Capital.com Opens Offices in Germany, Bahrain, and Azerbaijan

Capital.com already serves German clients under its CySEC licence via MiFID II passporting. The new hiring of a Head of Branch suggests a shift toward a substantive local operation under BaFin oversight rather than relying solely on the passporting mechanism.

Germany is one of Capital.com's top three markets by trading volume, alongside the UK and UAE. A physical branch strengthens client trust and positions the broker for deeper penetration of the German-speaking market — the largest retail trading population in continental Europe.

Bahrain is regulated by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), which requires a licence before offering regulated financial services. No CBB licence filing from Capital.com has surfaced publicly yet — the job listing for a local Director is the first indication of intent.

The move fits Capital.com's broader MENA strategy. With more than half of its volume originating from the region, Bahrain provides a regulated base complementing the existing UAE operation. The CBB is considered a reputable regulator within the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Azerbaijan is an unusual choice for a retail FX broker expansion. The regulatory framework for retail trading is less developed than in the EU, UK, or GCC. Capital.com is hiring a local Director there, but no further regulatory detail is available.

The strategic logic likely lies in the Caucasus/Central Asia corridor — a growing market for online trading with limited competition from established EU-regulated brokers.

Capital.com secured a MiCA CASP licence from CySEC in December 2025 through its entity Capital Vault Ltd. This allows the broker to offer spot crypto products across the EU/EEA alongside its existing crypto CFD offering — making it one of only two traditional forex brokers (alongside eToro) to hold a MiCA licence.

The broker is also hiring a Head of Technology for Digital Assets and pursuing a payments licence in Cyprus, indicating the crypto product suite will expand significantly in 2026.

For existing Capital.com users in Germany, a local BaFin-supervised branch means stronger local support and potentially tighter regulatory oversight. German traders currently onboard through the CySEC entity — a local branch may eventually offer direct BaFin regulation.

The broader expansion narrative positions Capital.com as one of the most aggressively growing brokers in 2026, alongside Exness and OKX. Combined with the MiCA licence and $1.27 trillion quarterly volume, Capital.com is building a case as a top-tier multi-regulated platform for European traders.