Dubai’s stock market drew a fresh wave of investors in the first quarter of 2026, reflecting rising confidence in the emirate’s economy and in the performance of listed companies. Brokerage firms on the Dubai Financial Market opened about 24,820 new investor accounts during the three month period, as strong corporate results, attractive local equities, and a widening range of investment options helped pull new participants into the market. That total marked a 26.25% increase from the 19,658 accounts recorded in the same period a year earlier.

The quarterly breakdown also showed momentum building as the year progressed. New accounts reached 6,339 in January, slipped slightly to 5,644 in February, then jumped sharply to 12,837 in March, making the final month of the quarter the strongest by far. The March figure alone represented year on year growth of 116.73% compared with 5,923 accounts in March 2025.

Leading Brokers Capture Most of the New Accounts

Among brokerage firms, BHM Capital Financial Services accounted for the largest share of newly opened accounts in the first quarter, with 10,204. It was followed by Al Ramz Capital with 4,416, Abu Dhabi Islamic Securities with 2,793, Emirates NBD Securities with 2,541, and Mashreq Securities with 1,797. The figures suggest that a relatively small group of major brokers captured a substantial portion of the new investor inflow during the quarter.

The rise in account openings came alongside heavy market activity. During the first quarter, brokerage firms on the Dubai Financial Market executed more than 2.2 million trades involving 32.38 billion shares, with a combined value exceeding AED 121.95 billion. These volumes underline that the increase in investor participation was accompanied by strong trading turnover rather than idle account creation alone.

Trading Volumes Remain Concentrated Among Top Intermediaries

In value terms, EFG Hermes UAE led brokerage activity over the January to March period, accounting for 23.13% of total traded value, or about AED 28.2 billion. Arqaam Securities followed with a 13.41% share worth AED 16.35 billion. BHM Capital ranked third with around AED 13.01 billion, ahead of Emirates NBD Securities at AED 12.97 billion, while Abu Dhabi Islamic Securities came fifth with AED 7.05 billion.

March on its own was also a particularly active month. Brokerage firms handled trading worth AED 50.41 billion through 930,590 transactions involving 10.95 billion shares. EFG Hermes UAE again held the largest share of traded value during the month at 23.42%, followed by Arqaam Securities at 15.67%, BHM Capital at 11.74%, Emirates NBD Securities at 9.56%, and Abu Dhabi Islamic Securities at 5.76%.

A Market Drawing More Participants

Taken together, the numbers point to a market that is not only active, but also broadening its investor base at a faster pace. The sharp rise in new accounts, especially in March, suggests that Dubai’s equity market is benefiting from both stronger sentiment and deeper retail and institutional engagement. If that trend continues, the first quarter may be remembered as a period when investor participation accelerated as much as trading activity itself.