Start with the free part: get a free visibility check. We ask seven AI engines and Google the questions your customers ask, then show you which firms are named and the three fixes we would make first.
Every rule on this page comes from the regulator's own document or from one dated web search, read on 18 October 2026, and each is named with its source at the end. This is a summary for marketing teams, not legal or compliance advice; your compliance officer and your regulator have the final word.
Why finance is different for search and AI
Most businesses can say what they like about themselves within the general law on misleading advertising. A regulated financial firm cannot. A web page that invites someone to open an account, buy a product or use a service is a financial promotion in most UAE regimes, and the rules for it are stricter than general advertising law: who may make it, what it must say about the firm, and how risk and past returns are shown.
That cuts both ways for visibility. You cannot publish the bold comparisons and guarantees that some sectors use to win clicks. But the facts an engine needs to recommend a financial firm are unusually checkable: licence, regulator, permitted activities, products, fees, languages. A firm whose site, Google profile and register entries state the same facts in the same words gives an engine little reason to doubt it.
How much weight an engine gives your own pages is an open question. When we studied where AI answers come from, 4.9% of the citations went to the vendor's own website. That study covered a software category, not finance, so read it as a reason to look after the sources you do not write, not as a forecast for your firm.
Which regulator, which rules
The UAE has five financial regulators whose marketing rules can reach a web page, and the one that applies depends on where you are licensed and what you sell. Many groups answer to two.
| Regulator | Who it covers | Marketing rule in brief | Public record |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFSA | Firms in or promoting from the DIFC | Financial Promotions Prohibition: only permitted persons may promote; clear, fair, not misleading; name, address and regulatory status | DFSA public register |
| FSRA (ADGM) | Firms in Abu Dhabi Global Market | COBS chapter 3: marketing material names the Authorised Person and its regulatory status | FSRA public register |
| CBUAE | Banks, finance companies, payment and insurance firms onshore | Consumer Protection Standards: advertising in Arabic and English, plain language, nothing misleading, every channel including social media | CBUAE register of licensed institutions |
| CMA (formerly SCA) | Securities, funds and investment firms onshore; financial content creators | Licensing of financial content creators under Resolution No. 10 of 2025 | CMA list of licensed firms |
| VARA | Virtual asset activity in or aimed at Dubai, outside the DIFC | Marketing Regulations in force since 1 October 2024, with prominent risk disclaimers | VARA public register |
DIFC: the DFSA's Financial Promotions Prohibition
The DFSA's guide to the prohibition defines a financial promotion as any communication, by any means, that invites or induces someone to take up a financial service or deal in a financial product, and it names electronic communications explicitly. The prohibition sits in Article 41A of the DIFC Regulatory Law 2004, with rules in chapter 3 of the General Module (GEN) of the DFSA Rulebook.
Under it, making a financial promotion in or from the DIFC is unlawful unless you are a DFSA Authorised Firm or Authorised Market Institution, are licensed by another UAE financial regulator such as the Central Bank, are a Recognised Body or External Fund Manager, or fall under an exemption. Every financial promotion must be clear, fair and not misleading, and must carry the name, address and regulatory status of whoever makes it. A promotion aimed at retail clients that shows past performance or a forecast must give a balanced view, say where the figures come from, and warn prominently that past performance is not a reliable guide to future results.
Two details matter for a website. A promotion meant only for professional clients must say so and must not be directed at anyone else, which is hard to guarantee on an open web page. And a site carrying someone else's banner advertisement is treated as a conduit and is not caught, unless it originated the promotion. The guide we read is the June 2018 edition; the DFSA has since announced changes to its financial promotions regime, so check the current GEN chapter 3 before you rely on any detail here.
ADGM: the FSRA's conduct rules
In ADGM, the FSRA's Conduct of Business Rulebook (COBS) sets the marketing rules. A dated search of the rulebook returned the core requirement: marketing material an Authorised Person communicates must name the Authorised Person and state its regulatory status. Some activities, such as accepting deposits and providing credit, are carved out of parts of that section, so the version in force and your own permissions decide what applies.
