Regulatory Authorities across the world
In the following table, we gathered all major and popular Regulatory Authorities across the world. We added the regulator homepage and the page where a customer can file a complaint against the forex company.
You’ve heard how lucrative having a forex brokerage is, right? If you’ve decided to open a forex business, you better do things right. While it is true that you can operate a forex company without a license, you should know that it is not legal to do so and therefore it represents a huge risk and it shows short term vision from the part of the owners and operators. Once you decide to open a forex brokerage, one of the first things you should do is obtain an offshore forex license.
Obtaining an offshore forex license is the most lucrative way to operate a forex company. Obtaining an offshore forex license can be done with a relatively low capital investment, low maintenance fees and through a quite simple, expedited process. The key to obtaining a forex license is to determine which jurisdiction best matches your business model and resources. Once you submit all your documentation to your desired jurisdiction, you can get your license in a matter of weeks.
Some jurisdictions have more complicated and expensive procedures than others and in comparison to the UK’s FCA, Cypriot CySec and United States’ SEC, Seychelles and Vanuatu offer reputable licenses at relatively low cost and all through a simple process of application. At GBO, we can assist you in every step of the way so you begin operating your forex brokerage legally.
Once you obtain a forex license, you can legally offer trading services to individuals residing in that jurisdiction and any license from a member state of the European Union allows you to offer trading services to residents across the EU. Consult with your legal advisor to find out which jurisdiction matches your target market best.
Getting an Offshore Forex Licence Has Its Benefits
- Increased Credibility: By showcasing a licence on your website, you can encourage traders to use your brokerage by demonstrating your dedication to openness and legal compliance. This can greatly increase the appeal of your business to possible investors.
- Access to Banking Services: Having a forex licence makes it much easier to obtain banking services, which is essential for successful operations. To ensure a smoother operational flow, banks frequently require a licence before allowing forex brokerages to open accounts.
- Global Operations: Subject to jurisdictional restrictions, a licenced status enables brokerages to operate globally, creating a plethora of opportunities for business growth.
- Cost-effectiveness: Many businesses find offshore forex licencing to be a financially viable option due to the process’s inexpensive initial licencing and low annual renewal fees.
- Quick Approval Process: The licencing process is made to be simple and quick, enabling companies to get into compliance and start up as soon as possible.
- Decreased Capital Requirements: States with low capital deposit requirements, such as Seychelles and Vanuatu, give new brokerages more flexibility and lower entry barriers.
- Simplified Regulatory Compliance: The burden of compliance is reduced by not requiring thorough accounting or audit reports. Simple due diligence requirements also make the application process more efficient.
- Flexibility in Management: The organization’s leadership can be arranged with a great deal of flexibility because non-resident persons are permitted to serve as directors or owners.
- Trust and Reliability: Getting a licence makes your brokerage appear more trustworthy and significant to prospective traders, fostering a positive relationship between the two.
- Opportunities in Corporate Banking: Having a licence makes it much easier to open corporate bank accounts and allows for more efficient financial operations.
- By utilising these benefits, forex brokerages can create a strong base for long-term growth and success in the cutthroat forex industry in addition to improving their operational effectiveness and market appeal.
Forex Broker Regulation
Depending on the jurisdiction, laws and regulations differ regarding the licensing of Forex companies. The regulations that are in play though are mainly to ensure proper conduct by the company and to ensure they follow all legislation and regulation set by these licenses. Many such companies decide to go through the FX licensing process as it assures their clients of proper conduct and instills trust in their online activities.
Requirements for these jurisdictions include availability of a local office, simplified reporting and reasonable taxes. Depending on what type of license is required, the mandatory initial capital starts from $30,000. The average time frame is estimated at about half a year, while the average cost is about $35,000.
Registering in the above mentioned jurisdictions means that Forex companies can easily deal with European clients as well as having the process of opening a corporate bank account simplified.
Offshore Forex Broker License and regulation allows you to operate legit and will help you to open bank accounts in reputable financial institutes.
What is a Regulated Forex Broker?
Regulated Forex brokers have the authority from the jurisdiction in which a company is incorporated to operate under a license. They are required to follow the forex regulation requirements of the authority of the jurisdiction. A Forex who obtain regulation has a higher level of transparency and therefore has better credibility than a non-regulated Forex broker as they do no operate under strict regulation.
- There are several criteria that a regulated Forex broker must meet regarding his financial statements, leverage, minimum capital, accounting and more. One of the main criteria is the forex quotes, which is the forex system that the broker uses where the clients receive true and live quotations. This point is essential in Forex as it forms the basis for Forex trade. A non-regulated broker is not monitored by any authority and therefore there is more risk involved in providing improper quotations.
- The differences between a regulated and non-regulated Forex broker are more evident in the back-office operations and internal management of the company.
- The differences are felt in the management and operations of the company regarding the legal and banking side of the company. Every company requires a bank account as well as a PSP system (Payment Service Provider) in order to receive payments from customers via bank transfer, credit card clearing and e-valets such as PayPal and Netteller.
- Non-regulated companies have much more difficulty opening a bank account than a regulated broker. Most banks will not accept non-regulated brokers as the risk is too high.
GBO is leading the way for many unregulated forex companies to become regulated and to obtain their forex license. As many jurisdictions are offering FX licenses it it very important to the FX Company to obtain the right license for them.
While regulation in forex markets was virtually non-existent in earlier years, the rapid growth of forex trading among retail investors has led to increasing scrutiny and regulation by governments and semi-governmental agencies worldwide. Usually the forex license permits regulated entities to act as counterparties for forex transactions with retail customers, end users, speculators, traders, etc, and it requires all online forex dealers to be registered and meet strict financial standards enforced by those regulators.
If you are new forex brokerage company and you want to become regulated, then these countries may be a good starting point {enter box code of the countries + pictures}
FX companies that hold a forex trading license are required to meet strict financial standards. In addition to maintaining capital adequacy requirements, they are required to submit financial reports to regulators (by some regulators) amidst many other regulatory demands.
Forex trading license requirements
- No matters where you would like to obtain your forex license, you will always need to supply documents to the local financial services authority. We pointed out the main
- forex trading license requirements for applying the license, not include all the corporate documentation, just the personal documents.
- Minimum capital requirements – Almost in all jurisdictions you must deposit amount of money, starting from $2,000 in Vanuatu, for example.
- Notarized Personal documents of the owners of the company – like passport copies, utility bills and more – depends in the jurisdiction specific requirements.
- Notarized Police Clearance Certificate.
Essentially, Forex regulation means that there is an independent body between the trader and the forex broker company who is looking out for your interests, making sure that everything is always above board and that you are being treated fairly.
