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."
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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.
