Kudo.com,the CFD broker formerly known as Kudotrade, said today (Friday) it had secured aCategory 5 license from the United Arab Emirates, clearing the way for a widerpush across the Gulf. The license was issued on June 9, the company said.Theapproval sits at the limited end of the UAE regime. It permits"Promotion and Introduction" activity, meaning Kudo can market itsservices and refer clients, rather than execute trades or hold customer fundsinside the country.That places the move in a sequence the company has beensignaling for months. Kudo first flagged the Dubai plan when it took initialapproval and opened a local office, then droppedthe Kudotrade name in favor of Kudo.com in early June.The firm paired the license with access to a set ofGulf-listed shares, spanning the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait.What the License Actually PermitsKudo described the issuing body as the UAE Capital MarketsAuthority. The Emirates' federal securities regulator is the Securities andCommodities Authority, which grants the Category 5 permits a string of brokershave collected over the past year.The distinction matters for clients. A promotion andintroduction license does not authorize a firm to deal on its own account orsafeguard client money onshore, so Kudo's actual trading continues to runthrough its offshore arm.That arm, Kudo Trade (Mauritius) Ltd, holds a FinancialServices Commission of Mauritius license. The company has previously said it runsCFD services through entities in Mauritius, Saint Lucia and Cyprus, astructure common among brokers selling into several regions.Kudo had already secured initialapproval and opened its Dubai office earlier this year, picking up theKudo.com domain at the same time.Chief Operating Officer Finley Wilkinson tied the license tothe broader expansion, saying it showed a commitment to "...operatingwithin trusted regulatory frameworks as we continue to expand globally."ACrowded Race for SCA ApprovalKudo joinsa long line of brokers chasing UAE paperwork. The regulator has automated partsof its process and reported an 18% rise in applications, as firms treat a Dubailicense as a credential for selling across the wider region.XM confirmed its own Category5 approval from the SCA in December, while GivTrade picked up a Category 5permit for "Arrangement and Advice" the same month, following Finaltoand Exinity. PrimeX Capital secured its license around the same time.Not every firm settles for the limited tier. Plus500, XTBand RoboMarkets are among the brokers that have taken the more extensivelicense, which lets them offer a broader range of services directly to UAEclients. Kudo, for now, sits in the narrower promotion and introductionbracket.Adding Gulf Stocks to the PitchThe equities launch is the consumer-facing half of theannouncement. Kudo listed Emaar Properties, ADNOC Gas and e& in the UAE,Saudi Aramco, Al Rajhi Bank and Saudi Telecom in Saudi Arabia, Qatar NationalBank, Ooredoo and Nakilat in Qatar, and Kuwait's Zain.As a CFD broker, Kudo offers exposure to those stocks ratherthan direct share ownership. The company framed the addition as a way forclients to trade regional heavyweights from one platform.Gulf equities have drawn steady interest from internationalplatforms. Interactive Brokers tied up with SNBCapital to offer Saudi stock trading, while regional players such asOneRoyal, Equiti and ADSS have leaned on bridgingGulf sovereign equities with global liquidity as a selling point.From Kudotrade to a Multi-Asset PushKudolaunched its CFD business in 2024 and has added pieces quickly. In September2025 it rolledout Kudo Funded, a prop trading product offering up to $200,000 in capital,lining up against Axi, OANDA and other funded-trader programs.It also hiredformer Capital.com and HFM finance executive Stathis Flangofas as CFObefore that launch. The UAE license and the Gulf stock list now sit alongsidethose moves as the firm builds a pitch that reaches beyond plain CFDs.This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.