DirectFN
DirectFN provides financial technology solutions — including the PRO12 and NetPlus trading platforms, mobile apps, and FinCon market data — to 100+ banks, brokerages, and exchanges across 13 MENA and Asian countries as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saudi Tadawul Group.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersDubai, United Arab Emirates
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What DirectFN does
DirectFN is a MENA and Asia-focused financial technology provider delivering real-time market data, trading platforms, and financial content to 100+ financial institutions across 13 countries. The company operates two formally separated product lines: FinCon (Financial Content), which aggregates market data, news, analytics, and research across regional exchanges; and FinTech (Financial Technology), which delivers trading and market information systems. Core technology assets include the PRO12 desktop trading platform (Windows/Mac), the NetPlus universal web-based retail trading platform with Arabic and English support, and native iOS/Android mobile and iPad applications distributed via the Apple App Store and Google Play.
DirectFN is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saudi Tadawul Group (the Saudi Stock Exchange) following a 2021 acquisition executed through WAMID (Tadawul Advanced Solutions) — the first acquisition in Tadawul Group's history. The company is headquartered in Riyadh, with offices in Dubai, Kuwait City, Colombo, and Karachi/Islamabad, and maintains two dedicated development centers (Pakistan for capital market products and an additional site). Leadership is anchored by Acting CEO Afaq Khan, a founding team member with 17+ years of tenure, and Chairman Mohammed Al-Nouri, who is also CEO of WAMID/Tadawul Advanced Solutions. Headcount stands at 500+ professionals per company disclosures.
The business model is subscription-based, with monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual billing cycles for enterprise clients; specific tier pricing is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led, targeting banks, brokerage firms, investment companies, and capital market participants through direct enterprise engagement. The company has flagged anchor positions such as Boursa Kuwait (50%+ market share) and the integrated Tadawul/WAMID relationship, supported by a 13-country footprint and a brand that traces back to its 2009 founding as part of the Mubasher financial services group.
DirectFN firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- DirectFN
- Legal name
- DirectFN Ltd (دايركت اف ان)
- Website
- https://directfn.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- DirectFN provides financial technology solutions — including the PRO12 and NetPlus trading platforms, mobile apps, and FinCon market data — to 100+ banks, brokerages, and exchanges across 13 MENA and Asian countries as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saudi Tadawul Group.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
DirectFN industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Capital Markets Software & Market Data
- NAICS
- Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage (5231), Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (523)
- SIC
- Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)
- akta.pro primary industry
- FX Electronic Trading Platforms (Spot/Forwards/Swaps) (FSAFANAC)
Keywords
Where DirectFN is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dubai
- HQ country
- United Arab Emirates
- HQ region
- Middle East
Offices5 records
Markets served
DirectFN business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription Services: DirectFN generates revenue through subscription fees for its trading platforms and financial data services. Fees are charged on a recurring basis (monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual billing cycles).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Subscription-based access to DirectFN platforms and services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
DirectFN product offering
Product offeringCore offering
DirectFN provides trading platforms (PRO12 for desktop, NetPlus for web, DirectFN Mobile for iOS/Android, DirectFN for iPad), real-time market data feeds, financial content (FinCon), and customized financial technology solutions to banks, brokerage firms, investment companies, and capital market participants. Its offerings span equities, derivatives, and other asset classes across multiple regional markets in MENA and Asia.
Product overview
DirectFN is a provider of financial technology solutions organized into two main product lines: FinCon (financial content) and FinTech (financial technology). The portfolio consists of desktop trading platform PRO12, mobile and tablet applications (DirectFN Mobile and DirectFN for iPad), and the online NetPlus trading platform. These products collectively serve over 100 financial institutions and professionals across 13 countries with real-time market data, trading capabilities, research tools, and customized financial solutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PRO12: Advanced trading platform for retail investors providing access to global markets
- FinTech
- FinCon
Products and services
- PRO12 Advanced desktop trading platform available for Windows and Mac, providing retail and professional traders access to financial markets with real-time data and trading capabilities, supporting multiple asset classes and regional markets with Arabic and English language support.
- DirectFN Mobile Native smartphone application available on iOS (Apple App Store) and Android (Google Play Store), providing mobile trading and real-time market data access for traders and investors on the go.
- DirectFN for iPad Tablet application designed for iPad devices, enabling trading and market data access on larger screens for financial professionals and retail traders.
- NetPlus (NetPlus New) Universal web-based retail trading platform providing access to multiple markets and asset classes through a browser interface with Arabic and English language support.
- FinCon (Financial Content) Financial content product line delivering real-time market data, news, and analytics to financial professionals and institutions, serving as DirectFN's content backbone across markets and asset classes.
