How to Start a Securities and Commodities Market Business with Meydan Free Zone

Every broker trading on an exchange is a customer of that exchange. So is every listed company, every data subscriber, and every clearing member. Operating a securities and commodities market is not about taking a position in the market; it is about owning and running the venue where the market happens, and it is one of the most durable business models in global finance.

Global exchange industry revenue reached approximately USD 60 billion in 2024, according to research cited by The TRADE^¹. Trading, clearing, and settlement was the single largest revenue segment at USD 30.6 billion, up 9.8 percent year on year and accounting for 52.8 percent of all industry revenue.

The securities exchanges market is forecast to keep expanding through 2030, with the Asia-Pacific region contributing more than 39 percent of incremental growth, driven by cross-border listings and continued investment in market infrastructure, according to Technavio^².

Exchanges sit in an unusual position. They do not trade, lend, or take risk on the assets that move across them, yet they earn from every transaction, every listing, and increasingly every data feed that depends on the market they run.

Sources: The TRADE (2025); Technavio (2026).

The demand for new market infrastructure is real, and it follows the region's growth. The UAE has positioned itself as a financial centre for a wide span of asset classes, and a financial centre needs venues: places to list companies, to trade commodity contracts, to price futures and options. Listed companies want a market that gives them access to capital and visibility. Brokers and investors want depth, liquidity, and reliable settlement.

New asset classes, from commodity derivatives to environmental and structured products, need venues purpose-built to trade them. The exchange industry is also consolidating globally, with established venues acquiring one another to gain scale^¹, which leaves clear room for new, focused market operators built around specific asset classes or regional demand.

From equity listings and commodity contracts to futures and options venues, the UAE rewards market operators who can build a venue that companies, brokers, and investors trust.

Who is this for?

• Securities exchange operators: Businesses establishing and running organised markets for the listing and trading of company shares and other securities, providing the platform, rules, and surveillance that a securities market requires.
• Commodity exchange operators: Operators running commodity contracts exchanges where commodity contracts are listed, traded, and settled under a defined and supervised market framework.
• Derivatives and options market operators: Businesses operating futures and options exchanges, providing regulated venues for the trading of standardised derivative contracts on securities and commodities.

Meydan Free Zone offers 100% foreign ownership, zero percent corporate tax on qualifying income, full profit repatriation, and a fully digital licensing process, providing a regulated and cost-efficient base from which to establish a market operation in one of the world's fastest-growing financial centres.

6611.99 - Securities & Commodities Market

Under this activity, you are licensed to operate and supervise a financial market, that is, to establish and run an exchange on which securities or commodities are traded. The market operator provides the trading platform, listing framework, and market supervision; it does not itself trade on the market or act as a broker for others.

There are clear boundaries on this activity. As defined, it covers the operation and supervision of financial markets other than by public authorities, so markets operated directly by government authorities fall outside this classification. The activity is the running of the market itself. 

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The line is precise. If your business operates and supervises a securities or commodities exchange, you are in. If you trade on a market, broker transactions for others, or deal on your own account, you are not.

Third-Party Approval: Pre-approval from the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) is required before the trade license is issued.

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Anti-Money Laundering Compliance: This business activity is subject to UAE Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing compliance requirements.

Citations

¹ The TRADE. Global Exchange Revenues Up 7.5% in Four Years, Reaching $60 Billion. The TRADE, July 2025.

² Technavio. Securities Exchanges Market Growth Analysis, Size and Forecast 2026-2030. Technavio, 2026.

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