We Rated The Best DFSA Regulated Forex Brokers As:

  • Pepperstone - Best Forex Broker Overall
  • HFM - Great Forex Broker for Low Commission Trading
  • AvaTrade - The Best Dubai Fixed Spread Broker
  • IG - The Best Broker for Minimum Deposits
  • Axi - Top Broker for Fast Execution Speeds
  • TickMill - Great Broker for Tight Spreads
Broker Our Rating Regulation Standard
EUR/USD Spread
Standard
GBP/USD Spread
Standard
AUD/USD Spread
Raw
EUR/USD Spread
Raw
GBP/USD Spread
Raw
AUD/USD Spread
Commissions
(USD Base)
MetaTrader 4 MetaTrader 5 cTrader Execution Speed Minimum Deposit Currency Pairs Crypto CFDs Retail Leverage Prof. Leverage
98 ASIC,DFSA, FCA,CySEC
BaFin,CMA,SCB
1.12 1.69 1.22 0.17 0.59 0.24 $3.50 77ms $0 62+ 12+ 30:1 500:1 Visit Site
46 FCA, FSCA, CYSEC
DFSA,CMA,FSA
1.2 1.9 1.8 0.1 0.3 0.7 $3.00 $0 38+ 19+ Visit Site
64 ASIC, FSCA
CBI, KNF, CIRO
ADGM, FSC-BVI
- - - - - - - 160ms $100 55+ 15+ 30:1 400:1 Visit Site
71 ASIC, FCA, BaFin
FINMA, NFA/CFTC, MAS
CySEC, DFSA, FMA
JFSA, BMA, FSCA
1.13 1.66 1.01 0.16 0.59 0.29 $6.00 174ms $450 100+ 12+ 30:1 200:1 Visit Site
67 ASIC,FCA
,DFSA,FMA
1.2 1.3 1.3 0.44 0.85 0.42 $3.50 90ms $0 72+ 11+ 30:1 400:1 Visit Site
64 FCA, CYSEC, DFSA, FSA-S, Labuan FSA, FSCA 1.6 1.6 1.6 0.1 0.3 0.1 $2.00 125ms $100 60+ - 30:1 500:1 Visit Site

1. PEPPERSTONE Best Forex Broker Overall

PEPPERSTONE

Forex Panel Score

98

Average Spread

EUR/USD = 0.1
GBP/USD = 0.4
AUD/USD = 0.2

Trading Platforms

MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView, Capitalise.ai

Minimum Deposit

$0

Why We Recommend Pepperstone

We recommend Pepperstone as the best DFSA-regulated broker overall based on its excellent selection of trading platforms, top execution speeds and extensive range of currency pairs and CFD products to trade.

We particularly like that Pepperstone offers a trading platform for virtually any trading style of experience level. Forex traders can access an upgraded MetaTrader 4 experience with the Smart Trader Tools add-on package. Algorithmic traders have the option to trade with cTrader. For advanced charting, there’s TradingView.

Pros & Cons

  • Low trading costs
  • Good selection of Trading Platforms
  • Free Trading Tools
  • No guaranteed stop-loss option
  • No Standard account with TradingView
  • Can’t fund account using AED

Broker Details

Pepperstone is our top pick for the best forex broker in UAE and is our highest-rated forex broker based on the findings from our comprehensive broker analysis. Pepperstone scored an impressive 98/100 based on our testing methodology.

Pepperstone offers their Edge standard STP account and also their Raw Spread ECN account and is not a market maker.

Key Strengths:

  • Low spreads for both standard and RAW accounts
  • Excellent range of trading platforms, including TradingView
  • Has Capitalise.ai to help you automate your trades
  • Over 1,200+ trading products are available

Pepperstone ReviewVisit Pepperstone

Pepperstone Has The Fastest Execution Speed

If you are a scalper, then you will appreciate how every millisecond counts when executing your trades. When you are trading with large volumes (especially if you are using leverage), any negative slippage can cost you. Regardless of whether you place a limit order or a market order, of the DFSA-regulated brokers we tested,  Pepperstone has the best speeds of the brokers we tested.

We tested Pepperstone and 19 other brokers to see how fast they could execute on the MetaTrader 4 platform. We used a third-party script on a demo account to test the average execution speeds and found that Pepperstone finished 3rd overall (and 1st of the DFSA-regulated brokers) with an average limit-order execution speed of 77 ms and a market order speed of 100 ms.

