Abu dhabi: The United Arab Emirates has emerged in recent years as a global powerhouse in financial technology and electronic trading, according to a new groundbreaking white paper jointly published by global e-trading platform Capital.com and global advisory and advocacy firm APCO.
According to Emirates News Agency, the results of the white paper were revealed during an event held on this occasion at Abu Dhabi Finance Week, with the participation of Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade.
The comprehensive analytical white paper, titled ‘Trading’s New Horizon: How Access, Innovation and Ambition Are Fuelling MENA’s E-Trading Boom’, relied on Capital.com’s officially documented trading data over two years for around 62,850 active traders in the region who executed 85.5 million trades.
It confirmed that the record growth in electronic derivatives trading in the Middle East, including in the UAE, has been driven by a digitally ambitious generation.
The white paper indicated that since Capital.com obtained its licence from the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority in April 2024, the Middle East and North Africa region – led by the UAE – has become the company’s fastest-growing market, now representing more than half of its global trading volumes.
Capital.com’s trading volumes in the first half of 2025 reached approximately US$1.5 trillion, an increase of 42.5 percent compared to the second half of 2024, driven by regional trading volumes reaching US$804.1 billion – a 53.3 percent increase over the same period, of which the UAE alone accounted for US$576.5 billion, strengthening the country’s position as a global capital for fintech and digital trading.
Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade, said that the strong performance of the fintech and electronic trading sector highlighted by this study reflects the UAE’s commitment to continuing to build a competitive, future-oriented digital economy, by combining world-class infrastructure, forward-looking and growth-enabling legislation, and increasing financial awareness, with the aim of enabling more individual traders to participate confidently and responsibly in the opportunities presented by the global economy and new financial derivatives.
For his part, Viktor Prokopenya, Founder of Capital.com, said that the Middle East is witnessing a defining moment in its financial evolution, particularly in the UAE, where digital finance is opening unprecedented access to global markets and transforming the way people trade, invest, and build wealth.
The data relied upon in the analytical study shows that 86 percent of traders in the region are between 18 and 44 years old, with Millennials representing 55 percent of active users. The percentage of university-educated traders in the region exceeds that of Europe, at 64 percent compared to 39 percent.
Income levels are also higher, with the number of those earning more than US$200,000 annually being four times greater than in Europe. The region also recorded a tenfold higher share of clients whose deposits exceeded US$1 million over two years.
The study noted that learning-by-doing is a prominent feature, as 45 percent of traders in the region begin their journey in digital trading with demo accounts, compared to 32 percent in Europe, reflecting growing interest in financial learning.
For his part, Mamoon Sbeih, President of APCO in the Middle East and North Africa, said that the record boom in electronic trading in the Middle East – especially in the UAE – confirms the importance of a transparent regulatory environment and increased financial literacy among individuals in driving interest in digital derivatives trading, which requires awareness of its risks and mechanisms for managing those risks.
Tarik Chebib, CEO of Capital.com in the Middle East and North Africa, said that unchecked boldness can turn into overconfidence, noting that risk management is the largest gap observed, and that education and increasing financial awareness is the solution.