Another UAE-China tie-up, one more CfD brokerage lands in the Emirates, int’l heavyweights back Kaio

UAE-China agreement flow keeps building

ADGM has signed an MoU with a key financial hub in China’s “silicon valley” to deepen cross-border financial ties, according to a statement. The agreement, inked with Futian District in the Shenzhen region, covers collaboration across financial services, talent development, AI in finance, and investment structures including qualified foreign LP frameworks, alongside joint forums and business engagement between the two sides.

IN CONTEXT- The pact lands as Abu Dhabi sharpens its China strategy, fresh off last week’s 24 UAE-China agreements covering trade and investment. The UAE is also reportedly considering combining China-focused assets held across Mubadala and L’Imad Holding into a joint vehicle, a sign it wants more China exposure but less overlap when chasing agreements.

More FX/CfD brokerages are landing in the UAE

Australia-based online trading platform Mitrade has secured a license from the UAE’s Capital Markets Authority (CMA) allowing it to offer regulated contracts for difference (CfD) trading in the region, according to a statement. The platform offers CfDs across forex, commodities, indices, shares, and ETFs.

Why now? The timing looks tied to volatility. Mitrade cited the International Energy Agency estimates that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen 90% since late February, helping drive sharper moves across oil and macro markets. The firm said CFDs let traders react to fast-moving conditions “without owning the underlying asset,” a message likely to land when energy and safe-haven trades are swinging.

The pipeline of trading and market-infrastructure players targeting the UAE is already building. Players including CFD brokers XM and Traze secured SCA licences in Dubai last year.

Int’l heavyweights back Kaio with USD 8 mn

Abu Dhabi-based digital assets platform Kaio secured USD 8 mn in its latest funding round, which will help it expand across asset classes and enhance its onchain fund distribution infrastructure, according to a press release. The funding round attracted the likes of crypto giant Tether, Systemic Ventures, Further Ventures, and Laser Digital.

Next up: Kaio is looking to roll out an onchain fund with Mubadala and to expand into ETFs, credit, and structured investments. It’s also aiming to use tokenization to bring down the minimum participation threshold in funds to USD 100.