Is a licence number enough to trust a broker?

No. A licence number can be copied from a real firm. You must look the number up in the regulator's own register and confirm the status is active/authorised, the permitted activities cover the service you are being offered, and there are no published warnings against the firm.

Forex broker verification tool — check a broker's regulator 2026

Forex broker verification tool

Before you deposit a cent, confirm the broker is really regulated. Pick the regulator it claims, open the official public register, and run our authenticity checklist. We never store what you type.

Look up the broker

Regulator claimed by the broker

You'll find this in the broker's website footer, usually next to a licence/registration number.

Legal firm name or licence number

Optional — copying the exact licence number makes the register search fastest.

Open official register →

How this works: there is no single live database of "trusted / not trusted" brokers, and we will never guess a broker's status. This tool sends you to the regulator's own public register — the only authoritative source — and tells you exactly what to check when you get there.

What to confirm on the register

CySEC — Cyprus

Regulates Cypriot investment firms (CIFs). Most EU-facing retail forex/CFD brokers are CySEC-licensed.

1Name matches exactly. The legal entity on the register must match the company named in the broker's terms and footer — not just a similar brand name.

2Licence number matches. Confirm the number the broker advertises is the same one attached to that firm on the register.

3Status is active / authorised. Look for "authorised", "active" or equivalent — not "withdrawn", "suspended" or "expired".

4Permitted activities cover you. The licence must actually allow dealing in / reception & transmission of orders for the instruments you'll trade.

5Website & contact match. The domain and contact details on the register should match the site you're actually on. A mismatch is the classic clone-firm signal.

6No warnings or sanctions. Check the same regulator's warnings/sanctions list for the firm's name and domain.

Red flags that a "regulated" broker may be fake

The licence number in the footer returns a different company on the official register.
The register shows the real firm at a different website domain than the one you're on (clone firm).
The broker claims an "offshore" licence (e.g. from a shell jurisdiction) but markets aggressively to EU residents.
Status on the register is withdrawn, suspended, expired, or the firm simply isn't listed at all.
You're pushed to deposit quickly, promised guaranteed returns, or asked to pay via crypto to a personal wallet.
The regulator has published a public warning naming the firm, brand, or website.

Found on a warnings list, or unsure? Do not deposit. Report the firm to the regulator using the contact on its official site, and use only brokers whose register entry you have confirmed yourself.

Why verifying regulation matters

Regulation is the single most important thing separating a broker that holds your money safely from one designed to take it. In the EU, a licensed investment firm must keep client funds in segregated accounts, belong to an investor compensation scheme, and follow leverage and marketing rules that protect retail traders. An unregulated or fake broker offers none of that — and if it disappears with your deposit, there is usually no recourse.

The catch is that a licence number is just text. Anyone can print one in a website footer. That's why the only reliable check is to look the firm up in the regulator's own public register and confirm the details yourself — which is exactly what this tool helps you do. For the full background, read our forex broker regulation guide and our step-by-step licence verification walkthrough.

Keep going

Common questions

How do I check if a forex broker is regulated?

Find the regulator and licence number in the broker's website footer, then search that regulator's official public register — for example the CySEC register, the FCA register, or the EU-wide ESMA register — for the exact firm name or licence number. Confirm the name, number, status and permitted activities all match, and that there are no warnings against the firm.

What is a clone firm?

A clone firm is a scam that copies the name, licence number and address of a genuinely regulated company to appear legitimate. The details on the register look real because they belong to the real firm — but the website and bank details you're dealing with are the fraudster's. Always confirm the website domain and contact details in the official register match the site you are actually on.

Is a licence number on its own enough to trust a broker?

No. A licence number can be copied from a real firm. You must look the number up in the regulator's own register and confirm the status is active/authorised, that the permitted activities cover the service you're being offered, and that there are no published warnings against the firm or its website.

Does CompareFX tell me if a specific broker is safe?

This tool does not fabricate or store a "safe / unsafe" verdict — that would be misleading, because a broker's status can change and only the regulator holds the live record. Instead we link you straight to the authoritative official register and show you what to confirm. The brokers we review and link to elsewhere on CompareFX are ones we have checked against these registers ourselves.