UAE Securities and Commodities Authority Enhances Investor Protection Leadership

The UAE's Securities and Commodities Authority is participating in Global Investor Week 2025, running from October 6-12, as part of an international initiative by IOSCO to boost investment awareness. The authority has taken 285 regulatory actions this year to protect investors, including warnings, fines, trading suspensions, and blocking fraudulent websites.

Global Investor Week represents a coordinated effort by financial regulators worldwide to educate investors and promote financial literacy. The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) launched this annual event to help retail investors make better financial decisions and protect themselves from fraud.

Walid Al Awadi, CEO of the UAE's Securities and Commodities Authority, said the participation reinforces the country's commitment to investor protection as a strategic priority. The authority is building what he calls a "safe and flexible investment environment" using proactive oversight, digital technologies, and artificial intelligence to enhance market stability and transparency.

The numbers show serious enforcement activity. By October 2025, the authority has carried out 285 different regulatory actions. These include formal warnings, regulatory guidance, alerts, financial penalties, referrals to other agencies, trading halts, public warnings, and blocking websites that target investors with fraudulent schemes.

This enforcement approach matters for the UAE's broader economic strategy. The country is positioning itself as a major financial hub in the Middle East, competing with established centers like Singapore and Hong Kong. Strong investor protection builds the trust that international investors need before putting money into UAE markets.

The use of AI and digital surveillance tools represents a shift toward more sophisticated market monitoring. Traditional regulatory approaches often catch problems after damage is done. The UAE authority is betting that technology can spot suspicious patterns and protect investors before they lose money.

For investors, this means more oversight but also more protection. The authority's active enforcement sends a clear message to bad actors while giving legitimate investors more confidence in UAE markets. This balance between protection and market freedom will be crucial as the UAE continues building its financial sector.