UK Forex Brokers FCA Regulated
UK Forex brokers that are registered in the united kingdom are regulated under the FCA ( Financial Conduct Authority). Forex brokers that are based in the UK have to be authorized by the FCA to run a brokerage for retail Forex trading.
Under the FCA, UK Forex brokers are regarded as some of the most reputable Forex brokers. There are many fake website and brokerages that claim to be FCA regulated when in reality they are not. Stay clear of these so called brokerages and report them to the FCA.
Here are some key points on UK Forex Brokers that are FCA regulated:
- FCA brokers keep their client funds in segregated accounts
- Negative balance protection.
- FCA regulated broker should have at least £1 million in operating capital
- FCA directs all brokers to submit yearly audit reports and periodic financial statements
- FCA regulated retail Forex brokers are required to protect their clients under the FSCS (Financial Services Compensation Scheme)
- protection for traders against “broker issues” by providing a guarantee of up to £50,000 in compensation through the FSCS ( Financial Services Compensation Scheme)
For more in-depth information on FCA regulations visit https://www.fca.org.uk/
FCA new rules on leverage and more
ESMA’s new rules
ESMA affects regulator within the EU (European Union) Including the FCA.
- There will be a leverage limit on CFD and Forex trading to 1:30 for major FX pairs.
- Plus even less on non-majors, commodities, indices, share CFD and cryptocurrencies. The new rules also ban Binary Options outright, imposing new ruling on margin closing and mandatory negative balance protection for clients.
- A ban on all trading bonuses or incentives, such as deposit bonuses. They will also require standardized risk warnings be delivered to clients.
With all this said, all these changes are put in place to benefit the traders and putting less risk in their hands.
*More on ESMA down below
FCA Regulated Forex Brokers List
Forex Rank has compiled a list of the most reputable and trust worthy UK Forex brokers.
All have been verified to be FCA regulated and in good standing.
Tickmill
Min Deposit $25.00 | Account Base Currency: USD, EUR, GBP, PNL | Max Leverage: 500:1 | Trading Platforms: Metatrader 4, Webtrader
Forex.com
Min Deposit $50.00 | Account Base Currency:USD CAD GBP | Max Leverage: 50:1 | Trading Platforms: FOREXTrader, Metatrader 4
Oanda
Min Deposit $1.00 | Account Base Currency: AUD CAD EUR GBP HKD JYP SGD CHF USD | Max Leverage: 50:1 | Trading Platforms: Web trading, Metatrader 4, Oanda desktop trading platform
XM Group
Min Deposit: $5.00 | Account Base Currency: USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, CHF, AUD, RUB, PLN, HUF, SGD, ZAR | Max Leverage: 30:1** | Trading Platforms: Metatrader 4/5, Webtrader
** Leverage applies to all the EU regulated entities of the group. Leverage depends on the financial instrument traded.
eToro
Min Deposit $200.00 | Account Base Currency: USD | Max Leverage: 400:1 | Trading Platforms: Webtrader, eToro OpenBook, Mobile Trader
FXCM
Min Deposit $50.00 | Account Base Currency: USD CAD EUR JPY GBP | Max Leverage: 400:1 | Trading Platforms: Metatrader 4, Web trader, Trading Station, NinjaTrader
CMC Markets
Min Deposit $200.00 | Account Base Currency: USD CAD AUD EUR GBP | Max Leverage: variable | Trading Platforms: CMC Markets Platform, Mobile trading
UKForex Trading Brokers – Trade UK
The huge liquidity in the forex market and loose regulations in many countries have encouraged many scammers to enter the forex market.
If you want to become a professional trader, you should spend your time in finding the right forex broker. Always choose a licensed and regulated forex broker to ensure the security of your invested funds, Why not trade UK?
The European trading sessions are highly volatile and this encourages the huge trading volume. Financial dealers all over the world prefer the UK as their destination because of the advantages of the European economy.
To trade UK, all forex brokers must be authorized and approved by FCA (Financial Conduct Authority). The FCA is an autonomous regulatory body that oversees all non-banking financial transactions. Until 2012, FSA (Financial Services Authority) was responsible for regulatory activities.
However, in 2013, the UK government decided to form FCA to regulate all types of non-banking financial institutions. Even though UK’s economy is volatile after Brexit, the UK forex brokers are free to provide forex services to all of Europe.
FCA Regulatory Guidelines – The Financial Conduct Authority
Forex brokers can trade in the European and UK markets only with a valid FCA license. Potential investors and traders can use the FCA code to ensure the authenticity of the broker.
Financial Conduct Authority also has authority over EU brokers. Every licensed and registered broker must submit for regular auditing and provide details of all financial transactions.
All the regulated brokers should use segregated bank accounts to hold the funds of clients. This ensures that the brokers can’t use the customer funds for operations.
Only financially stable agencies are allowed to provide forex trading services to UK citizens. One of the notable benefits of FCA regulated brokers is protection through Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
If the UK forex broker registered with FCA files for bankruptcy or go through premature liquidation, the FSCS insurance scheme provides insured protection for a maximum of £50,000.
Under this scheme, the registered agencies must keep a percentage of their profits in a pool to compensate the clients. Traders can enjoy maximum protection with this scheme.
