EFG Hermes UAE has launched a mobile account-opening service for investors seeking access to the Dubai Financial Market (DFM). Through its EFG Hermes ONE trading app, a new customer can obtain a DFM investor number and open a trading account without paperwork or a branch visit.
The investor number is the identifier used to participate in the market. Bringing that step into the brokerage app reduces the need for a prospective investor to move between a market registration process and a separate broker account application. EFG Hermes describes the new route as an end-to-end digital process, available directly from a mobile phone. The two records serve different purposes: the investor number identifies a participant at the exchange, while the brokerage account provides a route to place trades through EFG Hermes.
DFM’s chief operating officer, Khalifa Rabba, said allowing investors to obtain their number and begin trading digitally shortens the path into the market. Afra Al Suwaidi, CEO of Dubai Central Securities Depository, also characterized the change as an improvement to investor access. The two officials’ comments accompanied EFG Hermes’ description of the live service.
DFM added 42,864 investors in the first half of 2026, according to figures included in the announcement. Foreign nationals accounted for 71.4 percent of those new investors. That mix makes remote access particularly relevant for applicants who might otherwise need to complete parts of an account application in person. The exchange reported AED 119.5 billion in trading value during the same period, with foreign investors generating 51 percent of that value.
The launch is separate from EFG Hermes’ proposed NFC passport-checking process in Egypt, which received preliminary sandbox approval rather than a general launch. The DFM service is a UAE brokerage onboarding route and is described by the company as already available in its app.
Across the region, financial firms are testing different ways to put identity checks into remote account opening. Bahrain’s SICO, for example, uses the country’s eKey 2.0 digital ID in its investment-account process. The EFG Hermes route packages investor-number registration and trading-account opening into a single mobile journey.
Sources: EFG Holding, Dubai Financial Market investor guidance
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
