Page Summary
This guide helps users find the best UAE platforms for investing in ETFs. Numerous online brokers in UAE offer access to ETFs, and it is challenging to separate the “wheat from the chaff” when selecting the best suitable platform for individual needs.
Proper due diligence and comparison of available brokers help potential investors avoid choosing a platform lacking security, reliability, transparency or availability of ETFs.
This guide assesses 78 online brokers in UAE for users to review and find the ideal platform for their needs. To help them make an informed decision, a list of the best ETF trading platforms in the UAE is shared below, followed by detailed reviews, comparisons and FAQ.
Top ETF Trading Platforms UAE
- Interactive Brokers – Best broker for ETFs overall
- Sarwa – Optimal for beginners and Investors
- Saxo Bank – Ideal For professional traders
- TradeStation – Top for active traders
- Charles Schwab – Best For Research and Education
5 Best ETF Trading Platforms in UAE Reviewed
Online brokers with the best ETF investment platforms in UAE are reviewed below.
1. Interactive Brokers – Best broker for ETFs 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
- Choice of tradable ETFs (10k+)
- Research & Education for ETFs and ETF trading
- Commission free ETF trading
Cons
- Fees for some research tools
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. Sarwa – Best for beginners and Investors
Sarwa, founded in 2017, is the most popular DFSA and FSRA-regulated Robo-Advisor for both beginner and professional Dubai-based investors. It features an automated trading platform that offers investors the opportunity to invest in multiple mutual funds and ETFs or trade the markets themselves according to their risk appetite.
Sarwa has low trading fees, offers personalized investment options, and is backed by robust technology, making investing and portfolio management easy and accessible to its users.
Pros
- Personal visit to broker’s offices (Dubai or Abu Dhabi) for investing advice (about ETFs) possible
- Great choice for long term ETF investing
- Zero commission on some ETFs
Cons
- Only sells ETFs from UAE and US market
Key features
- Invest in or trade over 2,000 US stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies
- 5 differently diversified portfolios available to invest in
- Physical offices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi
- Well-suited for both beginner and advanced traders and investors
- Multiple order types available
- Access to historical and real-time price data
- Transfer money without paying any fees from local UAE bank accounts
3. Saxo Bank – Best For professional traders
Min Deposit: $2000
Fees: 4.7
Assets available: 4.9
Total Fees:
69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Saxo Bank is a reputable global brand known for its complete overall offer and exclusive conditions for high volume traders and investors. Users can enjoy cutting edge trading technology paired with a premium interface and great trade execution on mobile and desktop. The Saxo Bank trading platform offers a feature rich trading experience, easy to use interface, competitive margin rates, and trading on over 40,000 financial instruments. This makes them an industry leader in trading assets coverage as an ECN broker.
If you can afford the minimum deposit of $10.000, this is the go to broker for traders and investors at all levels. They combine high-quality in-house research with top-tier third-party providers and a diverse portfolio of investment options.
Investors who are looking to trade in accordance with Sharia Law can open an islamic account. Saxo Bank also offers high quality customer service in Arabic and English language via phone, email or in person at their local office with guaranteed satisfying answers.
Pros
- Wide choice of tradable ETFs (6400+)
- Professional trading platform with ETF analytical tools
- In-depth analysis for ETF trading
Cons
- No commision free ETF trading
Key features
- 40.000 tradable symbols available (crypto derivatives, forex options and futures)
- Advanced account protection and order types
- Fast execution of trades
- $2.000 minimum deposit
- “Best in class” educational resources
- Great ease of use level combined with advanced features
69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
4. TradeStation – Best for active traders
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
- Good choice of tradable ETFs (2000+)
- Commission free ETF trading
- Sophisticated ETF trading platform with fast execution
Cons
- ETF Trading platform complex for beginners
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
5. Charles Schwab – Best For Research and Education
Charles Schwab is a US-based FINRA and SEC-regulated broker that has been in business since 1971 at which users can trade stocks and ETFs without paying any commissions. Charles Schwab offers high-quality trading tools like stock research and detailed fundamental data to help you generate trading ideas.
Charles Schwab offers traders and investors the Schwab Intelligent Portfolios service, which is a robo-advisory service to help you optimize your portfolio and the StreetSmart Edge advanced desktop trading platform which includes a wide range of tools and features.