Our Test Shows Pepperstone Has 0 Pips spreads 100% of the time during trading hours With Their Razor Account

We tested the 15 brokers as we wanted to find out just how often spreads are 0 pips and were surprised to discover that when you exclude the rollover period, you have a high chance of getting a 0 pip trade for some of the most popular currency pairs. In our tests, Pepperstone has the closest spreads to zero more of the time than any other with this being just about 100% of the time.

Broker Time at Minimum Spread Minimum Spread
Pepperstone 100.00% 0.00
City Index 100.00% 0.00
Fusion Markets 98.55% 0.00
TMGM 97.83% 0.00
IC Markets 97.83% 0.00
FP Markets 97.83% 0.00
EightCap 97.83% 0.00
Admiral Markets 95.65% 0.00
ThinkMarkets 94.93% 0.00
Blueberry Markets 94.20% 0.00
Go Markets 87.68% 0.00
Blackbull Markets 86.96% 0.10
Tickmill 86.23% 0.00
Axi 82.61% 0.10
CMC Markets 81.88% 0.10

Low Fee Trading Accounts from Pepperstone

Pepperstone offers a standard trading account that is a spread-only trading account with spreads from one pip on the EURUSD and no commissions. The spread bundles all of the trading fees into one price, making it a simple method of payment which is ideal if you are a beginner forex trader.

The Razor trading account type is Pepperstone’s commission-based trading account, where you pay a low commission every time you execute a trade (both entry and exiting trades). The commission is only $3.5 per trade (or $7 per one-lot round-trade), and the benefit of the Razor account is that you get spreads from 0.0 pips. Based on our zero spread tests, we found that you could get the 0.0 pips advertised 100% of the time, making the Razer account cheaper by $3 per one-lot round-trade compared to the standard account. So, this account offers excellent value, especially if you trade frequently.

If you want to take advantage of the cTrader and TradingView platforms, you’ll also pay lower commissions, which is a flat $3 per trade ($6 per lot round-trade).

Pepperstone also offers an attractive discount if you are an active trader with a turnover of 100 lots in forex volume or more. Through this program, you could save up to 15% per lot traded, making Pepperstone’s already low commission even better. Although, we should note that the discount is only on forex trades.

pepperstone account types

Pepperstone Gives You a Choice of the Best Forex Trading Platforms

You can choose from four of the most popular forex trading platforms available with Pepperstone. These are:

  • MetaTrader 4
  • MetaTrader 5
  • cTrader
  • TradingView

MetaTrader 4 is the most popular choice for beginners thanks to its easy-to-use interface and customizability. Everything you need to trade is all on one chart, which makes trading forex simple. You can even streamline the ordering process by activating the one-click trading function.

We like this feature because you can pre-set your lot size, take profit and stop loss levels in pips, so you don’t have to manually fill the order form, which could lead to mistakes. Such as forgetting to add a stop loss or accidentally inputting a larger trade size than intended. Then once you have confirmed the one-click execution settings, all you have to do is click the buy or sell button on the chart, and it will execute your orders instantly.

You should choose the MetaTrader 5 platform if you want to automate your trades with its improved performance with the EAs. This will help your EAs run smoother and less likely to stall. The interface is the same as the MT4 platform, which is great if you upgrade for the added benefits. Unlike the MT4 forex trading platform, you can trade stocks with MT5. Pepperstone provides an MT5 premium plugin called Smart Trader Tools, which improves the platform with 28 expert advisors designed to help your day-to-day trading.

The cTrader platform is ideal if you are a scalper because it has an excellent ladder trading feature with Depth of Markets access. It has a better-looking interface and shares similar features as you’d find on MetaTrader 5, such as automated trading, one-click trading from charts, and customizable indicators.

Then there is TradingView which has a range of helpful trading tools and improved trading charts that will suit even the most demanding technical analyst. It has over 110+ technical indicators and drawing tools, the most extensive selection of the four platforms.

One feature we like is the forex market scanner that can find currency pairs that match specific technical indicators settings. For example, you can find all majors with an RSI above 70, which will return all forex pairs currently overbought according to the RSI. This is a top feature for helping you quickly find trades.

Pepperstone Trading Platform Options

Trade Multiple Markets with Pepperstone

Pepperstone has over 1,100+ trading products across six different markets, which include:

  • Forex market
  • Shares
  • Crypto
  • Commodities
  • ETFs
  • Indices
  • Other derivatives

The bulk of the trading products comprises share CFDs which Pepperstone offers over 1,000 shares. They have a good selection of currency markets with over 60+ forex pairs available. Interestingly, they also provide crypto CFDs, and Pepperstone has over 15+ cryptocurrencies available to trade.

