ASIC regulated forex brokers
Australian Securities & Investments Commission · 🇦🇺 Australia
The Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) is the financial regulator for Australia, established in 1991. ForexLicenses.com classifies it as tier 1 (top-tier regulation). We currently match 50 brokers in our database to an ASIC licence.
ASIC licenses Australian brokers through the Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) regime. Australia became the home of many of the world's largest retail forex brokers because ASIC historically allowed high leverage; that changed in March 2021 when its product intervention order introduced retail leverage limits broadly in line with Europe, plus negative balance protection and restrictions on bonuses. ASIC-licensed brokers must meet capital requirements, hold client money in trust accounts and belong to AFCA, a free external dispute scheme. Many Australian groups also run offshore sister companies, so traders should check which entity they are actually onboarded with.
Key rules for retail clients
- Tier
- Tier 1 — Top-tier regulation
- Compensation
- No statutory compensation fund for OTC derivatives; complaints go to AFCA
- Leverage
- 30:1 on major FX pairs for retail clients since March 2021
- Negative balance protection
- Required for retail clients
- Client money
- Client money held in trust accounts; client money rules tightened in 2022
- Complaints
- Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA)
Brokers licensed by the ASIC 50
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if a broker is ASIC regulated?
Search the firm's name or licence number on the ASIC official register (https://asic.gov.au/online-services/search-asic-s-registers/), confirm the status is current and that the website domain you're using is listed, then check the ASIC warning list for clones.
Does the ASIC offer investor compensation?
No statutory compensation fund for OTC derivatives; complaints go to AFCA
What leverage do ASIC-regulated brokers offer?
30:1 on major FX pairs for retail clients since March 2021
Is negative balance protection required by the ASIC?
Yes. Negative balance protection is required for retail clients of ASIC-regulated firms.