The LSE Directory / CFD and forex brokers
ADSS is an Abu Dhabi based online brokerage and financial services firm, established in 2011 as ADS Securities and rebranded to ADSS in June 2018. It offers CFD and spot trading across forex, indices, commodities, individual equities, bonds and cryptocurrencies, alongside real stocks and ETFs, with clients accessing the markets through MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and the firm's own proprietary WebTrader platform. The firm differentiates itself within the MENA CFD and forex brokerage space by pairing leveraged multi-asset CFD trading, spanning energy, metals and agricultural commodities alongside forex and indices, with direct access to UAE listed equities and affiliated wealth and asset management services provided through ADS Investment Solutions. This combination targets both self-directed retail traders and professional or institutional clients across the Middle East and North Africa, rather than operating as a narrow FX-only shop. ADSS is incorporated as a limited liability company under UAE law, registered with the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, and headquartered on Corniche Road in Abu Dhabi, with historic offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and London. It is regulated in the UAE by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) under a Category 1 broker license (No. 305027) and a Category 5 license (No. 20200000217); the CMA succeeded the former Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) as the UAE's capital markets regulator on 1 January 2026. A UK subsidiary, ADSS UK, held FCA authorisation from 2012 until it withdrew from the UK market in July 2023. Ahmed Khalifa Almehairi became CEO in October 2024, succeeding Mahmood Ebraheem Al Mahmood; the firm's founding CEO was Philippe Ghanem. By 2014 the company reported serving more than 10,000 clients with around 180 employees. ADSS has recently expanded its access to UAE listed markets: it became a trading member of the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange in June 2024, and a trading and clearing member of the Dubai Financial Market in April 2026, extending its brokerage from CFDs and forex into direct trading of locally listed equities on both of the UAE's principal stock exchanges.
