Deloitte's fifth Middle East and Cyprus Technology Fast 50 ranking included two United Arab Emirates-based prop trading firms, with FundedNext placing second overall and FundingPips heading the consultancy's Rising Star list at fourth, according to the report published this week.

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The placements come as the region continues to attract relocations and license applications from CFD brokers, prop firms and fintech infrastructure providers.

FundedNext was the highest-ranked fintech on the main list, behind only UAE healthcare firm Valeo Health.

FundedNext Holds Top Fintech Spot in Main Ranking

FundedNext, founded in 2022, was placed at number two on the main Fast 50, which Deloitte ranks by four-year revenue growth. UAE robo-advisor Sarwa came in third. The list covered 49 companies and recorded average growth of 12,643%, up from 8,823% in the previous edition, with the highest individual figure inside the main category reaching 6,107%, according to the report.

In the foreword, Kyriacos Charalambides, Fast 50 Program Leader at Deloitte Middle East, wrote that companies on the list are "leveraging innovation to improve various aspects of life and society." Software firms accounted for 38% of applications and fintech 22%, both consistent with prior editions, with the program drawing more than 200 submissions in total.

“From day one, the focus was on infrastructure, and this recognition is the result of that focus,” FundedNext commented in their official social media channels.

Winner! FundedNext has won the Deloitte Technology Fast 50, one of the most prestigious awards globally.

The program recognizes the fastest-growing tech companies across the Middle East and Cyprus. This year, in its 5th edition, FundedNext ranked #1 in the Fintech category.… pic.twitter.com/PzHam5ILVM

— FundedNext (@FundedNext) May 4, 2026

The firm has scaled rapidly under chief executive Syed Abdullah Jayed. The company declaries it has paid more than $271 million to traders since launch, with $15.19 million disbursed in February alone across 8,340 traders, according to its monthly payout report.

FundedNext was also named Global Prop Firm of the Year at the Finance Magnates Annual Awards 2025.

FundedNext has expanded beyond its core CFD prop product over the past year. The company launched a futures brand for US clients in April 2025, relaunched CFD prop trading for US traders on the Match Trader platform in November, and set up a brokerage division called FNmarkets that has applied for licenses in Dubai, Mauritius and Cyprus.

FundingPips Heads Rising Star Category at Number Four

Saudi-based companies dominated the Rising Star list, but FundingPips finished fourth and was the only company on either list that Deloitte tagged specifically as "Prop Trading" rather than the broader "Fintech Fintech Financial Technology (fintech) is defined as ay technology that is geared towards automating and enhancing the delivery and application of financial services. The origin of the term fintechs can be traced back to the 1990s where it was primarily used as a back-end system technology for renowned financial institutions. However, it has since grown outside the business sector with an increased focus upon consumer services.What Purpose Do Fintechs Serve?The main purpose of fintechs would be to suppl Financial Technology (fintech) is defined as ay technology that is geared towards automating and enhancing the delivery and application of financial services. The origin of the term fintechs can be traced back to the 1990s where it was primarily used as a back-end system technology for renowned financial institutions. However, it has since grown outside the business sector with an increased focus upon consumer services.What Purpose Do Fintechs Serve?The main purpose of fintechs would be to suppl Read this Term" label. The Rising Star category recognizes companies trading for less than three years.

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Founded in 2022, FundingPips has reported around $160 million in distributed rewards and more than 2 million users across 195 countries, according to company statements.

Chief executive Khaled Ayesh launched a separate futures brand called FundingTicks in early 2025 and a brokerage platform named Tradin in November.

The futures arm faced a sharp customer backlash in late December after applying retroactive rule changes including a one-minute minimum trade hold to existing accounts.

Ayesh defended the company's record on social media, citing more than $220 million in cumulative payouts across the group.

MENA's Pull on Prop Firm Capital

Both rankings reflect a broader pattern in retail trading Retail Trading In finance, retail trading refers to individual traders, trading through a broker, or on a platform. This can include novice traders and experienced traders. Trading and investing are divided into two categories, retail and institutional. Institutions include investment banks like JP Morgan or Citibank and global central banks like the US Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank. When we talk about retail trading however, we usually are referring to forex trading, but there are retail trade In finance, retail trading refers to individual traders, trading through a broker, or on a platform. This can include novice traders and experienced traders. Trading and investing are divided into two categories, retail and institutional. Institutions include investment banks like JP Morgan or Citibank and global central banks like the US Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank. When we talk about retail trading however, we usually are referring to forex trading, but there are retail trade Read this Term. Prop firms have relocated to or expanded operations in the UAE in response to regulatory tightening in the United States and Europe.

The DIFC financial hub added more than 1,000 companies in the first half of 2025, with fintech registrations up 28%, according to data cited by the centre.

Deloitte's engagement with the prop trading segment extends beyond the Fast 50. Last month, Dubai-based Hola Prime hired the Big Four firm to review its payout processing between October 2025 and March 2026, with the audit finding 98.35% of withdrawals processed within one hour and zero denials across the period.

The 5ers and IC Funded both said at iFX Expo Dubai in February that MENA was their top expansion priority, while FXIFY, FunderPro and Traddoo have all launched dedicated futures arms in the past 18 months that mirror the structures used by FundedNext and FundingPips.

Czech Republic-based FTMO, the largest established player in the segment, recorded $213 million in revenue and $98 million in pre-tax profit for 2023 and is in the process of acquiring US broker OANDA.

The deal positions FTMO as the only major prop firm currently offering MetaTrader 5 to US clients, after MetaQuotes restricted prop firm access in early 2024.

Sarwa, Finery Markets Round Out Trading-Adjacent Names

Two other companies on the main Fast 50 sit close to the broader online trading ecosystem. Sarwa, the UAE robo-advisor, ranked third with revenues that have grown alongside its expansion into stock trading and crypto offerings.

Finery Markets, a Cyprus-based non-custodial crypto electronic communication network, placed seventeenth and was the highest-ranked Cypriot fintech in the main ranking. The firm graduated from last year's Rising Star category, where Deloitte had recognized it in 2024.

Founded in 2019, Finery operates a hybrid order book and request-for-quote venue serving brokers, OTC desks and exchanges. Its partnership with B2BROKER announced in September makes its platform the backbone of the liquidity provider's OTC crypto operations.

Cyprus contributed 14% of Fast 50 applications and 18% across both lists, behind the UAE at 34% and Saudi Arabia at 26%, according to the Deloitte data. Software firms accounted for 38% of all applications and fintech 22%.