Kudo.com,
the CFD broker formerly known as Kudotrade, said today (Friday) it had secured a
Category 5 license from the United Arab Emirates, clearing the way for a wider
push across the Gulf. The license was issued on June 9, the company said.
The
approval sits at the limited end of the UAE regime. It permits
“Promotion and Introduction” activity, meaning Kudo can market its
services and refer clients, rather than execute trades or hold customer funds
inside the country.
That places the move in a sequence the company has been
signaling for months. Kudo first flagged the Dubai plan when it took initial
approval and opened a local office, then dropped
the Kudotrade name in favor of Kudo.com in early June.
The firm paired the license with access to a set of
Gulf-listed shares, spanning the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait.
What the License Actually Permits
Kudo described the issuing body as the UAE Capital Markets
Authority. The Emirates’ federal securities regulator is the Securities and
Commodities Authority, which grants the Category 5 permits a string of brokers
have collected over the past year.
The distinction matters for clients. A promotion and
introduction license does not authorize a firm to deal on its own account or
safeguard client money onshore, so Kudo’s actual trading continues to run
through its offshore arm.
That arm, Kudo Trade (Mauritius) Ltd, holds a Financial
Services Commission of Mauritius license. The company has previously said it runs
CFD services through entities in Mauritius, Saint Lucia and Cyprus, a
structure common among brokers selling into several regions.
Kudo had already secured initial
approval and opened its Dubai office earlier this year, picking up the
Kudo.com domain at the same time.
Chief Operating Officer Finley Wilkinson tied the license to
the broader expansion, saying it showed a commitment to “…operating
within trusted regulatory frameworks as we continue to expand globally.”
A
Crowded Race for SCA Approval
Kudo joins
a long line of brokers chasing UAE paperwork. The regulator has automated parts
of its process and reported an 18% rise in applications, as firms treat a Dubai
license as a credential for selling across the wider region.
XM confirmed its own Category
5 approval from the SCA in December, while GivTrade picked up a Category 5
permit for “Arrangement and Advice” the same month, following Finalto
and Exinity. PrimeX Capital secured its license around the same time.
Not every firm settles for the limited tier. Plus500, XTB
and RoboMarkets are among the brokers that have taken the more extensive
license, which lets them offer a broader range of services directly to UAE
clients. Kudo, for now, sits in the narrower promotion and introduction
bracket.
Adding Gulf Stocks to the Pitch
The equities launch is the consumer-facing half of the
announcement. Kudo listed Emaar Properties, ADNOC Gas and e& in the UAE,
Saudi Aramco, Al Rajhi Bank and Saudi Telecom in Saudi Arabia, Qatar National
Bank, Ooredoo and Nakilat in Qatar, and Kuwait’s Zain.
As a CFD broker, Kudo offers exposure to those stocks rather
than direct share ownership. The company framed the addition as a way for
clients to trade regional heavyweights from one platform.
Gulf equities have drawn steady interest from international
platforms. Interactive Brokers tied up with SNB
Capital to offer Saudi stock trading, while regional players such as
OneRoyal, Equiti and ADSS have leaned on bridging
Gulf sovereign equities with global liquidity as a selling point.
From Kudotrade to a Multi-Asset Push
Kudo
launched its CFD business in 2024 and has added pieces quickly. In September
2025 it rolled
out Kudo Funded, a prop trading product offering up to $200,000 in capital,
lining up against Axi, OANDA and other funded-trader programs.
It also hired
former Capital.com and HFM finance executive Stathis Flangofas as CFO
before that launch. The UAE license and the Gulf stock list now sit alongside
those moves as the firm builds a pitch that reaches beyond plain CFDs.
This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.
SOURCE LINK : Kudo.com Secures UAE Category 5 License and Adds Gulf-Listed Equities
