Source check: 18 September 2026. By FXPEDIA360 Editorial Team.
You know the broker brand. The website looks familiar, the logo is the same and the trading platform has the name you searched for. Then the client agreement names a company you have never seen before. That company, not the logo, is the starting point for checking who would actually contract with you.
This matters because one brand can use different companies for different countries, products and client types. A regulator may supervise one company in the group while your agreement names another. The complaint route and the protections you may be able to ask about can change with that entity.
Short answer: copy the full legal name from your own client agreement, then check that exact name in the relevant regulator’s register. Match the register entry to the product, website domain and country route. A group licence, company number or familiar brand name is not a substitute for that match.
The company in the agreement is the one to investigate
Start before you accept the terms. Look for the legal name, company number, registered address, regulator, licence or reference number, governing law and complaints section. Save the document version and the date you downloaded it. A broker may use a group name on its homepage while the agreement names a regional subsidiary.
Do not treat every number as a financial licence. A company-registration number can show that a company exists. It does not automatically show that the company has permission to provide CFDs, rolling spot forex or another investment service to you.
| Record to copy | Why it matters | What it does not settle |
|---|---|---|
| Full contracting company name | Identifies the legal counterparty for the account | That the company is authorised for your product or country |
| Company or registration number | Helps find the correct corporate record | That the number is a financial-services permission |
| Regulator and licence reference | Gives you a path to the official register | That the permission covers your product, client type or residence |
| Approved website or domain | Helps detect a mismatch between the register and the site you used | That every page on the domain belongs to the same contracting entity |
| Complaints and protection wording | Shows the named process and any eligibility conditions | That a complaint will succeed or compensation will apply |
Use the regulator that matches the company
The right register depends on the entity named in the document. Searching the wrong regulator can produce a real company that has no connection to your account.
United Kingdom: FCA Firm Checker and FS Register
The FCA says consumers should check whether a firm is authorised and has permission for the service they want. Its guidance also distinguishes an authorised firm from one that is only registered. Search the exact company name or reference, then read the permissions and contact details. A result for a sister company is not a match.
Cyprus: CySEC investment-firm list
CySEC publishes lists of investment firms and related registers. Copy the entity name and licence number from the agreement, then compare them with the CySEC entry. Check the approved domain where the register provides one. A Cyprus company number alone does not answer whether the firm is permitted to provide the service in your account.
Australia: ASIC Professional Registers
ASIC’s Professional Registers Search covers Australian financial services licensees and lets you search by organisation name or licence number. The result can show status, start date, website and conditions. Read the conditions instead of stopping at a current status badge. ASIC also notes that register changes are processed once a day, so record the date and time of your check.
Antigua and Barbuda: separate registration from activity permission
The FSRC’s public notice on contracts for difference is a useful warning about scope. It says the Commission does not regulate or authorise CFD trading. An international business corporation can have formation documents without that fact proving permission to conduct regulated CFD business. Check the exact activity, not just the existence of a company certificate.
Our Antigua and Barbuda registration versus regulation guide explains how to read that notice. The point is broader than one jurisdiction: a corporate record and a financial-services permission answer different questions.
A five-minute check before you deposit
Use this order so a polished homepage does not become your evidence.
- Open the client agreement and copy the full company name exactly as written.
- Record the company number, regulator and licence reference. Label each number by its issuer.
- Search the official regulator register directly. Do not use a link supplied in an unsolicited message.
- Compare the register entry with the agreement, website domain, product and country route. Leave a field unresolved if the names do not match.
- Read the complaints and protection wording for the same entity. Note the named external body, eligibility limits and any time limits before you fund the account.
If a support agent sends a licence for another company in the group, ask which company will sign your agreement and why the documents differ. Save the reply with the agreement. Clear wording matters more than a screenshot of a group licence.
What a successful match proves
A successful match narrows one important uncertainty: the company named in your contract appears in the relevant official record with a status and permission that you can inspect. It does not guarantee fair execution, fast withdrawals, solvency, complaint success or compensation eligibility.
Permissions can be limited by product, client type and country. A firm can be authorised for one service and not another. A register entry can also change after you check it. Keep the source URL, document version and check date in your notes.
Continue the check with FXPEDIA360
For a multi-brand example, read which forex brokers use different legal entities by country. To compare stored records side by side, use the Broker Evidence Comparison Tool. If the problem has already become a withdrawal or account-access dispute, the Complaint Route Finder can help you organise the documents and possible route. Confirm every suggestion against your own agreement and the external body’s rules.
FXPEDIA360 does not treat a licence as a safety guarantee or allow affiliate economics to decide an entity finding. This article is general education, not personal legal or investment advice.
Official sources checked
| Source | Used for | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| FCA Firm Checker and FCA authorisation guidance | Authorised versus registered firms, permissions and contact checks | 18 September 2026 |
| CySEC investment firms register | Cyprus investment-firm records and register route | 18 September 2026 |
| ASIC Professional Registers Search | AFS licensee search fields, status and conditions | 18 September 2026 |
| FSRC notice on contracts for difference | Why incorporation evidence does not by itself prove CFD authorisation | 18 September 2026 |