Onshore banking, finance and payments: the Central Bank
The CBUAE's Consumer Protection Standards require licensed financial institutions to make advertisements available in both Arabic and English, in plain language. They prohibit advertising that is likely to deceive or mislead, exaggerating a product's advantages, and hiding the catch in disclaimers that are not clearly displayed. The Standards apply to every channel the institution uses, and they name websites, mobile apps and social media among them.
The bilingual rule is the one most often missed on product pages. An English-only landing page for a credit card is not just a gap in your Arabic AI visibility; for a CBUAE-licensed firm it is a question for compliance.
Onshore securities and investment: the CMA, formerly SCA
The Securities and Commodities Authority became the Capital Market Authority on 1 January 2026, under Federal Decree-Laws No. 32 and 33 of 2025. Update the regulator's name in your footers, disclosures and "About" page; an engine that reads "SCA-licensed" on your site and "CMA" on the register may treat them as two claims.
Since May 2025 (Resolution No. 10 of 2025, in effect from 21 May 2025), the authority has licensed people who publish content on regulated financial products, investment analysis or recommendations through any media channel, social media included. Registration fees are waived for the first three years. If you pay creators to talk about your products, confirm each one holds the licence before the content goes out.
Virtual assets in Dubai: VARA
VARA's Marketing Regulations took effect on 1 October 2024. They apply to marketing of virtual assets or virtual asset activities in or aimed at Dubai, by domestic and foreign firms alike, and whether or not the firm holds a VARA licence. Marketing must be accurate and must not misrepresent the risks or legal status of virtual assets, and it must carry prominent disclaimers. The penalty schedule lists fines of up to AED 10 million for many breaches. Virtual asset firms in the DIFC and ADGM answer to the DFSA and FSRA instead.
The questions customers ask
Illustrative examples, not measured search volumes. Each condition in them is answered by a record an engine can check.
- Dubai bank account for a newly registered freelancer
- DIFC-regulated wealth manager for a family office
- is this crypto exchange licensed by VARA
- business credit card with no annual fee in the UAE
- ADGM fund administrator for a first venture fund
- broker licensed in the UAE to trade US shares
And in Arabic:
- أفضل حساب توفير في الإمارات بفائدة شهرية
- شركة وساطة مرخصة لتداول الأسهم في دبي
- منصة عملات رقمية مرخصة من VARA
"Licensed by VARA" and "regulated in the DIFC" are answered by the register, and an engine can check them there. "No annual fee" and "monthly interest" are answered by your product pages, and those claims are exactly what your marketing rules govern. "Newly registered freelancer" and "first venture fund" are answered by pages that describe who a product is for.
What to fix, in order
How we chose the order
This order is our recommendation, not the result of a study; your free check is how we would measure it for your firm. Records an engine can verify come first, because a mismatch there undermines everything else. Product pages follow, because they answer the customer's conditions and are the pages your rules govern most closely. Profiles, structured data and third-party coverage come last because you shape them but do not control them.
1. Register entries that match your site
Look yourself up on each register that covers you and copy the firm's legal name, licence number, regulator and permitted activities onto your site exactly as the register shows them. Link the register entry from your footer or regulatory page. If a trading name differs from the legal name, say both, once, in one place.
2. One status statement, everywhere
The DFSA and the FSRA both require promotions to state who is making them and their regulatory status. Write that statement once and use the same wording on every product page, your Google profile description, app store listings and social bios. It meets the rule and gives an engine one consistent fact to repeat.
3. Product pages written to the rules
One page per product, saying who it is for, what it costs, how it works and what the risks are, in Arabic and English where the CBUAE's Standards apply. Fees and rates sit in the HTML as text, not only in images or calculators, because several AI crawlers do not run JavaScript. Past returns appear only with the balance, sources and warning your regime requires. Route every page through compliance before it goes live, and keep the approval record.
4. Google Business Profile for each office
A branch, a DIFC or ADGM office, or a customer service centre that receives customers can each have a profile, with the same firm name and status line as the site. Our Google Business Profile checklist covers the rest.
5. Structured data that matches the register
schema.org has a FinancialService type, with BankOrCreditUnion and InsuranceAgency among its more specific types. Mark up each office with its name and address as Google's local business documentation requires, use the legal name the register shows, and do not mark up your own reviews or rating.
