FOREX.com regulation & licences
Our take
FOREX.com is owned by StoneX Group, a NASDAQ-listed financial services firm, after StoneX acquired GAIN Capital in 2020. FOREX.com is registered with the CFTC and NFA in the US and is also authorised in the UK, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Japan and Cyprus. Being part of a listed group with a clearing and institutional business behind it is a meaningful counterparty-risk consideration.
Best suited to: US traders who want a large, publicly-owned FX specialist
Licences on record 7
1 Tier 1 — top-tier regulation
2 Tier 2 — strong regulation
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
FOREX.com is a forex & CFD broker founded in 2001 and headquartered in United States. It is part of StoneX Group. It is a publicly listed business (NASDAQ:SNEX), which means audited financial statements are published regularly — a meaningful transparency advantage.
In our database FOREX.com is matched to 7 licences from ASIC, CFTC / NFA, CIRO, FCA, JFSA, MAS and CySEC. At the top of that list, the ASIC (Australia), the CFTC / NFA (United States), the CIRO (Canada), the FCA (United Kingdom), the JFSA (Japan) and the MAS (Singapore) are among the regulators we classify as tier 1 — regulators that combine high capital requirements with meaningful retail protections.
Depending on the entity, eligible clients may be covered by CIPF (CIRO), FSCS (FCA) and Investor Compensation Fund (ICF) (CySEC). Negative balance protection is mandatory for retail clients under ASIC, FCA and CySEC rules. Retail leverage caps apply at the ASIC, CFTC / NFA and CIRO-regulated entities (for example 30:1 on major FX pairs at ASIC).
FOREX.com supports its own proprietary platform, MT4, MT5 and TradingView. The advertised minimum deposit starts from about US$100 — minimums often vary by account type and entity.
Regulatory strengths
- Parent company is publicly listed
- Serves US clients legally
- Tier-1 licences in several jurisdictions
Points to check
- US product range limited by CFTC rules
- Features differ by entity
Protection by entity
| Regulator | Compensation | Retail leverage | Negative balance protection | Disputes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ASIC | No statutory compensation fund for OTC derivatives; complaints go to AFCA | 30:1 on major FX pairs for retail clients since March 2021 | Required for retail clients | Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) |
| 1 CFTC / NFA | No compensation scheme for retail forex (SIPC does not cover spot FX) | 50:1 on major FX pairs, 20:1 on other pairs | Not a regulatory requirement | NFA arbitration |
| 1 CIRO | CIPF — up to CAD 1,000,000 per account category | Margin set by CIRO rules; up to roughly 50:1 on major pairs | Not a regulatory requirement | OBSI (Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments) |
| 1 FCA | FSCS — up to £85,000 per eligible client per firm | 30:1 on major FX pairs for retail clients (20:1 minors, gold and major indices) | Required for retail clients | Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) |
| 1 JFSA | No compensation fund, but client funds must be held in a mandatory trust (kubun kanri shintaku) | 25:1 on FX for individual traders | Not a regulatory requirement | FINMAC (Financial Instruments Mediation Assistance Center) |
| 1 MAS | No compensation scheme for leveraged FX | 20:1 on major FX pairs for retail investors | Not a regulatory requirement | Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre (FIDReC) |
| 2 CySEC | Investor Compensation Fund (ICF) — up to €20,000 | 30:1 on major FX pairs (ESMA rules) | Required for retail clients | Financial Ombudsman of Cyprus |
Trader reviews
No reviews yet. If you've used FOREX.com, share what withdrawals, support and execution were like.
Write a review of FOREX.com
FOREX.com regulation FAQ
Is FOREX.com regulated?
Yes — in our database FOREX.com is matched to 7 licences: ASIC (Australia), CFTC / NFA (United States), CIRO (Canada), FCA (United Kingdom), JFSA (Japan), MAS (Singapore) and CySEC (Cyprus). 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 FOREX.com a tier-1 regulated broker?
FOREX.com holds 6 licences from regulators we classify as tier 1: ASIC, CFTC / NFA, CIRO, FCA, JFSA and MAS.
Does FOREX.com accept US clients?
FOREX.com is matched to a CFTC/NFA registration in our database, so a US-regulated entity exists. US accounts are subject to 50:1 leverage caps, FIFO and no-hedging rules.
Is my money protected with FOREX.com?
Clients of FOREX.com's CIRO, FCA and CySEC-regulated entities may be eligible for statutory compensation (CIPF — up to CAD 1,000,000 per account category; FSCS — up to £85,000 per eligible client per firm; Investor Compensation Fund (ICF) — 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 FOREX.com?
FOREX.com's advertised minimum deposit starts from about US$100. It can differ by account type, payment method and the entity you are onboarded to.
How can I verify FOREX.com's licence?
Find the company name and licence number in FOREX.com'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.