Pepperstone is one of the largest forex and CFD brokers in the world, founded in Melbourne in 2010, with more than 900,000 traders and an office in Downtown Dubai. In this Pepperstone UAE review for 2026 we look at what it offers UAE residents: which entity holds your account, fees, AED funding, platforms, Islamic accounts and who it suits.
Our verdict: Pepperstone is one of the strongest choices in the UAE for active forex, gold and index traders. It combines raw spreads from 0.0 pips, five platforms (including TradingView and cTrader), AED accounts and free deposits and withdrawals. The main limits are that it only offers CFDs and that retail accounts are issued by its Bahamas entity rather than by a UAE-licensed one.
Pepperstone UAE at a glance
| Pepperstone | |
|---|---|
| Forex (Standard account) | Spreads from 1 pip, no commission |
| Forex (Razor account) | Spreads from 0.0 pips + USD 3.50 per lot per side |
| US share CFDs | USD 0.02 per share per side |
| Other share CFDs | 0.07% to 0.20% per side |
| Minimum deposit | None by bank transfer, USD 10 by card |
| Deposit and withdrawal fees | None charged by Pepperstone |
| Inactivity fee | None |
| AED account | Yes |
| Max retail leverage | 1:200 (major forex and gold) |
| Islamic (swap-free) account | Yes (fees not published) |
| Platforms | Pepperstone app, MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView |
| Support | Arabic, English and Hindi, from a UAE-based team |
Data checked on Pepperstone’s UAE website in October 2026. Overnight funding (swap) and other fees may apply. See the full costs and fees.
Risk Warning: Trading CFDs and FX carries significant risk. Trading OTC derivatives may not be suitable for everyone so please ensure that you fully understand the risks involved and take care to manage your exposure. You have no ownership of the underlying asset. Pepperstone Financial Services LLC does not issue advice, recommendations or opinion in relation to acquiring, holding or disposing of OTC derivatives nor is Pepperstone a financial advisor. All services are provided on an execution only basis.
What is Pepperstone?
Pepperstone is an online broker that specialises in CFDs (contracts for difference) on forex, indices, commodities, shares, ETFs and crypto. The group has 9 licensed entities worldwide and handles a monthly trading volume of more than USD 900 billion.
With a CFD you trade on the price movement of an asset without owning it. You can go long or short and trade with leverage, which amplifies both profits and losses. Pepperstone does not offer real shares, ETFs or bonds to UAE clients, so it is a broker for trading rather than for building a long-term portfolio.
Pepperstone’s UAE website is available in English and Arabic.
Is Pepperstone regulated in the UAE?
Yes, but it helps to know which entity does what. Pepperstone has three entities relevant to UAE residents:
- Pepperstone Financial Services LLC: the Dubai office, at Emaar Square 3 in Downtown Dubai. It is regulated by the UAE Capital Market Authority (CMA) under licence number 20200000358 for introduction and financial consultation activities. The CMA is the federal regulator formerly known as the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), renamed on 1 January 2026.
- Pepperstone Markets Limited: the product issuer for retail accounts, based in Nassau and regulated by the Securities Commission of The Bahamas (licence SIA-F217). Your CFD contracts are with this entity.
- Pepperstone Financial Services (DIFC) Ltd: regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) under licence F004356. It serves professional clients.
In practice, a retail trader in the UAE gets local onboarding and support from the Dubai office, while the trades themselves are issued by the Bahamas entity. Check your account opening documents to confirm which entity holds your account. Before you open an account, Pepperstone also asks you to review the product issuer’s target market determination (TMD), product disclosure statement (PDS) and other legal documents.
Is Pepperstone safe?
Pepperstone keeps retail client funds in segregated accounts with tier-1 banks, separate from its own money, and says it does not use them for its business or for hedging. Retail accounts have negative balance protection, so if your balance goes negative Pepperstone restores it to zero. Your account is protected by encryption, two-factor authentication (2FA) and fraud detection, and the platforms carry ISO 27001 certification.
Keep in mind that the legal protection you have depends on the entity that holds your account. For a UAE retail client that is the Bahamas entity, not a UAE-licensed one, which is a weaker setup than a broker that issues retail accounts directly under a UAE licence.
Fees
Pepperstone offers two account types for CFDs, and you can hold both under the same profile:
- Standard: the trading cost is built into the spread, with forex spreads from 1 pip and no commission (except on share CFDs). It is the simpler choice for newer traders.
- Razor: raw spreads from 0.0 pips on forex and from 0.08 points on Spot Gold (XAU/USD), plus a fixed commission. It usually works out cheaper for active forex and gold traders.
| Platform (Razor) | Forex and Spot Gold commission |
|---|---|
| MT4 and MT5 | From USD 3.50 per lot per side (depends on account currency) |
| Pepperstone platform | USD 3.50 per lot per side |
| cTrader | USD 6 per lot round trip |
| TradingView | USD 7 per lot round trip |
Source: Pepperstone UAE, October 2026. Commission on trades below 1 lot is adjusted proportionally.