- FinTech (Financial Technology Solutions) Financial technology solutions product line providing trading platforms, market data solutions, research and analytics tools, and customized financial solutions to capital market participants.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 50% market share in Kuwait
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use DirectFN
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
DirectFN technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
DirectFN partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
DirectFN competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bloomberg: Bloomberg Terminal is the dominant global professional financial data, analytics, news, and trading platform. DirectFN mirrors Bloomberg's value proposition — terminal-style data + trading + content — but at a regional scale across MENA and Asia rather than global.
- LSEG (Refinitiv Workspace): LSEG, through Refinitiv Workspace (formerly Eikon/Thomson Reuters), delivers professional financial data, analytics, and trading infrastructure globally. DirectFN competes head-to-head with Refinitiv in MENA and Asia, addressing the same brokerage and capital-market participants with comparable data/content/trading functionality.
- FactSet: FactSet is a leading provider of financial data, analytics, and workflow tools to buy-side and sell-side institutions. DirectFN's FinCon + FinTech combination is comparable in form (data + analytics + workflow) to FactSet, though at a regional scale and with embedded trading-platform distribution.
- S&P Global Market Intelligence: S&P Global Market Intelligence (Capital IQ Pro) provides financial data, analytics, and research to investment professionals. DirectFN's FinCon content suite overlaps with Capital IQ Pro's data/news/analytics offering, serving a similar institutional buy-side and sell-side audience.
- TradingView: TradingView is a multi-asset charting, market-data, and retail trading platform with global retail-investor reach. DirectFN's NetPlus retail platform and PRO12 share TradingView's combination of multi-market data, charting, and brokerage-connected trading, competing for the same retail-investor user base.
- Interactive Brokers: Interactive Brokers is a global brokerage with its own trading workstation (TWS) and Client Portal providing professional multi-asset trading infrastructure. DirectFN's PRO12 platform competes with TWS in the professional-trader segment, particularly for clients needing multi-market regional access.
- Moody's Analytics: Moody's Analytics provides financial analytics, data, and research solutions to capital-market participants. DirectFN's FinCon research and analytics suite competes with Moody's Analytics' institutional offerings, particularly for credit, equity, and capital-market intelligence used by DirectFN's banking and brokerage clients.
Broad incumbents
- ICE Data Services: ICE Data Services (Intercontinental Exchange) provides market-data, analytics, and connectivity services for global financial markets. As a broader market-infrastructure incumbent, ICE Data has overlapping capabilities with DirectFN's FinCon content offering and is a competitor in enterprise data subscriptions.
- Nasdaq Data Link: Nasdaq Data Link (formerly Quandl) and Nasdaq's Market Data business provide financial data feeds and analytics to institutional clients globally. As a multi-asset exchange operator with data products, Nasdaq is a broader incumbent competing with DirectFN's market-data and analytics offerings across regional markets.
Regional players
- Argaam (Argaam Investment Research): Argaam is a Saudi-focused financial data, news, and analytics platform serving Tadawul-listed equities and GCC markets. DirectFN and Argaam overlap meaningfully in serving Saudi retail-investor and institutional data consumption, but Argaam is Saudi-only and acts as a regional data provider rather than a multi-market trading infrastructure platform.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
DirectFN social profiles
Digital presenceDirectFN financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
DirectFN leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
DirectFN funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
DirectFN M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about DirectFN
What does DirectFN do?
DirectFN provides trading platforms (PRO12 for desktop, NetPlus for web, DirectFN Mobile for iOS/Android, DirectFN for iPad), real-time market data feeds, financial content (FinCon), and customized financial technology solutions to banks, brokerage firms, investment companies, and capital market participants. Its offerings span equities, derivatives, and other asset classes across multiple regional markets in MENA and Asia.
Is DirectFN a public or private company?
DirectFN is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was DirectFN founded?
DirectFN was founded in 2009. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is DirectFN based?
DirectFN is headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in the Middle East region.
How does DirectFN make money?
One revenue line is on record: subscription Services.
Who are DirectFN's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bloomberg, LSEG (Refinitiv Workspace), FactSet, S&P Global Market Intelligence, TradingView, Interactive Brokers and Moody's Analytics. Broad incumbents are ICE Data Services and Nasdaq Data Link. Argaam (Argaam Investment Research) is listed as a regional player.
Does DirectFN have an API?
No public API is recorded for DirectFN.
What industry is DirectFN in?
DirectFN's product category is Capital Markets Software & Market Data. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAFANAC, FX Electronic Trading Platforms (Spot/Forwards/Swaps). Its NAICS code is 5231 and its SIC code is 6211.