Capital.com, the global trading platform, has announced its expansion into the United Arab Emirates (UAE) through the establishment of a new subsidiary, Capital Com MENA Securities Trading LLC (Capital Com MENA), located in Dubai’s Emirates Tower. This strategic move follows the company’s receipt of full regulatory approval from the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), marking a significant milestone in its growth and expansion in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and across Asia.
As part of its expansion, Capital.com will become a key member of the UAE’s #NextGenFDI initiative, a government-led programme designed to attract and support innovative digital businesses in establishing and growing their operations within the UAE. This initiative aligns with Capital.com’s commitment to fostering technological innovation and talent development, evidenced by its previous sponsorship of the UAE’s NextGenTalent initiative aimed at equipping local youth with advanced technology skills.
The development is underscored by Capital.com’s impressive growth trajectory, which saw its client trading volumes exceed USD$1 trillion in 2023, earning it a spot among the 50 fastest-growing technology companies at the 2023 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Middle East & Cyprus Awards.
The newly formed Capital Com MENA will serve as the regional headquarters under the leadership of Tarik Chebib, CEO of Capital.com, Middle East, who spoke with TradingTech Insight following the announcement.
TTI: Tarik, with the UAE as your launchpad for expansion across MENA and Asia, can you detail the specific markets within these regions Capital.com is targeting next and why?
TC: Capital.com is targeting the UAE market primarily, and from there we see opportunities to branch out into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait markets. We also see our hub in the UAE as a staging post to reach new emerging markets in Africa and Asia.
The retail investor segment is growing rapidly across the MENA region. More and more people are taking to self-directed trading—largely spurred by the onset of cryptocurrencies, the retail trader segment is starting to venture beyond speculative markets and turn to more traditional markets like gold, natural gas and indices. We feel there is an opportunity to support traders in this region as they ascend through the ‘trading cycle’ and begin to diversify across different markets and trading instruments.
As a platform committed to supporting its traders with free and accessible educational tools, Capital.com is in a good position to help MENA traders grow their confidence and hone their understanding of financial markets.
TTI: Capital.com is known for its award-winning UX and trading education support. Can you discuss any upcoming technological innovations or features that you believe will set Capital.com apart in the MENA region?
TC: We are indeed known for our award-winning UX and education support, which has earned us numerous awards over the years, including being voted Best in Class for Education and Ease of Use at the Forex Brokers Awards for two-years running (2023 and 2024). We are always looking for new ways in which we can harness technology to support and enhance our clients’ trading experience.
We have made several enhancements to our app platform recently including the ability for clients to customise their home screens in line with their preferences, leverage a range of dynamic widgets to save time and access efficient pricing for greater transparency. The aim is to help our clients make better, faster decisions under pressure.
TTI: Could you elaborate on Capital.com’s strategy for forming smart partnerships within the public and private sector in the UAE and beyond, particularly in the context of sustainable growth and technological advancement?
TC: We often collaborate with strategic partners, whether it is integrating with global payment platforms to give our clients a better user experience or collaborating with public sector bodies to support the communities in which we operate.
Specifically, within the UAE, In 2022, the company was a sponsor of the UAE’s NextGenTalent initiative, which was aimed at developing the capabilities of local youth and preparing future leaders in the technology sector. NextGenTalent brought together 5,000 students from Emirati universities to learn essential advanced technology skills from industry leaders from the likes of META, Oracle, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Stripe. Capital.com was also one of the sponsors of the Ministry of Economy’s activities at the inaugural COP 28 Trade Day last December.
For our clients, our trading platform provides our clients with a ratings system measuring the environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance of different companies, allowing them to make trading decisions based on social and environmental metrics.
TTI: What are the unique challenges of entering and expanding in the MENA market compared to other regions, and how does Capital.com plan to address these challenges?
TC: The sector is highly competitive and there are many brokers and platforms vying for attention across the MENA region. Capital.com is playing the long game. Moving beyond the transactional, we focus on providing our traders with next-generation technology and education, always giving them that extra bit of support so they can build their confidence as traders over time.
TTI: From your perspective, how do you view the future of trading technology, especially in terms of integration with AI, machine learning, and blockchain technologies, within the capital markets?
AI has the potential to support traders, helping them to unlearn bad trading behaviours while encouraging and promoting their better habits. It can also improve efficiency across an organisation, freeing up our people’s time so they can work on more strategic, high-value projects that can really move the business forward. AI integration is a key part of our business as a next-generation technology company, and we are excited about the future.
TTI: How do you see the evolving regulatory environment in the UAE and MENA region impacting fintech and trading platforms like Capital.com?
TC: Capital.com opened its first subsidiary in the region as a member of the UAE’s #NextGenFDI Programme, a government-led initiative enabling cutting-edge companies from around the world to establish and expand their operations in the UAE. Such initiatives go a long way in establishing the region as business-friendly. The UAE’s supportive market-entry requirements and a flourishing knowledge-based economy made it a compelling choice for our first subsidiary in the region.
TTI: Thank you, Tarik.
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