UAE SCA Renamed CMA in 2026: Official Change Explained

Table of Contents

• • UAE SCA to CMA: the facts at a glance
• • Why some sources say 2025 and others say 2026
• • What legally changed when the UAE SCA became the CMA?
• • What did not automatically change?
• • How to verify whether a broker is licensed by the UAE CMA
• • CMA, DFSA, FSRA and CBUAE: which regulator applies?
• • What the change means for UAE FRR and CISI candidates
• • Bottom line

Direct answer: the UAE Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) was renamed and reconstituted as the Capital Market Authority (CMA) on 1 January 2026. The change comes from Federal Decree-Law No. 32 of 2025, issued on 1 October 2025 and effective from the start of 2026.

The official law says the CMA is the SCA’s legal successor in its rights, obligations and contracts. It also says the words “Securities and Commodities Authority” are replaced by “Capital Market Authority” wherever they appear in legislation. That is the clearest answer to searches such as “SCA new name” and “UAE Securities and Commodities Authority renamed Capital Market Authority.”

UAE SCA to CMA: the facts at a glance

Question	Official position
What is the UAE SCA’s new name?	Capital Market Authority (CMA)
When did the change take effect?	1 January 2026
What is the legal basis?	Federal Decree-Law No. 32 of 2025
Is the CMA a new federal authority?	Yes. It is a federal public authority reporting to the Cabinet and the SCA’s legal successor.
Did every old rule expire?	No. Transition provisions preserve specified legislation and prior resolutions where they are not inconsistent with the new laws.
Does the CMA regulate the DIFC and ADGM?	No. The law excludes financial free zones from its jurisdiction.
Where can investors verify a firm?	The official CMA Licensed Companies directory.

Why some sources say 2025 and others say 2026

Both years can be correct, but they refer to different legal dates:

• 1 October 2025: Federal Decree-Law No. 32 of 2025 was issued.
• 14 October 2025: the law appeared in Official Gazette No. 809.
• 1 January 2026: the law entered into force and the CMA replaced the SCA.

For a current answer, describe the event as a 2026 regulatory transition under a law issued in 2025. Calling it only a “2025 rebrand” can mislead readers about the effective date.

What legally changed when the UAE SCA became the CMA?

Article 2 of the decree-law establishes three points that matter most:

1. The CMA is a federal public authority with legal personality, financial and administrative independence, and supervisory and executive powers.
2. It replaces the SCA in all rights, obligations and contracts and is the SCA’s legal successor.
3. References to the SCA in legislation are treated as references to the CMA.

The change is therefore more than a logo refresh. The CMA operates under a new institutional law, while Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2025 provides the accompanying framework for regulating the capital market.

The CMA’s defined objectives include market integrity and efficiency, investor protection, fair competition, systemic-risk mitigation, transparency and development of the UAE capital market. The law also expressly recognises financial products that include securities, foreign securities and virtual assets for investment purposes.

The official CMA summary of the two decree-laws highlights additional operational changes:

• new regulated financial activities;
• stronger supervisory powers over the capital-markets sector;
• regulation of the Investor Protection Fund and Settlement Guarantee Fund;
• prudential oversight and powers for exceptional circumstances;
• conciliation before criminal proceedings begin; and
• designation of systemically important persons, with early-intervention, settlement and resolution mechanisms.

What did not automatically change?

The new name did not erase the existing rulebook overnight. Article 27 of Federal Decree-Law No. 32 provides transition continuity:

• Federal Decree-Law No. 22 of 2020 and its implementing resolutions remain in force.
• Earlier Cabinet and SCA resolutions remain applicable where they do not conflict with the new laws.
• Those resolutions continue until the required replacements or amendments are issued.

This distinction matters. It is inaccurate to say that every regulatory requirement stayed identical, because the UAE enacted a new authority law and a new capital-market regulation law. It is also inaccurate to say that every former SCA rule became void. Professionals should check the current CMA legislation and the date of the specific resolution they are applying.

How to verify whether a broker is licensed by the UAE CMA

Search Console data shows that readers want a practical licence check, not only a history of the name change. Use this process before sending money or opening an investment account:

1. Identify the regulator. Mainland capital-market activity may fall under the federal CMA. A firm operating from the DIFC may be under the DFSA; an ADGM firm may be under the FSRA. Banking and payment activities can involve the Central Bank of the UAE.
2. Search the exact legal entity. Use the CMA’s Licensed Companies directory, not a logo or a licence image supplied by a salesperson.
3. Match the activity, not just the name. A company may be authorised for financial consultation or introduction services without being authorised to execute trades, manage portfolios or handle client money.
4. Check contact details independently. Compare the directory’s legal name and information with the website, email domain and contract presented to you.
5. Report suspected misconduct. The CMA provides an official capital-market violations reporting service.

The activity check is essential. The CMA directory itself warns that a Category 5 listing may be limited to services such as introduction or financial advice and does not necessarily authorise derivatives brokerage, spot-FX trading, portfolio management or order execution.

CMA, DFSA, FSRA and CBUAE: which regulator applies?

Regulator	Main jurisdiction	Practical check
UAE Capital Market Authority (CMA)	Federal capital-market jurisdiction outside financial free zones	Search the CMA licensed-company records and the authorised activity.
Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA)	Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)	Use the DFSA public register.
Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA)	Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)	Use the ADGM FSRA public register.
Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE)	Banking, insurance, payments and other central-bank-regulated sectors	Use the CBUAE register relevant to the activity.

Federal Decree-Law No. 32 states that the CMA exercises its powers within the UAE excluding financial free zones. That is why a search for a DIFC or ADGM firm should begin with the relevant free-zone regulator rather than the federal CMA directory.

What the change means for UAE FRR and CISI candidates

Candidates should separate official law from exam administration:

• Learn that the federal regulator’s current name is the Capital Market Authority.
• Recognise SCA references in older source material as references to the predecessor authority.
• Check the effective date of the workbook or syllabus you are using.
• Do not assume an exam accepts both names unless the current examination provider says so.
• Verify every regulatory threshold, procedure and jurisdiction against the current source material rather than inferring that the rules are unchanged.

For targeted preparation, use the CISI UAE Financial Rules and Regulations course and compare its terminology with the current official workbook. Our UAE financial-regulations guide provides a wider map of the regulatory system.

Bottom line

The official answer is simple: the UAE SCA became the CMA on 1 January 2026. The legal story is more precise: Federal Decree-Law No. 32 of 2025 created a successor federal authority, updated the regulator’s designation in legislation and preserved compatible transition rules. For investors, the most useful action is to verify both the firm and its exact authorised activity in the official register.