Example: one standard lot of EUR/USD (100,000 euros) has a pip value of USD 10. At the minimum Standard spread of 1 pip, the round trip costs USD 10. On Razor, at a raw spread of 0.0 pips, it costs the USD 7 commission (USD 3.50 to open and USD 3.50 to close on MT4, MT5 or the Pepperstone platform). Real spreads move with the market, so check the live spread in the platform before you trade.
Index and commodity CFDs carry no commission on either account (except Spot Gold on Razor). Share CFD commissions depend on the market:
| Share CFDs | Commission per side |
|---|---|
| US (600+ shares) | USD 0.02 per share (min USD 0.02) |
| UK (100+ shares) | 0.10% |
| Germany and rest of Europe | 0.10% |
| Australia (200 shares) | 0.07% |
| Hong Kong (46 shares) | 0.20% |
Source: Pepperstone UAE share CFDs, October 2026. Same commission on Standard and Razor accounts.
Perpetual CFDs, a newer product on the UAE site, cost 0.015% per side (0.03% on the gold and MicroStrategy perps).
Overnight funding (swap): if you keep a position open after 5pm New York time (1am or 2am in the UAE, depending on US daylight saving time), you pay or receive swap. On index and share CFDs this is the benchmark rate plus or minus a 2.5% charge, so holding leveraged positions for weeks gets expensive. On Wednesdays, forex swaps are charged three times to cover the weekend. Current swap rates are shown in the platform.
Non-trading fees: there is no inactivity fee, no account fee and no market data fee. Accounts with less than 10 units of currency that have not traded for three months may be archived and can be reactivated on request.
Active trader program: clients who trade in large volumes can get a rebate on part of Pepperstone’s commission or spread, plus a dedicated account manager and free VPS hosting. Pepperstone does not publish the thresholds, so contact premium@pepperstone.com to check eligibility.
Markets and products
Pepperstone offers more than 1,350 CFDs. According to its UAE site, the range includes 93 forex pairs, 26 indices, 1,162 shares, 95 ETFs, 40 commodities and 31 cryptocurrencies, all available on both account types.
Share CFDs cover the US, UK, Europe, Australia and Hong Kong. There are no UAE or other Middle East shares, so if you want to trade Emaar or ADNOC companies you will need a broker with access to the DFM or ADX. Some major US shares can be traded 24 hours a day, five days a week.
Retail leverage under Pepperstone’s UAE terms:
| Asset | Max retail leverage |
|---|---|
| Major and minor forex, gold, major indices | 1:200 |
| Minor indices | 1:100 |
| Soft commodities | 1:50 |
| Energy | 1:20 |
| Bitcoin, Ether, share and ETF CFDs | 1:20 |
| Other metals | 1:10 |
| Other cryptocurrencies | 1:2 |
Source: Pepperstone UAE costs and fees, October 2026.
With 1:200 leverage, a USD 1,000 margin controls a USD 200,000 position, so a 0.5% move against you wipes out your margin. High leverage is a tool to use with care, not a target.
Experienced traders can apply to become professional clients, with leverage up to 1:500 on forex, gold and major indices. In exchange you give up some retail protections, including full negative balance protection. Ask Pepperstone which entity and criteria apply to you before you apply.
Islamic (swap-free) account
Pepperstone offers an Islamic (swap-free) account to UAE clients who cannot pay or receive interest. Instead of overnight swaps, an administrative fee may apply depending on the instrument and how long the trade stays open. Pepperstone does not publish these fees on its UAE website, so ask the support team for the swap-free terms before you open positions you plan to hold for several days. Demo accounts are not available in swap-free mode.
If you need an Islamic account with published terms, compare it with XTB or Capital.com, which also offer Islamic accounts in the UAE.
Deposits, withdrawals and AED funding
You can open your account in AED, as well as USD, EUR, GBP or AUD. Holding an AED account avoids conversion costs when you fund from a UAE bank, although trades in USD-priced markets are still converted from AED at the spot rate. Pepperstone does not charge deposit or withdrawal fees, although your bank or card provider may.
| Method | Minimum deposit | Deposit time | Withdrawal time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa and Mastercard | USD 10 | Immediate | Up to 1 business day |
| Apple Pay and Google Pay | None | Immediate | Immediate |
| Bank transfer (Mashreq or Barclays) | None | Up to 2 business days | Up to 2 business days |
Source: Pepperstone UAE funding and withdrawal pages, October 2026. Times are Pepperstone’s internal processing. Card deposits are capped at AED 75,000 per transaction.
A few rules to know:
Same name only: deposits must come from an account in your own name, and Pepperstone only returns funds to the source, a bank account or card in your name or a joint name.
Approval: you confirm each withdrawal within one hour by email or 2FA.
Working days: withdrawals are only processed on business days, so a request on a Saturday or a public holiday takes longer. Your bank can take extra days to credit the funds.
