BaFin regulated forex brokers
Federal Financial Supervisory Authority · 🇩🇪 Germany
The Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) is the financial regulator for Germany, established in 2002. ForexLicenses.com classifies it as tier 1 (top-tier regulation). We currently match 9 brokers in our database to an BaFin licence.
BaFin supervises banks, investment firms and insurers in Germany and is one of the most influential regulators inside the EU. Germany was the first country to ban additional payment obligations (margin calls beyond deposited funds) for retail CFD clients in 2017, a move later mirrored by ESMA across Europe. Several large international brokers run their EU hub from Germany under a BaFin licence. Licensed firms appear in BaFin's company database, and the EdW compensation scheme covers investment firms that cannot return client assets.
Key rules for retail clients
- Tier
- Tier 1 — Top-tier regulation
- Compensation
- EdW — 90% of claim, up to €20,000 (plus €100,000 deposit guarantee at banks)
- Leverage
- 30:1 on major FX pairs (ESMA rules)
- Negative balance protection
- Required for retail clients
- Client money
- Client funds segregated under German Securities Trading Act rules
- Complaints
- BaFin consumer complaints / ombudsman schemes
Brokers licensed by the BaFin 9
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if a broker is BaFin regulated?
Search the firm's name or licence number on the BaFin official register (https://portal.mvp.bafin.de/database/InstInfo/), confirm the status is current and that the website domain you're using is listed, then check the BaFin warning list for clones.
Does the BaFin offer investor compensation?
EdW — 90% of claim, up to €20,000 (plus €100,000 deposit guarantee at banks)
What leverage do BaFin-regulated brokers offer?
30:1 on major FX pairs (ESMA rules)
Is negative balance protection required by the BaFin?
Yes. Negative balance protection is required for retail clients of BaFin-regulated firms.