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Trade.com 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 Trade.com and what the protections are.

Facts last checked . Read the full Trade.com review.

Regulation and safety

Regulated by
Mauritius FSC (C119023948); CySEC (227/14); FCA (738538); FINRA/SEC (CRD 316822)
Regulator tier
Tier 1
Register entry
FCA Financial Services Register, FRN 738538
Client money segregated
Yes
Held at
Major global banks
Negative balance protection
Yes for eligible retail clients under regulated entities
Compensation scheme
ICF up to €20,000 for eligible CySEC clients; FSCS protection for eligible UK clients; no statutory investor compensation scheme under Mauritius entity
Audited by
Independent external auditors
Not available to
European Union, United Kingdom, Switzerland, United States, Iran, North Korea and other jurisdictions where services would contravene local law under the global Mauritius offering

Check the licence yourself: the Mauritius FSC register of licensees, the CySEC register of investment firms, the FCA Register, FINRA BrokerCheck.

What this means

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

Trade.com 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). 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.

An FSC licence (Mauritius or Belize, depending on the entity) is an offshore authorisation with lighter reporting duties than a tier-one regulator.

Client money is held separately from the firm's own money, at Major global 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 ICF up to €20,000 for eligible CySEC clients; FSCS protection for eligible UK clients; no statutory investor compensation scheme under Mauritius entity, which pays eligible clients up to its limit if the firm fails owing client money.

Questions about Trade.com regulation

Is client money segregated at Trade.com?

Yes. Trade.com holds client money separately from its own funds, at Major global banks.

Does Trade.com offer negative balance protection?

Yes. Trade.com 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 Trade.com?

Trade.com's compensation scheme is recorded as: ICF up to €20,000 for eligible CySEC clients; FSCS protection for eligible UK clients; no statutory investor compensation scheme under Mauritius entity. A scheme covers the broker failing, not losses on your trades.

Regulation at brokers under the same regulator

More about Trade.com