Pros
- Good choice of tradable ETFs (2000+)
- Commission free trading for all ETFs from US market
- Industry leading ETF screener and ETF Select List
- Excellent ETF research tools
Cons
- Only ETFs from US and Canadian market are available
Key features
- Access to over 3,000 US stocks and thousands of other financial instruments
- Multiple advanced order types
- Provides own equity ratings and reports from Morningstar and Credit Suisse
- Integrated with Google Assistant – Ask Google any stock price or market update
- Commissionless stock trading
- Suitable for both beginners and advanced traders
- Robo-advisor and financial advisors available
How To Find The Ideal ETF Brokers and Platforms?
Criteria that helps users to select the optimal brokers and platforms for investing in ETFs in UAE are listed below.
- Assets: Traders in the UAE can invest in ETFs, indexes, indices, mutual funds, forex, bonds, futures, commodities, options, swaps, and cryptos. Make sure your broker has global ETFs for trading.
- Mobile Trading: Mobile trading platforms should operate on iOS and Android. Also pay attention to what features exist on the mobile platform, so you can use the trading tools you need.
- Fees: Fees for trading ETFs vary, so pay attention to how much you pay to trade. Brokers that offer low or no fees make good trades even better.
- Trading platforms: The trading platform you choose should give you fast execution, and access to breaking news and historical data. Any automated trading tools require a solid API, so make sure your broker has what you need.
- Deposit & Withdrawal: Look for brokers that offer zero fee options for deposits or withdrawals, and save money where you can. Also make sure the broker you choose has a deposit method you like.
- Regulation: Only choose brokers regulated by the FCA, CySEC, and the ASIC. There are great brokers that are compliant with regulations, so don’t bother with brokers who aren’t.
- Research & education: The ETF market is complex, so look for brokers that offer research on the latest developments in the ETF sector.
- Customer support: Brokers in the UAE offer support in multiple languages, so choose one that you can work with. Also, look for brokers that have full time support options, and make sure you get the support you need, when you need it.
Top ETF Brokers in UAE Compared
Key features of online brokers with the highest rated platforms for trading with ETFs are compared in the table below.
| Broker | Available ETFs | Minimum Investment | Available Trading Platforms | Available Risk Management Tools | Deposit & Withdrawal Methods | Customer Support Options | Regulators |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interactive Brokers | 13,000 ETFs | $0 for IBKR Lite, $10,000 for IBKR Pro | Trader Workstation, IBKR Mobile, IBKR WebTrader | Stop Orders, Trailing Stop Orders, Profit Take Orders, Bracket Orders | Bank Transfers, Check, Online Bill Pay, Direct Rollover, Trustee-to-Trustee | Live Chat, Phone, Email | SEC, FINRA, NYSE, FCA and other regional authorities |
| Sarwa | 8,000 + ETFs in stocks, mutual funds, cryptos and others | $1 | Web-based platform | Portfolio rebalancing, Diversification | Bank Transfers | Email, Phone, Live Chat | DFSA (Dubai), FSRA (Abu Dhabi) |
| Saxo Bank | 6,900+ ETFs in tech, environment, healthcare and other sectors | $2,500 | SaxoTraderGO, SaxoTraderPRO | Stop Orders, Trailing Stop Orders, Limit Orders, Market Orders | Bank Transfers, Debit Cards | Phone, Email | FCA, ASIC, SFC, JFSA, MAS, and others |
| TradeStation | 2,000+ ETFs | $500 for cash account, $2000 for margin account | TradeStation 10, TradeStation Web Trading, TradeStation Mobile | Bracket Orders, Trailing Stops, OSO and OCO orders | Wire Transfer, Check, ACH (Automated Clearing House) Transfer | Phone, Live Chat, Email | FINRA, NFA, SIPC |
| Charles Schwab | 2,000+ ETFs | $0 | StreetSmart Edge, Web Platform, Schwab Mobile | Stop Orders, Trailing Stop Orders, Conditional Orders | Bank Transfers, Check, Wire | Phone, Live Chat, Email, Branches | FINRA, SEC |
What Is ETF Trading?
An ETF, or Exchange Traded Fund, is a fund that trades like stock on an exchange. Shares in an ETF track the performance of an index, or sub-index, like the S&P 500, or large-cap tech companies that trade on the NASDAQ. When investors buy shares in an ETF, they gain exposure to the performance of the underlying securities.
For example, SPY, which trades on NYSE’s Arca, tracks the performance of the S&P 500. When you buy a share of SPY, your share will move with the index. The trust that provides the ETF owns depository receipts from the companies in the S&P 500, which is why the SPY shares have the same value as the S&P 500.
Related: how to invest in ETFs in UAE
Why should you invest in ETFs (pros and cons)
ETFs are an efficient way to own the broad markets, or invest in specific market sectors. Instead of buying all the stocks that represent a sector, you buy shares in the ETF, and have security that tracks the performance. ETFs are cheaper to buy, and also deliver perfect index tracking.
