Automated trading in the UAE

Automation support by licensed broker

I keep this table alongside my wider comparison of trading platforms in the UAE. None of the brokers here falls into the first group.

This table is ranked by Automation Fit, which combines our own captured columns (70 points) with the broker’s Overall CFB Score from its review (30 points). A broker that is strong here and strong overall ranks above one that is only strong here. 2 brokers have no published CFB Score, so no Automation Fit is calculated and they sit at the bottom with every figure we did capture. The weights are set out on our methodology page.

Risk warning: CFDs are leveraged products. Leverage works against you as well as for you, and you may lose some or all of your deposit. Read the broker's own client agreement and check its licence on the CMA (formerly SCA), DFSA or FSRA public register before opening an account.

1. IG: Free MT5 VPS for qualifying accounts

IG scores highest for automation because it permits expert advisors across MT4, MT5 and ProRealTime, and backs that with REST and streaming APIs alongside a FIX option for institutional work. I think it suits traders who need a broad platform set and can code their own integrations. The free MT5 VPS sweetens the deal for anyone running EAs around the clock. IG Limited is licensed by the DFSA (DIFC) under reference F001780.

2. Equiti: Expert advisors permitted on MT4 and MT5

Equiti permits expert advisors on both MT4 and MT5 and allows third-party VPS connections, so your automated setup can run without the broker hosting it. I would send a trader here if they already have their own VPS provider and want a straightforward CMA-licensed home for their EAs. Equiti Securities Currencies Brokers LLC is licensed by the CMA (formerly SCA) under reference CP-0000791.

3. CFI: Expert advisors permitted on MT5

CFI permits expert advisors on MT5 and scores well on API readiness, though you need prior written consent for automated mass data entry. I think it suits a trader who runs a single EA and can work within a clear terms framework. CFI FINANCIAL MARKETS L.L.C is licensed by the CMA (formerly SCA) under reference CP-0000894.

4. ADSS: EAs allowed; VPS and API not published

ADS SECURITIES - L.L.C - S.P.C (CMA CP-0000786) permits expert advisors on MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, but not on its proprietary platform. The broker's terms (Clause 33, dated 13 December 2023) exclude strategies involving latency abuse and misquoted instruments. The broker does not publish details on VPS provision, server location, or an API. Automated trading is therefore limited to the two MetaTrader platforms under the stated restrictions.

5. XTB: Platforms MT4 only

XTB presents a mixed picture for automated traders: its terms exclude arbitrage, sniping and scalping, its API was withdrawn in March 2025, and the expert advisor status is contradicted. I would treat the EA question as an open issue until the broker clarifies it in writing. XTB MENA Limited is licensed by the DFSA (DIFC) under reference F006316.

Strategies each broker excludes in its trading terms

Our team fact-checked every contract clause in this section against the broker’s current terms in August 2026. What strikes me about these clauses is that they target arbitrage and latency, not how long you hold a position. ADSS names the conduct directly in Clause 33 of its Terms of Business, where abusive trading strategies include

“attacking the System in order to create and abuse price latency opportunities, internet or System connectivity, trading instruments which are clearly misquoted (arbitrage)”

ADS SECURITIES - L.L.C - S.P.C, Clause 33, Abusive Trading Strategies, ADSS Terms of Business, 13 December 2023.

Century Financial turns the same concern into a list in Clause 13.1(a) of its terms, covering

“arbitrage or latency exploitation, including the use of pricing delays, differences between indicative and executable prices, variations between faster and slower price feeds, or delays between market data feeds and execution systems”

Century Financial Consultancy LLC, Clause 13.1(a), Section 13, Terms of Business, August 2026.

IG’s clause broadens the scope:

“you will not use any electronic device, software, algorithm, any trading strategy or any arbitrage practices (such as but not limited to latency abuse, price manipulation or time manipulation) that aims to manipulate or take unfair advantage of the way in which we construct, provide or convey our bid or offer prices”

IG Limited, Term 20(1)(j), IG Limited Margin Trading Customer Agreement, December 2021.

Scalping appears by name in the XTB clause, which lists

“trading strategies aimed at exploiting errors in prices and/or concluding Transactions at off-market prices and/or by taking advantage of internet delays (commonly known as “arbitrage”, “sniping” or “scalping”)”

XTB MENA Limited, Clause 27.2, General Client Agreement, Terms and Conditions, version 16, June 2026.

CFI is the outlier. I searched its current terms and found the words arbitrage, latency and high-frequency zero times. Its restriction is aimed at news-window and multi-account trading:

“Abusive trading includes engaging in opposite-direction trading across multiple accounts or trading just before economic news releases or market closures”

CFI FINANCIAL MARKETS L.L.C, Section 26, sub-clause 6, General Terms and Conditions, July 2026.

