Investment App Baraka Opens Doors to UAE’s Booming Local Stock Markets
Baraka, the Dubai International Financial Centre-based investment platform regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority, has announced that eligible customers can now invest directly in companies listed on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) through its app, opening up local equity investing to a customer base spanning more than 100 nationalities.
The launch represents one of the most significant expansions of retail access to UAE-listed equities in recent months, arriving at a moment when both of the country’s domestic exchanges are reporting record levels of capitalisation, trading activity and new investor participation.
A Platform Built for Global and Local Access
Baraka’s expansion into DFM and ADX marks the latest stage in the company’s evolution into what it describes as a comprehensive investment platform, one that now spans UAE and US securities, options trading, Sharia-compliant investment products, and precious metals including gold and silver with physical delivery options. Combined, these offerings give baraka’s customers access to nearly 10,000 individual assets across both local and global markets through a single account.
According to the company, local market access has consistently ranked among the most requested features from its customer base, reflecting strong underlying demand among UAE residents to invest directly in the businesses they interact with on a daily basis, from major banks to real estate developers and telecom operators listed on the country’s exchanges.
UAE Markets Hit Record Territory
The timing of baraka’s expansion coincides with a period of substantial growth across the UAE’s domestic capital markets. The Dubai Financial Market ended June 2026 with a market capitalisation of AED 981.6 billion, after total traded value rose 40.4 percent year-on-year to reach AED 119.5 billion during the first half of the year. Average daily traded value on the exchange surpassed AED 1 billion during the period, a level that reflects a substantial deepening of liquidity compared to previous years.
Investor growth on DFM has been equally notable, with the exchange adding 42,864 new investors during the first half of 2026 alone. International investors accounted for the overwhelming majority of that growth, representing 71.4 percent of all new registrations, underscoring Dubai’s continued appeal as a destination for global capital seeking exposure to the UAE economy.
The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange posted even larger absolute figures. ADX closed the first half of the year with a market capitalisation of AED 2.8 trillion, supported by first-half trading value of AED 171 billion and total trading volume of 50.3 billion shares. The exchange added more than 30,000 new investors during the same period, with foreign investors accounting for 77 percent of that growth, figures that point to increasingly strong international confidence in Abu Dhabi’s listed companies.
Why Retail Access Matters
The expansion of platforms like baraka into local market access reflects a broader structural shift underway across the UAE’s capital markets, one aimed at deepening retail participation alongside the institutional and foreign investment flows that have traditionally dominated trading on both exchanges. By simplifying the process of investing in UAE-listed equities for a broad, internationally diverse customer base, platforms of this kind help widen the pool of capital available to listed companies while giving everyday residents a more direct stake in the country’s corporate growth story.
For many residents, particularly expatriates who may already be familiar with international brokerage platforms but less so with the specific mechanics of investing on DFM or ADX, having a single, regulated app that bridges local and global markets removes a meaningful barrier to participation. The ability to fund investments directly in UAE dirhams, without navigating separate account structures for local and international holdings, further simplifies the process.
A Broader Drive to Expand Listed Markets
Baraka’s announcement also arrives against the backdrop of a wider, sustained push by UAE authorities to expand and deepen the country’s listed markets, part of a longer-term strategy to diversify the economy’s sources of capital beyond traditional banking and government-directed investment. That effort has included a steady stream of new listings across both exchanges in recent years, spanning sectors from real estate and logistics to energy and financial services.
As DFM and ADX continue to post record capitalisation figures and attract growing numbers of both local and international investors, platforms like baraka are positioning themselves to capture a share of what appears to be an accelerating shift toward broader retail participation in UAE equities, a trend that market observers expect to continue as the country’s capital markets mature further.
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