The safety dossier

Home / Reviews / ATFX / Regulation

ATFX regulation: what happens if the firm fails

The licence is what decides where your money sits and who is obliged to do something about it. Here is who licenses ATFX and what the protections are.

Facts last checked . Read the full ATFX review.

Regulation and safety

Regulated by
FCA (760555); ASIC (418036); CySEC (285/15); Hong Kong SFC (BUM667); South Africa FSCA (44816); Mauritius FSC (C118023331); Seychelles FSA (SD093); UAE CMA (20200000078); Cambodia SERC (040)
Regulator tier
Tier 1
Register entry
FCA Financial Services Register, FRN 760555
Client money segregated
Yes
Held at
Reputable regulated banks
Negative balance protection
Yes for eligible retail clients
Compensation scheme
FSCS up to £85,000 for eligible UK clients; ICF up to €20,000 for eligible CySEC clients
Audited by
Independent external auditors
Not available to
United States, Canada, Japan, North Korea, Iran and other jurisdictions where ATFX services are prohibited or restricted

Check the licence yourself: the FCA Register, ASIC Connect, the CySEC register of investment firms, the SFC public register, the FSCA search of financial services providers, the Mauritius FSC register of licensees, the Seychelles FSA list of regulated entities.

What this means

The licence is what decides where your money sits and who is obliged to do something about it.

ATFX holds tier-one authorisations from ASIC, FCA and CySEC. That matters more than any headline spread: it determines your leverage cap, whether losses can exceed your deposit, and what happens to your money if the firm fails.

It also operates an offshore entity (FSC and FSA). Which one you are onboarded to depends on where you live, and the two carry very different protections - worth confirming before you deposit.

ASIC caps retail leverage at 1:30, requires negative balance protection, and obliges the broker to hold client money in a separate trust account.

The FCA caps retail leverage at 1:30, mandates negative balance protection, and covers eligible clients under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

CySEC licences passport across the EU and follow the 1:30 retail leverage cap, with the Investor Compensation Fund covering eligible claims.

Client money is held separately from the firm's own money, at Reputable regulated banks. That separation is what makes your balance recoverable if the company fails, rather than part of the pool its creditors divide up.

Negative balance protection applies, so a losing position cannot take the account below zero and leave you owing the broker money.

Covered by FSCS up to £85,000 for eligible UK clients; ICF up to €20,000 for eligible CySEC clients, which pays eligible clients up to its limit if the firm fails owing client money.

Questions about ATFX regulation

Is client money segregated at ATFX?

Yes. ATFX holds client money separately from its own funds, at Reputable regulated banks.

Does ATFX offer negative balance protection?

Yes. ATFX offers negative balance protection, so a losing position cannot leave you owing the broker more than your account held.

Is there a compensation scheme at ATFX?

ATFX's compensation scheme is recorded as: FSCS up to £85,000 for eligible UK clients; ICF up to €20,000 for eligible CySEC clients. A scheme covers the broker failing, not losses on your trades.

Regulation at brokers under the same regulator

More about ATFX