Deriv Opens Mauritius Office

Multi-asset broker Deriv has opened a physical office in Mauritius, two years after obtaining a licence from the Mauritius Financial Services Commission. The move marks the next phase of the company’s regional expansion, with artificial intelligence at the centre of its operational strategy.

Joanna Frendo, Deriv’s chief risk and compliance officer, said the office opening follows two years of deliberate work building regulatory relationships, finding talent, and aligning infrastructure with global standards. She added that employees in Mauritius will receive AI training and access to the same tools as staff in other offices—an opportunity not always extended to non-engineering roles in financial services.

Mauritius has long been a hub for CFD brokers seeking an offshore base. Firms such as ActivTrades, ATFX, Exness, Hantec Markets, and XM already maintain operations there, and EC Markets joined the cohort last year. The jurisdiction’s removal from the FATF “Grey List” in 2021 has lowered risk for payment providers, addressing a persistent friction point in the industry.

Deriv has not disclosed the number of employees who will work from the new office, but the company announced in 2025 that it is transitioning to an AI-first organisation. The broker joins a wave of retail-trading firms embracing automation. In 2026, eToro and IronFX both announced workforce reductions, fueling speculation that AI-driven efficiencies are replacing traditional roles. Separately, NAGA Group AG said AI now handles most of its chat-based customer support without human agents and noted that automation has allowed the company to run its marketing department with roughly 20% fewer staff.

Technology providers are also adapting. BridgeWise, a firm traditionally focused on institutional clients, recently hired forex and CFD veteran Thomas Kareklas to strengthen its presence in the retail trading and CFD segment. Meanwhile, AI adoption in compliance and risk management is advancing, though regulatory tolerance varies. The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority recently ordered BeAccount Ltd to cease operations and return client funds after automated screening systems failed to detect risks that manual reviews would have caught.