Our Verdict On Pepperstone

In our forex broker comparison, we liked Pepperstone as it is a broker that provides a solid all-around service with its low spreads, a good choice of popular trading platforms, and a wide range of markets to trade. These contribute to the reasons why Pepperstone is our highest-rated DFSA-regulated forex broker overall. Forex traders will find themselves well looked after by choosing Pepperstone for their trading strategies. Hedging trades are also allowed.

Pepperstone ReviewVisit Pepperstone

2. HFM Great Forex Broker for Low Commission Trading

HFM

Forex Panel Score

50

Average Spread

EUR/USD = 0.6
GBP/USD = 0.7
AUD/USD = 0.1

Trading Platforms

MT4, MT5

Minimum Deposit

$100

Why We Recommend HF Markets

We recommend HF Markets for cost-conscious traders looking for tight spreads and controlled trading costs. If you opt for a Raw spread account, you’ll pay US $3.00 in commissions on top of average spreads of 0.32 pips.

We also like that HF Markets offers a wider selection of account types than most brokers. Traders can choose between a Micro, Premium, VIP, Zero Spread, Fixed Spread and Islamic account. The Fixed Spread account stands out particularly as a great option for new traders.

Pros & Cons

  • Can choose between variable or fixed spreads
  • Has tight spreads on RAW account
  • Offers extra trading tools like TradingCentral
  • Spreads are high on the standard account
  • Limited range of trading products
  • Educational content is limited

Broker Details

Another top forex broker that is DFSA-regulated is HF Markets which offers one of the lowest commissions on this list. If you are an active trader, then a commission-based trading account will be ideal for you due to the benefits of having spreads from 0.0 pips and overall lower trading costs.

Key Strengths:

  • Has over 1,200 trading CFD markets to trade from
  • Free access to premium trading tools like AutoChartist
  • Low trading costs on the Zero trading account

Competitive Commission-Based Trading Accounts with HF Markets

HF Markets offers two trading accounts that have two different pricing structures:

  • The Premium Account (spread-only)
  • The Zero account (commission-based and low spreads).

On the Zero account, you pay $3 per one-lot trade, or $6 per one-lot round trade, making it one of the best-value accounts. The spreads on the Zero account are from 0.0 pips, so if you enter at the minimum spread, you’re essentially only paying $6 per lot to trade which is almost 50% of the price you’d be paying on the Premium account.

To give you a better idea about the commissions, if you trade a mini-lot (10,000 units), the commission will be $0.60, and if you trade a micro-lot (1,000 units), you will be paying $0.06 per trade.

We analyzed 18 brokers to find which brokers had the lowest commission trading accounts and found that HF Markets offers one of the lowest commissions for a DFSA-regulated broker. HF Markets can offer these low commissions with the Zero account because it is an ECN broker, which means that they stream the prices directly to you and only charge a commission to facilitate the execution of the trade.

The Premium account (which is their standard account) has spread from 1.4 pips on EUR/USD, and you pay no commission when executing a trade. The spread on this account is quite expensive compared to other DFSA forex brokers on this list, so if you want to choose HF Markets – you should go for the Zero account.

hf markets account types

Low Spreads on Over 1200 Markets

HF Markets provides an extensive range of trading products where you can take advantage of CFD trading with low commissions. The main markets include:

  • Forex market
  • Metals
  • Stocks
  • Bonds
  • Indices
  • Energies
  • Commodities
  • ETFs

In particular, HF markets also offer one of the widest ranges of currency pairs, with over 50+ pairs to trade with, including majors, minors, and exotics.

hfmarkets products

Our Verdict on HF Markets

With low trading commissions, HF Markets is an attractive option if you are a day trader who frequently trades throughout the day. You will save on your trading costs while benefiting from their MetaTrader platforms and superb range of third-party trading tools.

3. AVATRADE The Best Dubai Fixed Spread Broker

AVATRADE

Forex Panel Score

64

Average Spread

EUR/USD = 0.9
GBP/USD = 1.5
AUD/USD = 1.1

Trading Platforms

MT4, MT5, AvaTradeGo, AvaOptions

Minimum Deposit

100

Why We Recommend AvaTrade

We recommend AvaTrade for its fixed spread account. It’s a great choice for new traders, offering price stability and predictability. At 0.9 pips, spreads are slightly wider than for the typical Standard account, but the absence of volatility helps control trading expenditures.

