XS.com Hires Third Exness Veteran in a Row, Names Omar Alaa MENA Marketing Director
XS.com has
appointed Omar Alaa as its MENA Marketing Director, the multi-asset broker
announced today (Wednesday). The hire extends a pattern at the
Dubai-headquartered firm, which has now drawn three senior figures from rival
Exness.
Alaa spent
close to ten years at the Cyprus-based broker, most recently as Social Media
Manager for the MENA region. The appointment follows XS.com’s hiring of Simon-Peter Massabni as Head of
Retail Sales in
March, another executive who arrived directly from Exness.
In his new
role, Alaa will oversee the broker’s marketing operations across the Middle
East and North Africa, covering campaign execution, digital performance,
partnerships and audience engagement, the company said.
“I am
honored to join XS.com at such a significant stage,” Alaa commented on
the appointment, adding that he intends to focus on regional engagement and
marketing performance across MENA markets.
Alaa joined
Exness as a freelancer in 2016 and became a full-time social media specialist
in 2020, working remotely from Egypt before relocating to Cyprus in late 2024.
His work covered paid media, influencer campaigns and partner-focused projects
across Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and other Arab markets.
His last
working day at Exness was May 5, 2026, according to a farewell post
he published on LinkedIn. Roughly a month later, he resurfaced at one of the
broker’s most active regional rivals.
“After a long journey filled with success, achievements, and unforgettable memories with Exness, the time has come for me to move forward toward a new challenge,” he wrote a month ago.
The new
title also represents a step up. At Exness, Alaa managed social media channels,
while at XS.com he takes responsibility for the entire MENA
marketing function.
The
Exness-to-XS.com Pipeline Keeps Flowing
Alaa is the
third senior arrival at XS.com with an Exness background. Group CEO Mohamad
Ibrahim spent about three years as the rival’s Regional Director for MENA
before taking the top job at XS.com in early 2023.
Massabni, hired in March, previously served as Exness’
Country Manager for MENA Commercial Management in Limassol. Departures from the
volume leader have fed other firms too, with former operations executive Mateusz
Wyka becoming CEO of online trading firm YWO in January.
Wael Hammad, the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at XS.com
“Omar’s appointment supports our continued focus on
strengthening marketing execution across the MENA region,” said Wael
Hammad, Group Chief Commercial Officer at XS.com, who discussed
the broker’s regional plans for 2026 in an interview with Finance Magnates
late last year.
Brokers Race for MENA Talent as Regional Volumes Climb
The hire lands in the middle of an industry-wide push into
the Middle East. XS.com itself opened
its first Kuwait office in July 2025 and later added licenses in Mauritius
and the UAE, bringing its regulatory approvals to eight jurisdictions.
Competitors are making similar moves. Tickmill
signed a local brand ambassador in Kuwait in November 2025, while Exness
obtained a new license in Jordan around the same time XS.com secured its UAE
permit.
The commercial logic is visible in the numbers. Capital.com
reported that its MENA trading volumes reached $804.1 billion in the first half
of 2025, up 53% from the previous six months, with the UAE alone generating
more than 70% of that activity.
Against that backdrop, regional marketing leadership has
become a contested resource, and brokers are increasingly filling those seats
with people who built their careers at the largest player in the segment.
XS.com has
appointed Omar Alaa as its MENA Marketing Director, the multi-asset broker
announced today (Wednesday). The hire extends a pattern at the
Dubai-headquartered firm, which has now drawn three senior figures from rival
Exness.
Alaa spent
close to ten years at the Cyprus-based broker, most recently as Social Media
Manager for the MENA region. The appointment follows XS.com’s hiring of Simon-Peter Massabni as Head of
Retail Sales in
March, another executive who arrived directly from Exness.
In his new
role, Alaa will oversee the broker’s marketing operations across the Middle
East and North Africa, covering campaign execution, digital performance,
partnerships and audience engagement, the company said.
“I am
honored to join XS.com at such a significant stage,” Alaa commented on
the appointment, adding that he intends to focus on regional engagement and
marketing performance across MENA markets.
Alaa joined
Exness as a freelancer in 2016 and became a full-time social media specialist
in 2020, working remotely from Egypt before relocating to Cyprus in late 2024.
His work covered paid media, influencer campaigns and partner-focused projects
across Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and other Arab markets.
His last
working day at Exness was May 5, 2026, according to a farewell post
he published on LinkedIn. Roughly a month later, he resurfaced at one of the
broker’s most active regional rivals.
“After a long journey filled with success, achievements, and unforgettable memories with Exness, the time has come for me to move forward toward a new challenge,” he wrote a month ago.
The new
title also represents a step up. At Exness, Alaa managed social media channels,
while at XS.com he takes responsibility for the entire MENA
marketing function.
The
Exness-to-XS.com Pipeline Keeps Flowing
Alaa is the
third senior arrival at XS.com with an Exness background. Group CEO Mohamad
Ibrahim spent about three years as the rival’s Regional Director for MENA
before taking the top job at XS.com in early 2023.
Massabni, hired in March, previously served as Exness’
Country Manager for MENA Commercial Management in Limassol. Departures from the
volume leader have fed other firms too, with former operations executive Mateusz
Wyka becoming CEO of online trading firm YWO in January.
Wael Hammad, the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at XS.com
“Omar’s appointment supports our continued focus on
strengthening marketing execution across the MENA region,” said Wael
Hammad, Group Chief Commercial Officer at XS.com, who discussed
the broker’s regional plans for 2026 in an interview with Finance Magnates
late last year.
Brokers Race for MENA Talent as Regional Volumes Climb
The hire lands in the middle of an industry-wide push into
the Middle East. XS.com itself opened
its first Kuwait office in July 2025 and later added licenses in Mauritius
and the UAE, bringing its regulatory approvals to eight jurisdictions.
Competitors are making similar moves. Tickmill
signed a local brand ambassador in Kuwait in November 2025, while Exness
obtained a new license in Jordan around the same time XS.com secured its UAE
permit.
The commercial logic is visible in the numbers. Capital.com
reported that its MENA trading volumes reached $804.1 billion in the first half
of 2025, up 53% from the previous six months, with the UAE alone generating
more than 70% of that activity.
Against that backdrop, regional marketing leadership has
become a contested resource, and brokers are increasingly filling those seats
with people who built their careers at the largest player in the segment.