While ETFs are efficient, they don’t offer direct exposure to a company. You can’t rebalance an index to your preferences with ETFs. For example, if you want to own the NASDAQ, but also want to weigh your NASDAQ holdings to a few major companies, ETFs aren’t the right way to go.
Difference between ETF’s, Stocks and Mutual fund
There are big differences between ETFs, stocks and mutual funds. A stock is the equity of a single company and is not a good way to gain exposure to the broad stock market’s performance. Mutual funds specialize in one area of the market by holding a range of assets, and a team of investors manages the holdings. An ETF is like a mutual fund, but, ETFs hold a wider range of assets. In addition, ETFs track markets as a whole, without concentrating on specific areas of the economy.
Stocks, ETFs and Mutual Funds comparison table
| Stocks | ETFs | Mutual funds | |
| What it is? | Single security | Basket of securities | Basket of securities |
| Risk | concentrated | diversified | More diversified |
| Fees | Commission, spread | Commission, spread, expense ratio, premium/discount | Commission, expense ratio, sales load, early redemption |
| Whan can you trade | When the market is open | When the market is open | At the end of the day |
| How you can buy | Broker | Broker | Broker, Bank, Fund provider |
How to buy an ETF online in UAE
Brokers sell shares in an ETF like any other share. EFTs trade with a ticker symbol and the shares will trade in the open market in the same way stocks do. ETFs charge a fee for managing assets, and it’s called the expense ratio. The expense ratio’s cost quotes on an annual basis. An ETF with an expense ratio of 2% would cost an investor $20 for every $1000 invested annually.
Conclusion
Due to the numerous reliable and unreliable online brokers offering different platforms and conditions, users feel desperate to find the optimal choice for certain investment needs. Comparison and analysis of the various services requires time, gathering of important information and expertise.
In this guide we did the hard work by comparing end evaluating top platforms for different types of investors and investment goals. The results of our assessment of the best ETF 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 | Sarwa | 4,2/5 | Beginners and Investors | Official website |
| #3 | Saxo Bank | 4,9/5 | Professional traders | Official website |
| #4 | TradeStation | 4,9/5 | Active traders | Official website |
| #5 | Charles Schwab | 4,1/5 | Research and Education | Official website |
Based on the finding from our reviews and comparison, we consider Interactive Brokers as the best ETF trading platform in UAE. They offer access to 35,000 different ETFs and Funds, a professional grade trading app and platform, and a competitive fee structure.
FAQ
How are ETFs traded in UAE?
ETFs are traded through stock exchanges the same way as stocks. The price of ETFs fluctuate based on supply and demand throughout the trading day.
Are ETFs legal in UAE?
ETFs are regulated by the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) and are legal.
Are profits generated with ETFs in UAE taxed?
Profits and dividends that are generated with ETFs are subject to 0% individual income and corporate tax in the UAE.
Are ETFs And Mutual Funds The Same?
The main difference between the two assets is that ETFs can be bought and sold throughout the whole trading day, while mutual funds are priced at the end of the day. ETFs also have a higher liquid than mutual funds.
What is the difference between ETFs and Stocks?
ETFs and stocks are traded during the day but have some key differences between them. While stocks transfer ownership rights of an individual business, ETFs bundle a basket of stocks or similar assets that offer traders access to a particular market index or sector.
What are the most common investment strategies for ETFs in UAE?
The most common ETF investment strategies in UAE include buy & hold, sector rotation, leverage trading and inverse ETF trading.
Is there a minimum investment requirement ror ETF Trading in UAE?
There is no general minimum investment requirement for ETFs in UAE. However, online brokers have their own minimum deposit requirements for users to start trading. Those typically vary from $0 to $100.
Are ETFs a good investment for beginners in UAE?
ETFs are a common investment among beginner because they mitigate investment risk across different sectors or industries, they have a high liquidity and high transparency.
Are there any halal ETFs in UAE?
Yes, there are specific ETFs that only invest in Halal assets. Investors are also allowed to create a Halal filtered fund (ETF) on their own by only selecting sharia compliant assets.
Disclaimer
eToro is a multi-asset platform which offers both investing in stocks and cryptoassets, as well as trading CFDs.
Please note that CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 76% 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.
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.
Cryptoasset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.
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.
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Braden Chase is an investor, trading specialist, and former research specialist for Forex.com who helps aspiring investors develop the confidence and habits they need to make an income from the market. Braden has served as a registered commodity futures representative for domestic and internationally-regulated brokerages and has also spoken & moderated numerous forex and finance industry panels across the globe.