UAE?
The trading platforms with the fastest trade execution in UAE are Interactive Brokers and TradeStation.
What is the most common way for day traders to manage risk?
The most commonly used risk management strategies used by day traders include position sizing, stop-loss orders, risk-reward ratios, writing a trading journal and diversification.
What are the most profitable day trading strategies?
The most profitable day trading strategies used by traders in UAE include scalping, news trading, high-frequency trading and break-out trading.
What are the most important trading tools for day traders?
The most commonly used day trading tools include real-time charts, technical analysis tools and software (backtesting, trade execution and patern identification), live market data (real time quotes) and risk management tools (stop-loss, take profit, trailing stop and limit order)
What are the most important technical indicators used by day traders?
The most commonly used technical indicators by day traders include Moving Averages (MA), Bollinger Bands, Candlestick Patterns, Fibonacci Retracements and Stochastics.
Disclaimer
eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. 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. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Trading history presented is less than 5 complete years and may not suffice as basis for investment decision. Copy Trading does not amount to investment advice. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. Crypto assets are unregulated& highly speculative. No consumer protection. Capital at risk.
eToro USA LLC does not offer CFDs and makes no representation and assumes no liability as to the accuracy or completeness of the content of this publication, which has been prepared by our partner utilizing publicly available non-entity specific information about eToro.
Stefan Grasic is the owner of Business24-7 and has considerable experience in the financial and investment niche, but also enjoys writing articles for the general readership. Stefan is an active stock, CFD, crypto and general investment researcher, advising blockchain companies such as Blockbird, GoCrypto, Hive Terminal at their start up level.