Researcher comparing four broker legal-document routes before choosing an account

Which Forex Brokers Use Different Legal Entities by Country?

Two people can open an account with the same broker brand and sign contracts with different companies. One may receive a UK agreement. The other may be directed to Cyprus, Australia, Dubai, Belize, the Bahamas or another jurisdiction. The logo and trading platform can look identical while the legal counterparty, regulator and complaint route change.

This is not a rare technical footnote. Current official pages from IG, XTB, Pepperstone and OANDA show several legal entities behind each brand. They also show that the route is not always a simple country lookup. Product choice, regional eligibility and the office selected during onboarding can matter.

Short answer: IG, XTB, Pepperstone and OANDA all publish evidence of multiple legal entities serving different markets. A regional page can indicate the likely route, but only the company named in your application or client agreement identifies your contractual counterparty. Check that exact company in the relevant regulator’s register before you deposit.

We checked the official sources below on 2 September 2026. The table is a research starting point, not a promise that a particular entity will accept you today. For the detailed XTB route, read which XTB legal entity holds your account; it covers the Canada exception and the 16-country international list.

Four brands, four different routing models

IG: published global comparisonThe brand names regional entities and regulators in one table, while warning that residence does not always decide the available office.
XTB: country-group directionsA current help page directs UK, EU, MENA, selected international and Canadian applicants to different routes.
Pepperstone: entity-specific documentsSeparate UK, EEA, Australia and Bahamas pages publish different legal documents for different group companies.
OANDA: regulated-market networkThe group lists eight regulated market entities, but the list alone does not assign every country or applicant to one company.
Broker brandExamples shown by official sourcesPublic routing evidenceWhat still needs confirmation
IGIG Markets Ltd / IG Index Ltd (UK); IG Europe GmbH (Europe); IG Markets Ltd (Australia); IG Asia Pte Ltd (Singapore); IG Limited (Dubai); IG US LLC (US); IG International Limited (Bermuda)IG’s international-offering table names entities and authorities by region.The product, office and entity in the actual account agreement.
XTBXTB Limited (UK); XTB Limited (Cyprus); XTB MENA Limited (Dubai); XTB International Limited (Belize); XTB S.A. French branchXTB’s country-acceptance page gives regional directions and a selected-country list.Whether your country remains eligible and which entity appears in your application.
PepperstonePepperstone Limited (UK); Pepperstone EU Limited (EEA); Pepperstone Group Limited (Australia); Pepperstone Markets Limited (Bahamas)Regional legal hubs publish separate agreements and disclosures.The document set displayed during your own application.
OANDAOANDA Corporation (US); OANDA Europe Limited (UK); OANDA TMS Brokers S.A. (Poland); OANDA Asia Pacific Pte Ltd (Singapore); OANDA Australia Pty Ltd; OANDA Japan Inc.; OANDA (Canada) Corporation ULC; OANDA Global Markets Ltd (BVI)OANDA’s group and regulatory pages list the network of regulated entities.The exact country route, product and contracting company offered to you.
On a phone, swipe the table left. Entity names are examples from official pages checked 2 September 2026, not an availability guarantee.

IG shows why country is only the first filter

IG’s official international-offering page provides the clearest public map in this sample. It lists IG Markets Ltd and IG Index Ltd for the UK, IG Europe GmbH for Europe excluding the UK and Switzerland, IG Markets Ltd for Australia, IG Bank S.A. for Switzerland, IG Asia Pte Ltd for Singapore, IG Limited for Dubai, IG Securities Ltd for Japan, IG US LLC for the United States and IG International Limited for its international offering.

The same page also says a person’s country of residence does not necessarily define which IG office they can trade with. That sentence changes the job of the researcher. You cannot stop after matching a flag to a company. You must inspect the office and product selected during onboarding.

Product choice can split the answer further. IG’s UK about page says CFD accounts are provided by IG Markets Ltd, spread betting by IG Index Ltd, and share dealing and Smart Portfolio accounts by IG Trading and Investments Ltd. A person asking “Which IG entity do I use in the UK?” may therefore need to name the product before the question has one answer.

The UAE account-opening page gives another concrete example. It presents IG UAE, contracted with IG Limited and regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority, alongside IG International Limited, based in Bermuda and regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority. The page describes different products and leverage. The user’s final agreement should settle which route was chosen.

XTB publishes country groups, including an unusual Canada route

XTB’s country-acceptance help page, marked as updated 27 March 2026, directs UK residents to XTB UK, EU residents to XTB Cyprus, MENA residents to XTB MENA Limited and certain non-EU/UK residents to XTB International. It lists the countries accepted by XTB International from March 2026 rather than describing that route as globally available.

The page also states that Canadian residents are accepted only by the French branch of the XTB Group. That is exactly the kind of exception a brand-level list misses. Because eligibility can change, a reader should treat the help page as dated evidence and repeat the check before applying.

