The European trading landscape has gained a new regulated participant with the arrival of Godo. The now CySEC-regulated broker was co-founded by Mohamed Ahmed and Ebieraja Alex, who served as Chief Executive Officer and Head of Business Development, respectively, at AvaTrade's Dubai operations.
The two men left to launch Godo in 2021 under a licence from Mauritius, operating from a regional hub in Dubai.
Bucking the Offshore Trend
The broker's decision to establish a regulated presence in Cyprus bucks the broader offshore shift seen across the retail brokerage sector in recent years, as several operators have surrendered their EU or UK licences to focus exclusively on offshore jurisdictions.
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A primary factor driving this departure has been the increasingly strict oversight imposed by regulators such as ESMA and the FCA.
This offshore migration has included brand entities such as Orbex, BDSwiss-linked units, HTFX, and FXDD, with the latter being one of the latest, having relinquished its regulatory licence in Malta in August to operate offshore.
Some Still Want the EU
Despite that broader outflow, a smaller but steady stream of brokers continues to seek onshore European licences to build credibility with regional clients.
UK-based Trade Nation, for instance, recently obtained a regulatory licence from the CMVM in Portugal to strengthen its EU presence.
Luis Dos Santos, the Chief Executive Officer of Trade Nation’s Portuguese operations, said that operating in the EU is an essential step in establishing client trust.
Speaking to Finance Magnates, he said, "Clients feel that it is safer to invest in an EU-regulated firm instead of an offshore entity; they feel that they are in a safer environment. It’s one less problem they need to think of when it comes to their trading journey,” he notes.
