Robinhood secures Dubai license to trade and custody 10 asset classes ahead of 2027 launch
Key Facts
Robinhood announced on October 22, 2026, that it had secured a license from the Dubai Financial Services Authority to bring its retail investment platform to the Middle East from the Dubai International Financial Centre. The license allows trading and custody across 10 asset classes approved by the authority, including equities, cryptocurrencies, exchange-traded funds and investment tokens. The company said the approval paves the way for its expansion in the region, but it plans to launch its product suite in 2027. The announcement thus distinguishes between obtaining regulatory permission and making services available to customers. Robinhood describes the move as a milestone in its international expansion, pointing to regional demand for modern financial products.
The Dubai Financial Services Authority’s register shows that the license predates the announcement by about three months. The register lists Robinhood MENA Ltd. as an entity in the Dubai International Financial Centre, with reference number F012264 and a license date of July 20, 2026. The company’s announcement came on October 22, when it publicly disclosed its regional plans and details of the license’s scope. These dates mark two different stages: the license’s entry in the register, followed by Robinhood’s public announcement of its plans. The register also identifies the local entity responsible for the licensed activities in the centre.
The authority’s register classifies Robinhood MENA as authorized to provide financial services to retail clients, placing the announced activity within a framework aimed at individual investors. The registered activities include arranging custody and arranging deals in investments. The instruments listed include equities, investment tokens and cryptocurrency tokens, as well as debt certificates, futures, options, structured products, warrants and units. This is consistent with the company’s announcement that the license covers trading and custody across the 10 approved asset classes. These permissions define the scope allowed under the license, while the commercial launch date set by the company is 2027.
Robinhood’s operations at the Dubai International Financial Centre will be led by Salah Kaddoura, chief executive and head of Robinhood MENA, according to the company’s announcement. The company chose the centre as its regional base for Middle East operations; the centre is currently home to more than 10,018 active companies, including 1,933 in financial technology and innovation, according to its published data. Chief Executive Vlad Tenev said the expansion at the centre “brings us closer to building a global platform.” He added that the company’s stated goal is to make high-quality financial assets accessible to own. The statement places the choice of Dubai in the context of Robinhood’s ambition to build a broader international presence.
The expansion comes as the company has stepped up its activity outside the United States. Its number of funded customers internationally exceeded one million in the second quarter of 2026, according to Robinhood’s definition of a funded customer. In the same results, total revenue rose 32% year over year to $1.31 billion, while net income climbed 48% to $573 million. Platform assets reached $369 billion at quarter-end, up 32% from the same period a year earlier. These figures provide context on the company’s financial growth and international customer base ahead of its entry into the Middle East market, without determining on their own the expected scale of activity in the region.
International expansion has also included Singapore: Robinhood said in its second-quarter results that its entity there received a capital markets services license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore on July 1, 2026. The Dubai announcement follows that license as part of an expansion path the company describes as international. However, its announcement did not specify which countries will have access to the service or which products will be included in the regional launch package. The product suite is scheduled to launch in 2027, according to the announced plan. Robinhood said statements about its planned expansion and expected launch are based on current assumptions and subject to risks and uncertainties, including regulatory developments and market demand.