Key takeaways
- Firms in DIFC are regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority, and firms in ADGM by its Financial Services Regulatory Authority.
- Both regulators set rules on financial promotions, and websites, social posts, ads and AI-visibility content can all count.
- Build a compliance review step into every piece of marketing, and keep records of what was published and when.
Which regulator applies?
Firms licensed in the Dubai International Financial Centre are regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), and firms in Abu Dhabi Global Market by its Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA). Financial firms elsewhere in the UAE may fall under the Central Bank of the UAE or the Securities and Commodities Authority instead.
What can count as a financial promotion?
Broadly, any communication that invites or encourages someone to use a financial service or invest in a financial product. Website pages, social posts, ads, emails, webinars and even educational articles can count, depending on what they say and who they target. Content about performance, returns, risk and specific products needs the most care.
Who can you market to?
Both regulators distinguish between types of client, such as retail and professional clients, and rules can differ for each. A firm licensed to serve only professional clients needs to be careful that public-facing content doesn’t read as an offer to retail investors. Your compliance team will know which categories your licence covers.
How should marketing be run?
With a clear review step. The marketing team or agency drafts; compliance reviews and approves before anything goes live; records are kept of what was published, where and when. Agree turnaround times at the start, so campaigns are planned around review rather than rushed through it.
Does this apply to SEO and AI Visibility?
Yes. Pages written to rank in Google or to be quoted by AI tools are still public communications. An article explaining a product or a market can still be a promotion. Write educational content carefully, with balanced information about risk, and send it through the same review as an ad.
What about Social Media and LinkedIn?
Company pages are clearly covered. Posts by partners and employees about the firm’s services can be too, so give your people guidance on what they can share. Comments and replies count as well; agree how the team responds to questions about products in public.
What are the common mistakes?
- Treating blog articles and LinkedIn posts as informal and outside the rules.
- Publishing performance figures without the context and warnings the rules expect.
- Running the same content in DIFC and ADGM without checking both regulators.
- Not keeping records of what was approved.
Where do you confirm the rules?
Always in the regulator’s own rulebook and with your compliance officer, because rules change and this page explains only the general picture; it is not legal or regulatory advice. For marketing that has to pass review, our professional services team builds compliance steps into every website, LinkedIn plan and campaign we run.