Deriv regulation & licences
Our take
Deriv, formerly Binary.com (founded in 1999), holds licences from the Malta FSA, Labuan FSA, Vanuatu FSC and BVI FSC. It is best known for its synthetic indices.
Best suited to: Traders who want synthetic indices alongside forex
Licences on record 4
2 Tier 2 — strong regulation
3 Tier 3 — moderate regulation
4 Tier 4 — light / offshore
Licences are matched from public sources and regulator registers, and entities change over time. A licence held by one company in a group does not cover clients of another. Always confirm on the official register.
Regulatory profile
Deriv is a forex & CFD broker founded in 1999 and headquartered in Malaysia. Formerly Binary.com.
In our database Deriv is matched to 4 licences from MFSA, Labuan FSA, BVI FSC and VFSC. Its strongest licence comes from the MFSA, which we rate tier 2: credible supervision, but with fewer safeguards than the very strictest regulators.
Deriv's licences span very different levels of protection — from MFSA to Labuan FSA and BVI FSC. The entity you are assigned to normally depends on your country of residence; if you live outside the jurisdictions of its stronger licences, expect to be onboarded to an offshore entity.
Depending on the entity, eligible clients may be covered by Investor Compensation Scheme (MFSA). Negative balance protection is mandatory for retail clients under MFSA rules. Retail leverage caps apply at the MFSA-regulated entities (for example 30:1 on major FX pairs at MFSA).
Deriv supports MT5, its own proprietary platform and cTrader. The advertised minimum deposit starts from about US$5 — minimums often vary by account type and entity.
Regulatory strengths
- Long operating history
- Malta-licensed entity
Points to check
- Most clients served through offshore entities
Protection by entity
| Regulator | Compensation | Retail leverage | Negative balance protection | Disputes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 MFSA | Investor Compensation Scheme — 90% of loss up to €20,000 | 30:1 on major FX pairs (ESMA rules) | Required for retail clients | Office of the Arbiter for Financial Services |
| 3 Labuan FSA | No compensation scheme | No statutory cap | Not a regulatory requirement | Labuan FSA |
| 4 BVI FSC | No compensation scheme | No statutory cap | Not a regulatory requirement | BVI FSC |
| 4 VFSC | No compensation scheme | No statutory cap | Not a regulatory requirement | VFSC |
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Deriv regulation FAQ
Is Deriv regulated?
Yes — in our database Deriv is matched to 4 licences: MFSA (Malta), Labuan FSA (Malaysia (Labuan)), BVI FSC (British Virgin Islands) and VFSC (Vanuatu). Which of these protects you depends on the legal entity you open an account with. Always confirm the licence on the regulator's official register.
Is Deriv a tier-1 regulated broker?
No. None of the licences we have matched to Deriv is from a tier-1 regulator. Its strongest licence is tier 2.
Does Deriv accept US clients?
Deriv is not matched to a CFTC/NFA registration in our database. Only CFTC-registered, NFA-member firms may offer retail forex to US residents, so Deriv generally cannot accept US retail forex clients.
Is my money protected with Deriv?
Clients of Deriv's MFSA-regulated entity may be eligible for statutory compensation (Investor Compensation Scheme — 90% of loss up to €20,000). Clients of other entities rely on segregation of funds and the firm's financial strength.
What is the minimum deposit at Deriv?
Deriv's advertised minimum deposit starts from about US$5. It can differ by account type, payment method and the entity you are onboarded to.
How can I verify Deriv's licence?
Find the company name and licence number in Deriv's client agreement or website footer, then search it on the regulator's official register (linked from each licence on this page). Confirm that the website domain you use is listed on the register, and check the regulator's warning list for clones.