All Guides / Financial Services & Investment
Starting a financial services business in the UAE
The only sector where the free-zone license is genuinely the easy part, the Central Bank and SCA decide whether you trade.
What This Sector Covers
The commercial free zones publish a substantial catalogue of financial activities: investment management, brokerage, payment services, lending, money exchange and wealth advisory. It is important to read these correctly. The presence of an activity in a zone's list means the zone will issue a trade license bearing that wording. It does not mean you may carry on that regulated business.
Regulated financial services in the UAE are authorised by the Central Bank of the UAE or the Securities and Commodities Authority, or by the financial free zones DIFC and ADGM under their own regimes. Those regulators appear repeatedly against the activities in this sector for exactly that reason. A commercial free-zone license is the corporate wrapper; the authorisation is separate, slower and substantive.
Who typically licenses this. Investment and advisory firms, fintech and payment businesses, family offices, and holding structures for financial assets.
Browse by category
Find Your Category First
Not sure which activity you need? Start with the category closest to your business, then pick the activity inside it.
Investment & Asset Management
150- Investment Management
- Commodities & Derivatives Trading
- Securities & Brokerage Services
- Trust & Fiduciary Services
- Private Equity & Venture Capital
- Asset & Fund Management
Banking & Credit
87- Banking Services
- Mortgage & Finance Brokerage
- Credit & Lending Services
- Factoring & Forfaiting Services
Financial Advisory & Support
60- Financial Consultancy
- Debt Collection & Recovery Services
- Corporate Finance & M&A Advisory
Payments & Fintech
31- Money Exchange & Remittance
- Payment Processing Services
- Digital Wallet & E-Money Services
- Crowdfunding Platform
Approvals You Should Expect
Across our partner zones, 155 of the 326 listings in this sector (48%) carry a named external approval. These are the bodies that appear most often, an approval here is a condition of the license, not an optional extra, and several must be obtained before the license issues.
Which Zone Carries It
Every partner zone publishes activities in this sector, but not evenly. SRTIP carries the most at 96 listings. Breadth is not the only thing that matters (fees, visa quota, facility type and reputation all count) but a zone with a thin list in your sector is a zone that may not have your exact activity.
Before You Apply
- If you hold, move or manage client money, assume you need Central Bank or SCA authorisation regardless of which zone issued your license.
- Advisory-only and holding structures are frequently the correct, achievable answer for a founder who does not need a regulated permission.
- DIFC and ADGM are separate jurisdictions with their own regulators and are not represented in our partner zones' lists.
A to Z of Every financial services & investment Activity
Every activity published in this sector across our partner zones, alphabetically. Zone codes show where each one is available; click any activity carrying ⓘ to read the free zone’s own official description of it.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
M
O
P
R
S
T
V
W
Questions We Get Asked
Do I need the exact activity, or is something close enough?
The exact one. Banks, customs, payment providers and clients all read the license wording literally, and an activity that only roughly describes what you do creates friction at account opening and at import. With 179 activities published in this sector alone, there is almost always a precise line available.
Can I hold more than one activity on a single license?
Yes. Every zone allows multiple activities on one license, usually with a package covering a set number and a fee per additional activity beyond it. Some zones restrict mixing across license types, for example combining a trading activity with a professional one, so the combination matters more than the count.
What does an “external approval” actually mean here?
It means a body outside the free zone has to sign off before your license can issue or before you may operate. In this sector that most often means Central Bank of the UAE, followed by Securities & Commodities Authority (SCA). The free zone will not waive it, and applying without it is the most common cause of a stalled application.
Which free zone should I choose for this sector?
Start by confirming the zone publishes your exact activity, that alone removes several options. In this sector SRTIP publishes the most activities. Then weigh cost, visa quota, whether you need a physical facility, and whether your clients or bank have a preference. We do this comparison as part of the setup rather than leaving it to you.
Is a free zone license enough to trade on the UAE mainland?
Not by itself. A free-zone company can sell to mainland customers through a distributor or agent, and can service mainland clients in many sectors, but holding a physical outlet, a workshop or a site presence on the mainland generally needs a DED license or a branch. This matters more in some sectors than others, it is decisive in retail, hospitality and contracting.
How current is this list?
It reflects the activity lists each zone publishes, as loaded into our catalogue. Zones add and retire activities without announcement, and fees change. Treat it as an accurate map rather than a live feed, and confirm the specific activity before you commit.