Affiliate partnerships
Many of the banks, brokers, robo-advisors, and exchanges we review offer affiliate programs. If you click a link to one of these platforms from our Site and go on to open an account (and, in some cases, fund it or meet other conditions), the platform may pay us a commission. This is how most independent financial comparison sites are funded, and it allows us to keep our guides free and ad-light.
Affiliate commissions never determine our rankings. A platform that pays us a higher commission does not get ranked higher, recommended more often, or reviewed more favourably than a platform that pays less or nothing at all.
How this affects (and doesn't affect) our content
Here is what affiliate relationships do and don't change about how we write:
- Rankings are based on published criteria — typically fees, regulatory status (e.g. DFSA, CMA, FCA, SEC), minimum deposits, product range, and ease of use for Gulf-based expats. These criteria are stated upfront in each comparison.
- We include platforms with no affiliate relationship when they are relevant to the comparison, even though we earn nothing if a reader chooses them.
- We do not accept payment for positive reviews. We have never been paid by a platform to write a favourable review, and we never will be.
- We disclose affiliate relationships on every page where they apply, via the disclosure banner shown in each article.
Our editorial standards
Criteria-first rankings
We decide what matters (fees, regulation, suitability for Gulf expats) before we look at which platforms have affiliate programs.
Quarterly fee updates
Fee tables and comparison data are reviewed and updated quarterly, with the "last updated" date shown on every guide.
Cited to official sources
Regulatory and tax claims are checked against official sources — UAE Central Bank, DFSA, CMA, HMRC, ATO, and similar bodies.
No pay-for-placement
We do not offer, and have never accepted, payment in exchange for a higher ranking or a more favourable review.
Other ways we may generate revenue
In addition to affiliate commissions, we may in future display limited, clearly-labelled advertising or sponsored content. If we do, any sponsored content will be clearly marked as such and will not be presented as independent editorial content.
Questions about a specific recommendation
If you ever feel that one of our rankings or recommendations seems influenced by commission rather than merit, we want to know. Please get in touch via our Contact page — we take this seriously, because our usefulness to readers depends entirely on staying genuinely independent.