The Dubai Financial Market (DFM) has been recognised by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) as a foreign trading venue, expanding the firm’s international market access.
Hamed Ali
Through the recognition, Swiss participants supervised by FINMA will be able to gain direct access to DFM’s trading venue, while equity securities trading of companies incorporated in Switzerland will also be enabled on the market.
Specifically, the move establishes a regulated channel between both Swiss and Dubai financial centres.
Hamed Ali, chief executive of DFM and Nasdaq Dubai, said: “FINMA’s recognition of DFM is a significant milestone in our strategy to broaden international access to our market and implement Dubai’s vision to develop its capital markets.
“It opens a direct, regulated pathway for Swiss financial institutions to connect to our ecosystem and creates new opportunities around Swiss-incorporated securities, reinforcing Dubai’s position as a globally connected capital-markets hub.”
Moreover, the development is expected to bolster Dubai’s positioning in both regional and global capital markets and will support the growth of Dubai’s financial sector and cross-border capital flows.
H.E. Waleed Saeed Al Awadhi, chief executive of the UAE Capital Market Authority (CMA), said: “This recognition reflects the close supervision cooperation between the CMA and FINMA and the strength of the UAE’s regulatory framework.
“It establishes a clear, well-regulated channel for cross-border participation that upholds market integrity and reinforces the UAE’s standing as a trusted global financial centre.”
The move follows further developments for Dubai’s markets in recent months, with the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA)’s decision in January to grant Tier 1 third-country central counterparty (CCP) recognition to Nasdaq Dubai and Dubai Financial Market’s (DFM) subsidiary, Dubai Clear.
The firms are currently the only CCPs in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to gain ESMA Tier 1 status. The recognition came into effect on 31 December 2025.
The accreditation is expected to enhance cross-border connectivity between European and Dubai-based capital markets and bolster the UAE’s positioning across post-trade services globally.