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HF Markets 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 HF Markets and what the protections are.

Facts last checked . Read the full HF Markets review.

Regulation and safety

Regulated by
FCA (801701); CySEC (183/12); FSCA (46632); Seychelles FSA (SD015); CMA Kenya (155); DFSA (F004885); Mauritius FSC (C110008214)
Regulator tier
Tier 1
Register entry
FCA Financial Services Register, FRN 801701
Client money segregated
Yes
Held at
Major regulated banking institutions
Negative balance protection
Yes
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, Sudan, Syria, Iran, North Korea, UAE, Türkiye and other restricted jurisdictions

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

What this means

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

HF Markets holds tier-one authorisations from 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.

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.

The FSCA licenses derivative providers in South Africa without a fixed retail leverage cap, so headline leverage is often higher than an FCA or ASIC entity may offer.

Client money is held separately from the firm's own money, at Major 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; 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 HF Markets regulation

Is client money segregated at HF Markets?

Yes. HF Markets holds client money separately from its own funds, at Major regulated banking institutions.

Does HF Markets offer negative balance protection?

Yes. HF Markets 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 HF Markets?

HF Markets'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

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