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Fortrade 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 Fortrade and what the protections are.

Facts last checked . Read the full Fortrade review.

Regulation and safety

Regulated by
FCA (609970); ASIC (AFSL 493520); CySEC (385/20); CIRO Canada; Mauritius FSC (GB21026472); DFSA
Regulator tier
Tier 1
Register entry
FCA Financial Services Register, FRN 609970
Client money segregated
Yes
Held at
Regulated banking institutions
Negative balance protection
Yes for retail clients
Compensation scheme
FSCS up to £85,000 for eligible UK clients; CIPF protection for eligible Canadian clients; ICF up to €20,000 for eligible Cyprus clients
Audited by
Independent external auditors
Not available to
United States, Belgium and jurisdictions where provision or distribution of Fortrade services would contravene local laws

Check the licence yourself: the FCA Register, ASIC Connect, the CySEC register of investment firms, the Mauritius FSC register of licensees, the DFSA public register.

What this means

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

Fortrade holds tier-one authorisations from ASIC, FCA, CySEC and CIRO. 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). 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 Regulated banking institutions. 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; CIPF protection for eligible Canadian clients; ICF up to €20,000 for eligible Cyprus clients, which pays eligible clients up to its limit if the firm fails owing client money.

Questions about Fortrade regulation

Is client money segregated at Fortrade?

Yes. Fortrade holds client money separately from its own funds, at Regulated banking institutions.

Does Fortrade offer negative balance protection?

Yes. Fortrade 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 Fortrade?

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

Regulation at brokers under the same regulator

More about Fortrade