FX and CFD brokerage holding company Rostro Group has announced that the company has obtained a license from the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), marking a significant step in its long-term commitment to shape the UAE’s future financial ecosystem.

Like many of the recently-granted licenses by the SCA to CFDs brokers, it is a limited “Category 5” license, which restricts Rostro’s activity in the UAE to Introduction and Promotion activities. Other Category 5 license recipients during 2025 have included XM, XS.com, Neex,  Tradeview, Eightcap, EC Markets, CPT Markets, VPFX, and STARTRADER. (A full Category One license would also allow for providing brokerage and trading services, and direct holding of client funds.)

Based in the UAE, the Rostro Group is led by CEO Michael Ayres, who has long-standing experience in the region’s fintech sector. Speaking about the SCA approval, Ayres highlighted that Dubai and Abu Dhabi’s rapid evolution into a future-ready financial ecosystem is unmatched.

Michael Ayres said,

“We at Rostro Group see the UAE as one of the most forward-thinking financial centres, one that will soon rival leading centres like London, Singapore or New York. Securing this licence deepens our alignment with the country’s vision to build a tech-first, institutionally robust financial ecosystem and propels our contribution to its next phase of growth.”

Rostro Group’s multi-brand structure is built to serve diverse categories of investors through a unified global ecosystem. Its Scope Prime division supports institutional clients with industry leading trading infrastructure, while Scope Markets offers individuals streamlined access to global trading and investing opportunities.

In recent years, the product offering of Rostro Group has been widened to include access to over 60 regional CFD equities, as well as the development of proprietary CFD indices to mirror the performance of the Dubai and Abu Dhabi stock markets.

Local banking relationships have already been established. In addition, Rostro’s Scope Prime division is now ready to provide multi-asset prime brokerage services to financial institutions across the GCC, whilst the retail client-facing Scope Markets division has the ability to offer account types denominated in multiple currencies including AED and USD.

About Rostro

Rostro Group was founded in 2020 by former ACM/TradeTech (now Finalto) executive Roger Hambury, with ambitions to acquire and grow out companies in the Retail FX, CFDs, and crypto trading sector. The company closed its first acquisition in 2023 buying CySEC-licensed broker Scope Markets, and also operates the Scope Prime offshore brokerage brand.