Retail FX and CFDs broker EC Markets has announced that the company has secured a Category five license for subsidiary EC Markets Securities & Financial Promotion LLC from UAE regulator Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA).

The Category Five license will allow EC Markets to engage in Introduction and Promotion activities in the UAE. (A full Category One license would also allow for “Trading broker of OTC derivatives and currencies in the spot market”.)

EC Markets said that the SCA’s licensing process ranks among the most stringent globally, requiring robust corporate governance frameworks, strict risk management procedures, capital adequacy, and proven integrity in leadership. EC Markets underwent a thorough evaluation, supported by the legal expertise of the law firm Varnavas Playbell & Co. LLC.

“Securing the SCA licence is a strategic milestone for EC Markets,” said Matt Smith, Chairman and CEO of EC Markets. “This approval reflects not only our commitment to the highest standards of compliance but also our ambition to deliver innovative, transparent, and reliable financial services.

“Regulation is not a barrier, it is a foundation. Supervision by the SCA allows us to operate in full alignment with international standards while providing our clients with the confidence that comes from robust oversight.”

EC Markets has had a rep office in Dubai for some time now, and recently has made a number of senior hires (in other locations), including former MetaQuotes executive Fivos Georgiades as Executive Director in Cyprus, Sherwan Zeybo (ex FXGT) as Head of Business Development (also out of Cyprus), and Adam Saward as Managing Director of EC Markets UK in London.

About EC Markets

EC Markets operates licensed subsidiaries in London (regulated by the FCA), Australia (ASIC) and South Africa (FSCA), the UAE (SCA), as well as offshore entities in Seychelles and Mauritius. The group is run mainly from the UK, Cyprus, and Dubai, led by London based Group CEO Matt Smith.