Broker transfers: you can move funds to Pepperstone from another UAE-based broker using the bank details in your client area.
To deposit, log in to the secure client area, tap Deposit on the account you want to fund, choose the method and amount and confirm.
How to open a Pepperstone account in the UAE
1. Register: sign up with your email address on Pepperstone’s UAE website. You also get access to a free demo account.
2. Answer the suitability questions: Pepperstone assesses whether leveraged CFDs are suitable for you.
3. Verify your identity: upload your identification documents.
4. Fund your account: choose your account type (Standard or Razor), currency (for example AED) and platform, then make your first deposit.
Platforms
Pepperstone platform and app: the in-house web platform and mobile app for iOS and Android, the simplest option for beginners. It has advanced charts with several timeframes, real-time price alerts, push notifications and trading from full-screen charts.
- MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5: the standard forex platforms, with Expert Advisors for automated trading. Pepperstone adds Smart Trader Tools, a pack of 28 extra apps and indicators such as a trade terminal and a correlation matrix.
- cTrader: a platform built for algorithmic trading, with cTrader Automate to build and backtest strategies in C#.
- TradingView: trade directly from TradingView charts. It is only available on the Razor account.
You can test every platform with a free demo account with virtual funds. Pepperstone, MT4 and MT5 demos expire 60 days after creation, while cTrader and TradingView demos expire after 90 days of inactivity.
Customer support
Pepperstone’s UAE-based team offers support in Arabic, English and Hindi. Support is available 24 hours a day on weekdays and 18 hours a day at weekends, by email (support@pepperstone.com), phone (+971 4 497 4199), WhatsApp and live chat.
Pros and cons
✅ Raw forex spreads from 0.0 pips and a choice of five platforms, including TradingView and cTrader
✅ AED accounts, free deposits and withdrawals and no inactivity fee
✅ Dubai office with Arabic support and an Islamic (swap-free) account
❌ CFDs only, with no real shares, ETFs or bonds and no UAE shares
❌ Retail accounts are issued by the Bahamas entity, while the CMA licence covers introduction and consultation
❌ TradingView is not available on the Standard account, and swap-free fees are not published
Who is Pepperstone for?
Pepperstone suits UAE traders who trade forex, gold and indices actively and want low raw spreads, a choice of MT4, MT5, cTrader or TradingView and local AED funding. The Razor account pays off once you trade regularly, while the Standard account keeps costs simple for beginners.
It is less suited to long-term investors who want to own shares or ETFs. For that, Sarwa or Interactive Brokers are better options. For a full comparison, read our guide to the best online brokers in the UAE.
FAQs
Is Pepperstone regulated in the UAE?
Yes. Pepperstone Financial Services LLC is regulated by the UAE Capital Market Authority (CMA, formerly SCA) for introduction and financial consultation, and Pepperstone Financial Services (DIFC) Ltd by the DFSA. Retail CFD accounts are issued by Pepperstone Markets Limited, regulated in The Bahamas.
Is Pepperstone legal in Dubai?
Yes. Pepperstone has a licensed office in Downtown Dubai, and UAE residents can open an account through its UAE website.
What is the minimum deposit at Pepperstone in the UAE?
There is no minimum by bank transfer, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Card deposits start at USD 10.
Can I deposit AED to Pepperstone?
Yes. You can open your account in AED and fund it from a UAE bank, with no Pepperstone deposit fees.
How long do Pepperstone withdrawals take in the UAE?
Pepperstone processes withdrawals within up to 1 business day for cards and up to 2 business days for bank transfers. Your bank may take longer to credit the money.
What leverage does Pepperstone offer in the UAE?
Up to 1:200 for retail clients on forex, gold and major indices, and 1:20 on shares and Bitcoin. Professional clients can get up to 1:500.
Does Pepperstone have an Islamic account?
Yes. Pepperstone offers an Islamic (swap-free) account. An administrative fee may apply depending on the instrument and how long the trade stays open, so ask Pepperstone for the terms before you trade.
Can I buy real shares with Pepperstone?
No. Pepperstone offers share and ETF CFDs, so you trade on the price without owning the asset.
Disclaimer: this article is for information only and is not investment advice. Your capital is at risk.
Risk Warning: Trading CFDs and FX carries significant risk. Trading OTC derivatives may not be suitable for everyone so please ensure that you fully understand the risks involved and take care to manage your exposure. You have no ownership of the underlying asset. Pepperstone Financial Services LLC does not issue advice, recommendations or opinion in relation to acquiring, holding or disposing of OTC derivatives nor is Pepperstone a financial advisor. All services are provided on an execution only basis. Pepperstone Financial Services LLC is regulated by the CMA under licence number 20200000358 for the activities of Introduction and Financial Consultation. The product issuer Pepperstone Markets Limited is licensed and regulated by The Securities Commission of The Bahamas (SIA-F217).
Franklin has three years of experience in Wealth Management as a Fund Research Analyst, has passed the CFA level II, and is the host of the "Edge Over Hedge" YouTube channel.
