Robinhood Secures Dubai Approval to Bring Bitcoin and Stock Trading to the Middle East by 2027

Robinhood Markets has obtained clearance from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) to provide retail investing and custody services spanning 10 asset classes, which include bitcoin and alternative cryptocurrencies, stocks, ETFs, and investment tokens, the corporation revealed via a Wednesday press release.

The trading application plans to launch commercially in the area by 2027, operating out of a new facility located in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), a specialized free zone that will function as the enterprise’s regional headquarters for the Middle East and North Africa.

Salah Kaddoura has been appointed as the president and senior executive officer for Robinhood MENA. This position is officially acknowledged by the DFSA, designating him as the primary contact for regulatory authorities, and he will assemble the local Dubai workforce prior to the official rollout.

“The DIFC ranks among the planet’s premier financial centers, and our growth into this region brings us closer to establishing a universal platform that empowers anyone, regardless of location, to possess premium financial instruments,” remarked Vlad Tenev, chief executive officer and chairman of Robinhood, within the official company announcement.

Robinhood’s expansion over the years

The move into Dubai builds upon a broader international growth trajectory outside the United States, where the platform initially gained popularity among youthful traders buying individual equities.

Robinhood expanded into the United Kingdom during 2024, launched full-scale operations across the European Union last year, secured conditional approval for brokerage operations in Singapore this past April, and finalized its acquisition of Canadian digital asset firm WonderFi in June.

Domestically, the company introduced weekend trading sessions and perpetual futures contracts in September, reporting a user base exceeding one million accounts outside of the US.

Johann Kerbrat, who oversees international markets and cryptocurrency initiatives for Robinhood, contextualized the Dubai initiative around an increasing wave of retail market participants throughout the territory. He is the same executive who announced on October 7 that Robinhood allocated $25 million of bitcoin onto its corporate balance sheet, marking the inaugural instance of the enterprise holding BTC directly as an internal asset rather than strictly for clientele.

Furthermore, the DFSA has granted permission for Robinhood to safeguard customer digital assets rather than solely executing order routing. For an organization that required years to support bitcoin transfers out in the United States, gaining custodial clearance immediately upon entry in a brand new jurisdiction highlights the extensive evolution of its crypto infrastructure.

Robinhood enters a financial district that continues to expand despite ongoing conflicts involving Iran and broader geopolitical friction across the territory. The DIFC surpassed 10,000 active registered corporate entities this year and consistently attracts major international institutions, including Ken Griffin’s Citadel.

During March, the center inaugurated a collection of new skyscrapers containing 600,000 square feet of office space, welcoming tenants such as Deutsche Bank and Moody’s, according to Bloomberg. Meanwhile, proprietary trading firm Maven announced this week that it will shut down its New York branch while scaling up its presence in Dubai.

The competitive landscape will remain robust, as the DIFC registered 72 licensed brokerages as of March 31, alongside multiple crypto-focused exchanges holding permits from Dubai’s distinct Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority.

At present, Robinhood has not specified which nations will receive service at launch, what the fee structure will entail, or how qualifying investors will be categorized—with this final detail ultimately determining the ultimate scale of the accessible market.

Originally published at https://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/robinhood-wins-dubai-license-bitcoin.