The regional legal hubs then provide company-level evidence: XTB Limited is identified on the UK page with Financial Conduct Authority reference 522157; the Cyprus page identifies XTB Limited with Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission licence 169/12; and the international page identifies XTB International Limited with Belize Financial Services Commission registration 6442514. XTB MENA’s terms name XTB MENA Limited and Dubai Financial Services Authority reference F006316.

Those records do not prove that a visitor will be accepted. They show which company and regulator belong to each published route. The application and agreement still need to match.

Pepperstone makes the document set part of the answer

Pepperstone’s legal pages tell applicants that documents vary by entity and regulation, and that the relevant documents will be made clear in the application. Its UK hub publishes terms for Pepperstone Limited. The EEA hub names Pepperstone EU Limited. The Australian site identifies Pepperstone Group Limited and Australian Financial Services Licence 414530. Its global legal page identifies Pepperstone Markets Limited in the Bahamas with licence SIA-F217.

This structure gives a reader a practical test: the legal page, terms, risk disclosure, costs document and complaints notice shown during application should all point to the same entity. If one document names the UK company while another names the Bahamas company, pause and ask the broker to identify the correct set in writing.

Our Pepperstone legal-entity case study examines these four routes in more detail. The related contract-first Pepperstone guide adds the UAE/DIFC role split and a repeatable agreement-to-register check. Both are evidence examples, not recommendations to open an account.

OANDA’s entity list is useful, but it is not a country answer

OANDA’s group page lists companies in the United States, United Kingdom, Poland, Singapore, Australia, Japan, Canada and the British Virgin Islands. Its US regulatory disclosure describes eight regulated markets and associates those companies with authorities including the CFTC and NFA, FCA, Polish Financial Supervision Authority, MAS, CIRO, ASIC, Japan’s FSA and the BVI Financial Services Commission.

That establishes a real multi-entity group. It does not show which company every resident will receive, which products are available, or whether an application will be accepted. OANDA’s region selector can lead a reader to the right regional site, but the client agreement remains the stronger account-specific evidence.

Do not copy a licence from the group list into your notes. First copy the legal company name from your own application or agreement. Then find that same company in the official register. Reversing the order makes it easy to validate a sister company that never contracts with you.
Person matching a broker agreement company name with an official register result
Match the company in the agreement to the official register before funding. This is an illustrative scene, not a real broker record.

Build a six-field evidence card before you deposit

A short record is more useful than saving a page full of marketing claims. Complete these six fields using the documents displayed to you, not a reviewer’s country assumption.

Your account evidence card

1. Country of residenceThe country entered in the application, not nationality or current travel location.
2. Product and client typeFor example, CFD, rolling spot forex, spread betting, retail or professional.
3. Contracting legal entityThe complete company name and registration number in the agreement.
4. Regulator and licenceThe authority and reference attached to that same entity.
5. Governing documentsAgreement version, risk notice, costs, client-money wording and complaints procedure.
6. Check date and copiesThe date you checked, plus saved PDFs and screenshots of the onboarding result.

The free Broker Evidence Comparison Tool can help you place several broker records side by side. Its stored records are a starting point. Replace or confirm every field with the documents offered to your account.

Verify the route in seven steps

  1. Start with the correct regional site. Use the broker’s official country or region selector. Avoid links supplied through an unsolicited message.
  2. Enter the true country of residence. Do not use a different location to reach an entity or leverage level.
  3. Stop before accepting the agreement. Download it and record the full company name, number, regulator and version date.
  4. Match every legal document. The risk notice, costs, privacy notice and complaints procedure should be relevant to the same account route. A privacy data controller may not always be the contracting entity, so the client agreement carries more weight.
  5. Search the official register. Use the exact company name. Match the status, licence number, approved domain and permissions relevant to the product.
  6. Check the payment beneficiary. Before funding, compare the payee information in the secure client area with the entity or approved payment instructions. Ask for an explanation if the names do not make sense together.
  7. Save the evidence. Keep the agreement, source URLs, check date, register result and broker response. These records may matter if the entity changes or a complaint arises.

If you are new to this process, use our step-by-step legal-entity verification guide. If an existing account has received a migration notice, read how to investigate a proposed legal-entity change before accepting new terms.

What this evidence cannot tell you

A valid entity and licence are important checks, but they cannot guarantee fair execution, fast withdrawals, solvency, complaint success or compensation eligibility. A licence also has a defined scope. The company may be authorised while a particular product, client type or country falls outside the protection a reader assumes.

Public pages also change. A broker can update country eligibility, reorganise a group, launch a new entity or revise an agreement. That is why every mapping on this page carries a check date and why the reader must confirm the current onboarding result.

For a deeper comparison of operating rules and complaint options, see what changes between FCA, CySEC and offshore entities. FXPEDIA360 does not allow affiliate commission to determine an entity finding or ranking; the method is explained in our editorial policy and affiliate disclosure.

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