Our search across both Amana DFSA-entity documents found the words arbitrage, abusive, scalping, latency and high-frequency zero times. IG and Equiti do not use the word scalping in their customer agreements. Equiti’s UAE FAQ expressly permits scalping and hedging, which is worth knowing if you run short-duration strategies.

Where the platform page and the contract disagree

Two of the 9 brokers captured in depth market expert advisors on their platform pages while their own client agreements restrict automated trading. I would not rely on a platform page for this. The contract is what the broker enforces, and the contract is where you need to look.

Amana’s MetaQuotes platform page advertises automated trading with expert advisors. I want to be clear about which entity I am talking about: Amana Financial Services (Dubai) Limited is the DFSA-licensed broker, not the Amana construction group and not the Labuan-regulated consumer app of the same name. Its client agreement states:

“If it comes to the attention of AFSDL that the client is using any such solutions the former has the right to terminate the provision of investment and ancillary service to the latter, in order to protect the orderly operations of the trading.”

Amana Financial Services (Dubai) Limited, Clause 6.7, Provision of services, Terms and Conditions AFSDL.

XTB’s UAE MetaTrader 4 page markets expert advisors from the MQL4 community. The entity behind that page is XTB MENA Limited, the DFSA one, though XTB also contracts UAE clients through XTB FINANCIAL SERVICES L.L.C under the CMA on its default route. Its UAE help centre states: “We do not provide automated trading strategies (Expert Advisors).” The Arabic version of the same article is blunter and translates as “No. We do not support automated trading programs (EAs).” That is a direct contradiction, and it is the kind of thing you need to catch before you open an account.

VPS provision and where the servers sit

The expert advisor execution chain shown from trader to MetaTrader to VPS to broker execution server, with the point at which latency enters marked.

IG is the only one of the 9 brokers captured in depth that provides a VPS. It describes the service as native cloud hosting with nine global servers, free with qualifying accounts, but does not publish the qualifying criteria. Equiti provides none of its own and permits a third-party VPS. Nobody else publishes anything. If you run an expert advisor around the clock, a VPS matters, and the silence from seven brokers is a gap you cannot fill with research.

Zero of the 9 brokers captured in depth state where their execution servers physically sit. Two of them edge around the question. Century Financial says execution speed may depend on the data centre through which you are trading. Equiti says, “The speed of execution may depend on which data center the client is trading on.” Neither names a facility. What this means for you is that latency-sensitive automation cannot be compared across these brokers on server proximity, because none of them publish it. Execution cost is another variable, and published spreads compared matter for automated strategies. On API access, only one of those 9 provides it: IG. eToro publishes an API on its global developer site but not on its UAE-facing pages, so across all 35 reviews, 10 publish API access. XTB withdrew its API on 14 March 2025.

Every UAE broker publishing Expert Advisor support

The table below lists all 20 Expert Advisor brokers across the full 35-broker roster, with regulator, VPS and API columns. Expert Advisor support on its own is not enough for a strategy that must run around the clock. Only 3 of the 20 also publish a VPS.

Which UAE brokers provide API access

10 of the 35 UAE-licensed brokers publish API access. They are ANAX Capital, Capital.com, IG, Interactive Brokers, Kama Capital, KIRA Financial, Pepperstone, RoboMarkets, Swissquote and Traders Hub. eToro publishes an API on its global developer site but not on its UAE-facing pages, and XTB discontinued its API on 14 March 2025. Confirm the API terms in the client agreement before you build a strategy.

What an expert advisor is

An expert advisor is a program written in MQL, MetaQuotes’ own programming language, that runs inside MetaTrader 4 or MetaTrader 5 and places orders according to rules you set. MetaTrader 4 brokers in the UAE use MQL4. MetaTrader 5 brokers in the UAE use MQL5. MetaTrader is published by MetaQuotes. An API is a direct programmatic connection to the broker rather than a program running inside a platform. eToro’s API sits on its global developer site, not on its UAE-facing pages, and because it runs no MetaTrader platform, Expert Advisors are not an option.

Automated trading and copy trading

Automation executes a rule set you define. Copy trading reproduces another trader’s positions. The distinction matters because a broker may permit one and not the other. If you are considering either, I suggest you also read our separate note on copy trading in the UAE.

How each broker is licensed in the UAE

We checked the three UAE registers on 17 August 2026, and our team corroborated eToro’s ADGM entry directly against the ADGM public register on 18 August 2026. The capture method is set out in our methodology.

The four CMA-licensed entities carry a licence number from both the SCA era and the current CMA register. Both are given so a reader can find the entity under either system. eToro’s ADGM permission to deal as principal is limited to acting as a matched principal.