The Financial Conduct Authority regulations provide flexibility to brokers as well. In the US, the forex brokers must adhere to extreme guidelines that stop them from providing certain trading services.
UK forex brokers are free to provide hedging option for traders. There is no limit on the maximum leverage that a broker can offer.
This is beneficial for traders because they can choose a forex broker with a higher leverage. You should understand that a higher leverage means a higher risk.
Before choosing a UK forex broker, you should check with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) website to ensure that the broker is authorized.
Regulated and licensed brokers will always show their license number on the website. To protect traders against financial frauds, FCA enforces regulations and also monitors compliance. Or you can check out our Forex Broker List page.
WAIT There's More..
Leverage Changes effective August 2018 For FCA Regulated Brokers.
- 1:30 for major currency pairs;
- 1:20 for non-major currency pairs, gold and major indices;
- 1:10 for commodities other than gold and non-major equity indices
- 1:5 for individual equities and other reference values;
- 1:2 for cryptocurrencies
What happens if a regulated FCA broker becomes insolvent?
If an FCA regulated forex broker files for bankruptcy, FCA ensures that traders are compensated via the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). The (FSCS) makes it possible for the trader to get maximum compensation of £50,000 when their broker goes bankrupt. This means if a broker is insolvent, traders would be entitled to get compensation of up to £50,000.
How secure are my funds when trading with a UK based forex broker?
With the regulatory role played by the FCA, your funds are safe when you trade with an FCA regulated broker. FCA mandates all forex brokers in the UK to always have at least £1 million operating capital.
This helps to make payment to customers done real-time and also ensure that the traders’ funds are kept secure if the company happens to go insolvent. The mandate of brokers keeping segregated forex accounts with that of their traders also ensures the safety of funds you invest with an FCA forex broker.
The trading restrictions imposed on UK based Forex brokers
Contrary to what is obtained with the forex brokers in the US, brokers in the UK don’t impose forex trading restrictions on traders. Traders are free to trade with any trading technique of choices like hedging and leverage.
They additionally provide a greater diversity of trading and spread betting and binary options are considered legal in the UK. Given the fact that spread betting is not taxable in the UK, many people find it as an attractive substitute to Forex trading.
The payment options that UK based forex brokers’ offer
UK Forex brokers support varieties of payment options. Traders have options like credit card payments (Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club International, Union Pay etc), online payment processors like (Paypal, Neteller, Skrill, QIWI, Perfect Money etc), payments through bank check and bank wires.
Bank wire transfers are commonly processed within 24 hours of your withdrawal request. Nevertheless, the funds are credited into the trader’s bank account only after two to five days.
The Financial Conduct Authority and Forex Trader Protection?
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the UK regulatory body. It serves as the consumer watchdog organization and gets its funding from all the regulated financial services companies which include forex brokers.
The FCA’s duty is to license and regulate UK financial institutions. It works together with the Bank of England (BOE) and the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA).
The FCA is associated with the MiFID derivative and the EEA requirements in respect to the rules and regulations that govern Forex trading. The regulatory framework offered by the FCA ensures that the Forex brokers function in the interests of traders, and to provide a vigorous trading environment.
Preventing financial malpractice is the central goal of the role played by the FCA. FCA frowns upon and squarely deals with scams, fraud, and malfeasance, promotion of the advantages of Forex trading or related activities.
The FCA work hard to protect traders from unscrupulous Forex brokers.
It is thus unlikely that you will be scammed when you trade with an FCA regulated forex broker given the 1 million pounds minimum account balance and segregated account requirements among other regulations that brokers must comply with.
How the FCA helps to minimize the traders’ risk?
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is a regulator that safeguards the interest of traders. FCA limit the leverage that is offered by brokers and in so doing, the FCA control the amount of risk the traders are exposed to.
The FCA as well does its utmost to handle financial abuse and misconduct in the Forex trading. All FCA regulated brokers must comply with the strict regulations in the UK.
If any customer is financially abused or defrauded, the FCA conducts an inquiry and carries out investigation accordingly. If companies act in an irresponsible and reckless manner, the FCA can revoke its license and inflict severe punishment against the company.
That’s why it is essential to trade with a broker that is regulated by the FCA than going for offshore unregulated Forex brokers.
With the requirement of the maintenance of segregated accounts, client money is held separate from the broker’s money. This is an essential precaution when traders make claims against the company or when for any reason the company is liquidated, goes bankrupt or is defrauded.
Also, the maximum leverage of (1:30) as proposed by the FCA in December 2016 and is set to come in affect on August 1st 2018, helps to minimize traders’ loss from a high of 1:500 leverage as it was set earlier.
High leverage boosts traders’ loss when trades go against the trader. The FCA effort is to prevent such occurrences.
FCA Forex Regulation PROS.
- Trading with FCA regulated Forex brokers in the UK gives traders peace of mind that their funds are in safe hands.
- Traders who open an account with FCA UK brokers are assured of their funds’ separation from that of the brokerage company account, the maximum leverage trading condition imposed by FCA limits traders loss while at the same time ensuring their safety all the time.
- Additionally, in the event of any complaint, the trader has dispute resolution procedure available to him or her. These are a few rules that are set up by the FCA to keep traders funds safe and ensure a healthy trading environment.
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