How do you actually know if a broker is licensed?

A licence number on a website proves nothing — anyone can copy one. The check that matters is finding the firm on the regulator's own register and matching the entity name and domain.

Walk us through your check:

• how you found the register for your regulator
• what you matched (entity name, website, licence number)
• anything that didn't match and what you did

The regulation check guide has the step-by-step for each major regulator.