Glossary
SCA / CMA (Securities and Commodities Authority, now Capital Market Authority)
The Securities and Commodities Authority was the UAE federal regulator for securities and commodities markets and the firms operating in them outside the financial free zones. Federal decree-laws issued in 2025 renamed it the Capital Market Authority (CMA). Many existing licences and documents still use the old name.
Why it matters for brokers and payment firms
Onshore UAE securities brokers are licensed by it and report suspicions to the UAE FIU through goAML.