We also appreciate that AvaTrade offers access to high leverage. Traders can expand their positions at ratios of 400:1, the maximum allowed by the DFSA. Its range of products also stands out – 1,466 total products, including 55 forex pairs and 44 forex options.

Pros & Cons

  • Offers low fixed spreads
  • Provides social trading tools
  • Good choice of trading platforms
  • AvaOptions only available on AvaTrade
  • Limited forex pair range
  • No RAW spread pricing

Broker Details

Most DFSA-regulated forex brokers offer variable spreads, which means your trading costs tend to vary from time to time. However, if you prefer to have fixed costs, then AvaTrade is our top choice forex broker because they offer competitive fixed spreads. These spreads are ideal if you automate your trades so you can avoid price spikes during volatile trading times.

Key Strengths:

  • Low fixed-spread trading
  • Top selection of financial instruments to trade
  • MetaTrader 4 and 5 platforms are available
  • Social trading and copy trading available with third-party tools

Simple Pricing Structure with Fixed Spread Trading

AvaTrade provides a standard account with fixed spreads from 0.9 pips on the EUR/USD with no commission. We tested the top brokers that offer fixed spreads and found that AvaTrade had the lowest fixed spreads available. Surprisingly, the spreads on the majors are competitive to brokers that provide variable spreads like HF Market’s Premium account discussed earlier, which was 1.4 pips. Fixed spreads are typically marked up at a higher price to negate the average daily financial market movements, so it is exceptional value for it to be as low as 0.9 pips.

If you are an algo trader running your EA all day, then you may benefit from fixed spreads because your trading costs will remain constant (and competitively low), especially if your EA scalps the markets.

For example, if your EA enters a trade during a major economic news event that has been released and caused a short spike in volatility, most brokers would widen the spread during the volatility. So your trading costs would be higher during this period, and your EA wouldn’t know the difference unless you programmed it to avoid trading in certain circumstances. Whereas fixed spreads will remain the same, allowing your EA to maintain trading throughout the day, taking trades at the same spread.

With AvaTrade being DFSA-regulated, all the accounts have access to 1:50 leverage, which means you can use lower margins to trade the forex market. Using maximum leverage should only be used if you know what you are doing and have sound risk management. Even the smallest price movements could quickly turn a profit into a loss.

avatrade account types

Our Verdict on AvaTrade

We are impressed that AvaTrade can offer its fixed spreads at a competitive rate compared to other variable spread brokers. This gives AvaTrade an advantage if you want to have the reassurance that you won’t face any price spikes while trading. You should choose AvaTrade if you are unsure about the impact of variable spreads on your trading costs.

4. IG GROUP The Best Broker for Minimum Deposits

IG GROUP

Forex Panel Score

71

Average Spread

EUR/USD = 0.16
GBP/USD = 0.59
AUD/USD = 0.29

Trading Platforms

MT4, IG Trading Platform, L2 Dealer, ProRealTime

Minimum Deposit

$0

Why We Recommend IG Group

We recommend IG Group for its low indirect trading trading costs. This broker doesn’t require a minimum deposit to begin trading or charge fees to fund your account or withdraw profits. Muslim traders needn’t worry about interest fees – IG Group offers a swap-free account option.

We also like IG Group for its excellent proprietary trading platform. In addition to many of the same functionalities as the popular MetaTrader platforms, it incorporates additional signals, alerts and charting tools.

Pros & Cons

  • Solid choice of financial instruments
  • IG Trading platform is user-friendly
  • Offers Direct Market Access
  • Lacks social trading tools
  • Can’t trade all products on MetaTrader 4
  • Limited customer service on the weekend

Broker Details

IG is a good broker overall, with a wide range of trading products, a beginner-friendly trading platform, and competitive spreads. IG is our recommendation if low minimum deposits are essential to you. Thanks to their sizeable financial presence and infrastructure, they can offer low minimum deposit limits without making you pay for it by absorbing the costs on their side.

Key Strengths:

  • No minimum deposits
  • Solid proprietary trading platform
  • Widest selection of trading products available

IG has Low Minimum Deposits and an Easy Account Opening Process

When you are ready to make a deposit, there is no minimum when funding your account via a bank transfer. However, if you want to deposit with a debit card, then the minimum is $300. So if you want to deposit less than this, you should use the bank transfer process.

We tested IG for their account opening process to see how easy it is to set up and start trading. This is important to know because some brokers can take days to open an account; fortunately, this is not the case with IG. Based on our account opening test, we found that:

  • The account opening process was immediate
  • You had to fill in five sections of information which took less than 5 minutes.
  • You can get started with no deposit
  • Low minimum deposits via bank transfer

One advantage of using a large broker like IG is that onboarding is fast because they have a solid infrastructure to help with the verification details as you go along the application. Once you have processed your account, you can deposit your funds immediately to start trading.

