DFSA

Dubai is the capital of the Emirate of Dubai and has become a global city and business hub for the Middle East. In 2004, a special economic zone is located in the city known as the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). Then a financial regulatory agency of the zone called the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) came into existence. Notably, the jurisdiction of DFSA covers only the territory of the Dubai International Financial Centre, providing a regulatory environment of international standards. The DFSA's regulatory mandate includes asset management, banking and credit services, securities, collective investment funds, custody and trust services, commodities futures trading, Islamic finance, insurance, an international equities exchange, and an international commodities derivatives exchange. In addition to regulating financial and ancillary services, the DFSA is responsible for supervising and enforcing anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CTF) requirements applicable in the DIFC. Dubai only allows DFSA Forex brokers to conduct financial activities in the entire UAE. However, Dubai does offer an opportunity for investors to set up a business in DIFC for providing services to a global audience. Therefore, it is possible for brokers to set up their brokerage in Dubai without being regulated by the DFSA. In such an instance, investors are not protected by any regulatory laws or supervisions that are usually available with DFSA regulated broker. Consequently, several investors had faced problems with Dubai-based brokers and were victims of numerous frauds and financial scams. It should be mentioned that the problem only exists with non-regulated brokers, as all DFSA regulated Forex brokers do not indulge in any scams due to regulatory backlash from the DFSA and authorities.