Rostro Group Secures UAE SCA Category 5 Licence To Support GCC Institutional and Retail Growth

Rostro Group has obtained a Category 5 licence from the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), formally marking its expansion into the UAE and reinforcing its longer-term commitment to the country’s evolving financial ecosystem.

The Group said the approval comes as the SCA continues to strengthen oversight and raise industry standards, recognising Rostro as a compliant and trusted participant in the UAE’s expanding financial landscape. The licence also enables the firm to operate in line with expectations around transparency, investor protection and responsible market engagement.

Based in the UAE, the Group is led by CEO Michael Ayres, who highlighted Dubai and Abu Dhabi’s rapid evolution into an increasingly future-ready financial ecosystem.

“We at Rostro Group see the UAE as one of the most forward-thinking financial centres, one that will soon rival leading centres like London, Singapore or New York. Securing this licence deepens our alignment with the country’s vision to build a tech-first, institutionally robust financial ecosystem and propels our contribution to its next phase of growth.”

 

Rostro’s multi-brand structure is designed to serve diverse categories of investors through a unified global ecosystem. Its Scope Prime division supports institutional clients with trading infrastructure and is now positioned to provide multi-asset prime brokerage services to financial institutions across the GCC. Retail-facing Scope Markets offers individuals access to global trading and investing opportunities, including account types denominated in multiple currencies such as AED and USD.

In recent years, the Group has expanded its regional product range to include access to more than 60 regional CFD equities and has developed proprietary CFD indices designed to mirror the performance of the Dubai and Abu Dhabi stock markets. Rostro also said it has established local banking relationships as it builds out its UAE footprint.

Rostro Group is a fintech group of companies focused on offering financial products. Founded in 2021, the Group operates multiple brokerages brands, invests in fintech businesses, and launched Rostro Foundation. Founded by Roger Hambury, and led by Michael Ayres, the group caters to a wide range of financial products and services across the globe.

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