Robinhood Confirms Dubai Approval for Middle East Expansion; Licence Recorded Since 20 July
Key Facts
Robinhood confirmed it had received approval from the Dubai Financial Services Authority to offer its retail investment platform in the Middle East from the Dubai International Financial Centre. The company said it had secured approval "to offer its retail investment platform", extending its operations into the region. The authority's official register records the licensing date of the local entity, Robinhood MENA Limited, as 20 July 2026. The licensed entity is registered as a company in the Dubai International Financial Centre, from which it plans to offer the platform in the Middle East. The licence covers dealings with retail clients, the investor category targeted by the company's platform announcement.
The Dubai Financial Services Authority's register specifies the licensed services as "Arranging Deals in Investments" and "Arranging Custody". The company's local activities thus fall within the scope of arranging deals and custody services, retaining the specific regulatory designation for each service. The investment scope listed in the licence includes shares, certificates, debt securities and units in investment funds. It also extends to futures, options, structured products and warrants, according to the official register. Investment tokens and crypto tokens also fall within the licensed scope, alongside the other investment instruments covered by the arranging services.
The Dubai move follows an earlier Robinhood acquisition in the cryptocurrency sector. The company completed its acquisition of the Bitstamp exchange on 2 June 2025, according to an announcement on its website. In terms of its platform's scale, Robinhood said in its operating data that total assets stood at about $384 billion at the end of August 2026. That total rose 8% from its level at the end of July 2026, according to the monthly comparison announced by the company. Platform assets increased 26% year on year, leaving the August balance higher both month on month and compared with the same period a year earlier.
In the latest quarterly results included in the company's announcement, Robinhood's revenue reached $1.31 billion in the second quarter of 2026. The company described the figure as a record in its earnings release published through investor relations. Revenue grew 32% from the same quarter a year earlier, according to the statement, ahead of its next quarterly report. Robinhood scheduled its third-quarter 2026 results announcement for Tuesday, 27 October 2026. The results are due to be released after the market closes that day, according to the schedule the company announced to investors.