Our Verdict on IG

We found that IG provided a smooth account opening experience, allowing us to open a live account within minutes. There was no “pressure” to make a deposit immediately, although the minimum deposits we low. If a low minimum deposit is important to you, then IG is a top choice, as you can open an account with no deposit.

5. AXI Top Broker for Fast Execution Speeds

AXI

Forex Panel Score

67

Average Spread

EUR/USD = 0.44
GBP/USD = 0.85
AUD/USD = 0.42

Trading Platforms

MT4

Minimum Deposit

$0

Why We Recommend Axi

We recommend Axi for traders looking for fast execution. This broker placed in the top 10 overall when we tested independently, with limit order speeds of 90ms and market order speeds of 162 ms. If you’re a scalper or high-volume trader who relies on micro-movements in the market to profit, it’s a solid choice.

Pros & Cons

  • Tight spreads with low commissions
  • Fast execution speeds on MT4
  • Offers MT4 NexGen which enhances MT4
  • Selection of financial instruments is limited
  • Has inactivity fees
  • Only offers MetaTrader 4 platform

Broker Details

MetaTrader 4 is the most popular trading platform in the market. While many brokers offer MT4, many offer a choice of other platforms, Axi is one of the few to only offer MT4, which allows them to focus on giving you the best user experience with MT4. This experience includes fast execution speed, scalping permitted and low spreads with 20+ top liquidity providers.

Key Strengths:

  • Wide range of trading platforms and tools
  • Fast execution speeds for a DFSA-regulated broker
  • Improve speeds with a free Forex VPS

Faster Executions Means Better Pricing

They can achieve these speeds by using their pricing engine, which allows them to directly connect to 20+ liquidity providers to provide the fastest executions with the best price (It also ensures a lower chance of slippage). This allows Axi to offer spreads from 0.0 pips on their pro accounts with a low $7 commission per lot round trip.

axi account types

Our Verdict on Axi

Overall, Axi is a broker that has invested in its technology to improve the execution speeds for its traders. You can tell the investment has paid off as Axi provides one of the fastest execution services, as per our findings. If execution speed is important to you, then you should choose Axi or Pepperstone.

6. TICKMILL Great Broker for Tight Spreads

TICKMILL

Forex Panel Score

64

Average Spread

EUR/USD = 0.1
GBP/USD = 0.3
AUD/USD = 0.1

Trading Platforms

MT4, MT5, CQG

Minimum Deposit

Why We Recommend TickMill

We recommend TickMill for traders in the UAE looking for tight spreads. In our independent tests, it beat out over 50 other brokers to take the top spot. TickMill averaged a low 0.16 pips across the major currency pairs, with an ultra-low 0.1 pips for the EUR/USD currency pair.

Pros & Cons

  • Has tight spreads from 0.0 pips
  • Fast execution speeds
  • No commission on deposits or withdrawals
  • Limited range of markets
  • Classic account spreads are high
  • Lacks a wide choice of trading platforms

Broker Details

TickMill is another popular DFSA-regulated forex broker with an excellent range of trading platforms and tools. However, what stands out is that TickMill has some of the industry’s tightest spreads. If you are a high-frequency trader, then you’ll benefit from the tight spreads on TickMill.

Key Strengths:

  • Tight spreads on the Pro account
  • Large range of different trading products
  • Good choice of trading platforms
  • A solid range of third-party trading tools to utilize

Tight Spreads from 0.0 pips with TickMill

Many brokers can offer spreads from 0.0 pips, but on average, only a few maintain those spreads. We analyzed TickMill and 14 other brokers that offer ECN/RAW trading accounts with spreads from zero pips to find which brokers had the tightest spreads.

For the test, we took the total average of all the major currency pair spreads so that we could find the average spread overall for each broker. We found that, on average TickMill offered its RAW pricing spreads at 0.47 pips based on the six major pairs tested. In particular, we found that TickMill had the joint average tightest spreads on EUR/USD at 0.15 pips. So if you trade the Euro Dollar, then you’ll benefit the most from TickMill’s tight spreads.

tickmill trading accounts offshore

Our Verdict on TickMill

TickMill is a solid choice if you want tight spreads based on our findings, especially if you are a Euro Dollar trader. TickMill also provides an excellent overall trading service with a wide choice of trading platforms and tools to help with your trading.