UAE Powers MENA’s Surge to Global E-Trading Supremacy

The latest white paper from Capital.com and APCO has stirred quite a bit of conversation across the region, and honestly, I’m not surprised. Anyone who has spent time around MENA’s startup and fintech circles — as many Arageek readers have — will have seen this wave building for years. Still, the scale of it is something else. The report suggests that MENA, led firmly by the UAE, is fast becoming one of the world’s most energetic hubs for retail e‑trading, with volumes soaring past the half‑trillion‑dollar mark in the Emirates alone during the first half of 2025. Talk about going full steam ahead.

The study draws on two years of data from almost 63,000 verified traders in the region using Capital.com. Together, they executed more than 85 million trades, which is a staggering figure however you slice it. And since the platform secured its licence from the Emirates Securities and Commodities Authority in April 2024, MENA has turned into its fastest‑growing market — now accounting for more than half of its global volumes. I reckon that says a lot about regional confidence in digital finance.

During the launch of the white paper at Abu Dhabi Finance Week, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi highlighted how the country’s focus on strong infrastructure and forward‑thinking regulation has helped build a “future‑ready digital economy”. His comments echoed what many entrepreneurs here often repeat: the UAE likes to move quickly, and it expects innovation to keep up.

Capital.com’s own performance mirrors that momentum. The company recorded US$1.5 trillion in global trading volumes in the first half of 2025, up more than 40% from late 2024. MENA’s share reached US$804 billion, with the UAE contributing a hefty US$576.5 billion. If that doesn’t position the Emirates as a global digital‑trading hotspot, I don’t know what does. And believe it or not, a lot of this growth stems from everyday traders who’ve become remarkably savvy.

The typical MENA trader is young, ambitious and highly educated. Around 86% fall between 18 and 44 years old, with more university graduates than their European counterparts. Many are also comparatively well‑off, with a noticeably higher percentage earning over US$200,000 a year. That said, it’s not all smooth sailing: while MENA traders close more profitable individual trades than Europeans, fewer end up with positive overall returns. The reason? Limited use of risk‑management tools — a classic case of boldness tipping into overconfidence.

One detail in the report that really caught my eye is how nearly half of MENA traders start with demo accounts. It’s spot on with what community mentors often encourage — learn by doing, but start safe. Tarik Chebib, CEO of Capital.com MENA, noted that although the region’s appetite for learning is strong, better risk discipline is still badly needed. And honestly, he’s not wrong; I’ve seen founders make the same mistake when scaling too quickly. It’s the same mindset, just applied to markets instead of teams.

APCO’s Mamoon Sbeih also pointed to the role of transparent regulation and growing financial literacy in widening participation. On the flip side, without sustained education, enthusiasm alone won’t carry traders far. The report calls for stronger financial‑literacy initiatives and more AI‑driven learning tools to guide users — something many fintechs here are already exploring. As someone who’s watched early‑stage teams in the region grapple with educating their users, I know it can be a bit of a faff, but it really pays off.

A trading client quoted in the study put it simply: success came not from chasing big wins but from discipline and flexibility. That line will probably resonate with countless readers who’ve dipped their toes into trading or entrepreneurship. At Arageek we hear versions of that story all the time… well, I mean, growth takes patience whether you’re managing a portfolio or running a lean startup.

With all this momentum — and a few gaps to close — it feels like MENA’s trading community is on the cusp of something even bigger. And if the UAE continues steering the ship with the same energy, the region’s digital‑finance evolution is only going to accelerate. One thing’s definately clear: the world is watching.

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