How we build broker profiles
A broker profile on FTC is a record of verifiable facts: who the legal entities are, who licenses them and what the broker itself discloses. Here is how that record is put together.
What a profile contains
- The companies behind the brand, their regulators and licence or register numbers.
- Trading platforms, account types and, where published, minimum deposits and commissions.
- The broker's own published share of retail CFD accounts that lose money.
- When the broker was founded and where it is based.
- The sources for all of the above, so you can check them yourself.
Where the facts come from
Two kinds of source only: the broker's own legal disclosures (website footers, regulatory pages, client agreements and risk warnings) and the public registers kept by regulators. Figures from other review or comparison sites are not used. Brokers change entities, platforms and pricing, so each profile shows when it was last checked.
Licence status labels
Checked on register means FTC found the licence on the regulator's own public register. Listed by broker means the number appears in the broker's legal disclosures and has not yet been confirmed on the register. Each row links to the register so you can look it up.
What regulator tiers mean
Not all licences protect clients equally. FTC groups regulators into three tiers based on capital and client-money rules, supervision and compensation schemes. In the UK, for example, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme can cover up to £85,000 per person if an authorised investment firm fails; in Cyprus the Investor Compensation Fund covers up to €20,000.
Regulators in FTC profiles
| Regulator | Country | Tier | What the tier means |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASIC Australian Securities & Investments Commission | Australia | 1 | Strict capital and client-money rules, regular reporting and, in most cases, a compensation scheme. |
| BaFin Federal Financial Supervisory Authority | Germany (EU) | 1 | Strict capital and client-money rules, regular reporting and, in most cases, a compensation scheme. |
| CBI Central Bank of Ireland | Ireland | 1 | Strict capital and client-money rules, regular reporting and, in most cases, a compensation scheme. |
| CIRO Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization | Canada | 1 | Strict capital and client-money rules, regular reporting and, in most cases, a compensation scheme. |
| CySEC Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission | Cyprus (EU) | 1 | Strict capital and client-money rules, regular reporting and, in most cases, a compensation scheme. |
| FCA Financial Conduct Authority | United Kingdom | 1 | Strict capital and client-money rules, regular reporting and, in most cases, a compensation scheme. |
| FINMA Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority | Switzerland | 1 | Strict capital and client-money rules, regular reporting and, in most cases, a compensation scheme. |
| JFSA Financial Services Agency | Japan | 1 | Strict capital and client-money rules, regular reporting and, in most cases, a compensation scheme. |
| MAS Monetary Authority of Singapore | Singapore | 1 | Strict capital and client-money rules, regular reporting and, in most cases, a compensation scheme. |
| NFA National Futures Association / CFTC | United States | 1 | Strict capital and client-money rules, regular reporting and, in most cases, a compensation scheme. |
| DFSA Dubai Financial Services Authority | United Arab Emirates | 2 | Licensing and conduct rules, usually with fewer investor protections than tier 1. |
| FSCA Financial Sector Conduct Authority | South Africa | 2 | Licensing and conduct rules, usually with fewer investor protections than tier 1. |
| FSA (SC) Financial Services Authority Seychelles | Seychelles | 3 | Offshore licensing with lighter requirements; often allows higher leverage and offers fewer protections. |
| FSC (BZ) Financial Services Commission | Belize | 3 | Offshore licensing with lighter requirements; often allows higher leverage and offers fewer protections. |
| FSC (MU) Financial Services Commission Mauritius | Mauritius | 3 | Offshore licensing with lighter requirements; often allows higher leverage and offers fewer protections. |
| SCB Securities Commission of The Bahamas | Bahamas | 3 | Offshore licensing with lighter requirements; often allows higher leverage and offers fewer protections. |
What the profiles don't claim
FTC has not opened live accounts with every broker listed, so profiles don't score execution quality, withdrawal speed or support, and there are no star ratings. Member experiences belong in the Broker Experiences forum, where they are clearly marked as members' own accounts. A broker appearing on FTC is not a recommendation to open an account.
Order of the broker list
Brokers with more top-tier licences are listed first, then alphabetically. Affiliate commissions don't change the order.
Common questions
Which broker entity will I be a client of?
It depends on where you live. International brokers run several companies under one brand, each licensed by a different regulator, and you are onboarded by the one that serves your country. Your account agreement names the company, and that company's regulator decides which protections apply to you.
What does the percentage of retail accounts that lose money mean?
Under European and UK rules, CFD providers must show the share of their retail client accounts that lost money trading CFDs. It is calculated over the previous 12 months and updated every quarter, so it reflects that broker's own clients rather than the market as a whole.
Does FTC rank brokers because they pay commission?
No. Brokers with more top-tier licences are listed first, then alphabetically. FTC may earn a commission when you open an account through a link, but commission has no effect on the order or on the facts in a profile.
How can a broker correct its profile?
Send the correction through the contact form with a link to the broker's own legal documents or the regulator's register. FTC checks it against that source before changing the profile.