6. Creators, partners and comparison sites checked
Paid creators need the CMA's licence for financial content, and for virtual assets the VARA rules apply to whoever markets them in Dubai. Keep a list of the creators, affiliates and comparison sites that describe your products, and check that what they say matches your current rates and status; an engine may quote them before it quotes you.
The checklist
How often to check each item is our recommendation, not a regulator's.
| Item | Why it matters | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Legal name and licence number match the register | The one fact an engine can verify independently | When the licence changes |
| Regulator named correctly (CMA, not SCA) | Old names read as a different claim | Now, then yearly |
| Status statement on every promotion | DFSA and FSRA rules; one consistent fact | Every new page |
| Product pages in Arabic and English | CBUAE Standards; Arabic questions | Every new product |
| Fees and rates as text, dated | Crawlers that do not run JavaScript | Every rate change |
| Past-performance pages balanced and warned | DFSA retail rule | Every update |
| Register entries linked from the site | Lets readers and engines confirm status | Quarterly |
| Google profile per customer-facing office | Local and branded searches | Twice a year |
| FinancialService schema per office | States what you are and where | After any change |
| Creator and affiliate licences checked | CMA and VARA rules | Before each campaign |
| Ask AI assistants your customers' questions in English and Arabic | Shows whether you are named | Monthly |
How High Street helps
Our SEO service covers product pages, structured data and technical fixes, written for your compliance team to approve before anything is published. Our AI search visibility service asks seven AI engines your customers' questions in English and Arabic, records which registers, comparison sites and articles each engine cites, and works on those sources. We work from Dubai. We have not measured a UAE financial firm yet, so your free check would be the first baseline for your firm, and we will say so in it.
Questions financial firms ask
Does my website count as a financial promotion?
Usually, yes. The DFSA's guide defines a financial promotion as any communication that invites or induces someone to use a financial service or deal in a financial product, and it names electronic communications. A product page with an "open an account" button is the clearest case. Ask your compliance officer which rules your licence brings with it.
Do product pages have to be in Arabic?
For firms licensed by the Central Bank, the Consumer Protection Standards say advertisements must be available in Arabic and English, and they apply to websites, apps and social media. DFSA and FSRA firms should check their own rulebooks. Arabic pages also answer the questions customers ask in Arabic.
Can we pay finance creators to promote our products?
Only within the rules. Since May 2025 (Resolution No. 10 of 2025, in effect from 21 May 2025) the CMA, then the SCA, has licensed people who publish content on regulated financial products, and for virtual assets VARA's Marketing Regulations apply to anyone marketing them in Dubai. Check the creator's licence first and keep a record of what you approved.
Sources
- DFSA: A guide to the DIFC Financial Promotions Prohibition, June 2018 edition: Article 41A, GEN chapter 3, who may promote, content requirements, retail past-performance rule (read 18 October 2026)
- ADGM FSRA: Conduct of Business Rulebook, chapter 3 marketing material (web search, 18 October 2026)
- CBUAE: Consumer Protection Standards and 2.3.1 General provisions for responsible advertising: Arabic and English, plain language, channels (web search, 18 October 2026)
- Regulation Tomorrow: UAE SCA renamed CMA, January 2026: Federal Decree-Laws No. 32 and 33 of 2025, in force 1 January 2026 (web search, 18 October 2026)
- Pinsent Masons: UAE introduces new licensing regime for finfluencers: Resolution No. 10 of 2025, in effect from 21 May 2025 (read 18 October 2026)
- CMS: VARA issues further regulations and guidance on marketing virtual assets: effective date, scope, disclaimers, fines (web search, 18 October 2026)
- Ocorian: Untangling the regulatory web in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and Muhami: how to verify a VASP: the regulators' public registers (web search, 18 October 2026)
- schema.org: FinancialService (read 18 October 2026)
- Google Search Central: local business structured data (read 24 September 2026)
- High Street: Where AI answers come from (11 September 2026), our own measurement in a software category
Which firms do engines name when your customers ask?
The free visibility check asks Google and seven AI engines the questions your customers ask about products like yours, in English and Arabic, shows who is named, and lists the three fixes we would make first.
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