Forex licenses

Obtaining a license has several significant advantages for a company or individual trader:

• confirmation of legal activity. The licensee demonstrates compliance with the requirements of regulatory authorities, and the company hires qualified employees;
• trust of clients and partners. The license proves reliability, compliance with security standards, and regulatory requirements;
• access to banking services. To open a corporate account, many financial institutions require forex brokers to have a license;
• scalability. Some licenses allow companies to operate in other countries;
• risk management. Licensed traders understand the importance of reputation, so they operate transparently and adhere to anti-money laundering measures. Working in the legal field prevents fraudulent activities, including market manipulation and dishonest trading;
• protection of investors’ interests. Licensees adhere to strict investment security standards to protect their clients’ funds: they ensure the segregation of client funds and keep them in reliable banks, comply with capital adequacy requirements, offer deposit insurance services, collaborate with compensation funds.

Collaborating with an unlicensed broker carries risks, such as problems with withdrawing funds or losing them. Licensed traders ensure the safety of their clients’ assets by presenting financial reports, protecting the confidentiality of clients’ personal data, collaborating with regulated financial institutions, diversifying risks, using advanced technological solutions, and encrypting protocols on their platforms to protect data and the security of financial transactions.

Jurisdictions to Obtain FX License

SBSB experts have been helping clients obtain brokerage licenses in various regions of the world for over 11 years. Our team keeps track of legislative changes and collaborates with regulatory authorities in the UK, Australia, Latvia, Estonia, Hong Kong, Bulgaria, as well as in Cyprus, Seychelles, Malta, the Cayman Islands, and other jurisdictions.

Types Of Forex Licenses

Brokerage licenses allow companies to provide services in the legal field. Jurisdictions are conventionally divided into categories depending on their level of prestige:

• Category A is considered the most prestigious, still regulators have the strictest requirements here. This category includes the United States and Switzerland.
• Category B is attractive due to the opportunities that open up after licensing. For example, access to the markets of Australia and the United Kingdom.
• Category C has lower requirements for licensees, but such jurisdictions have positively established themselves and have a good reputation among partners. This category includes Malta, New Zealand, and Cyprus.
• Category D is suitable for projects that want to quickly obtain a license with minimal capital investment. Offshore jurisdictions such as Vanuatu, Seychelles, and the British Virgin Islands fall into this group.

Companies that work with clients worldwide have several licenses. The British trader Pepperstone has been providing services since 2010 and is regulated in several jurisdictions. In addition to the license from the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), it has permissions from CySec, BaFin, SCB, and several other regulators.

Although the Forex market does not have a centralized regulator, companies are not allowed to provide services and conduct client transactions without the appropriate license. Different financial regulators are responsible for issuing licenses in jurisdictions. For example, in the UK, licensing and control of licensees are carried out by the Financial Conduct Authority, in Malta by the Malta Financial Services Authority, in Latvia by the Financial and Capital Market Commission, and in the Czech Republic by the National Bank. The rules for obtaining a permit, registration deadlines, and regulatory requirements vary in each country. Additionally, when choosing a jurisdiction, it is necessary to consider its reputation, tax regime, the functionality of licenses, the company’s business model, budget for related expenses during registration, requirements for a physical office, and residency of key employees. It is difficult to understand these issues independently without the help of qualified lawyers.

The choice of a suitable place for registration depends on the business model and scale of the project, target market, availability of a certain budget, and other factors. Our lawyers are ready to advise you and help you find a Forex license for sale. We offer legal services in a turnkey manner from preparing a document package and AML/KYC policies for the website to connecting a merchant account and launching the project after a successful licensing procedure.

How to Get Forex Broker License

The licensing procedure can vary significantly depending on the jurisdiction. Therefore, we recommend addressing qualified specialists. SBSB lawyers take into account the legislative regulation and forex licence requirements. To become a licensed broker, you need to go through certain stages:

• register a company in the chosen jurisdiction;
• collect a package of documents;
• prepare AML, Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, and KYC procedures;
• submit an application to the local regulator and go through the application process;
• pay government fees.

SBSB specialists develop external and internal AML policies individually for each forex company in strict accordance with the requirements of the specific regulator. Our experts help develop and implement procedures for the timely detection and prevention of financial fraud. If an organization does not comply with AML standards, it risks turning its platform into a tool for money laundering, facing penalty sanctions, and damaging its reputation.

Please note that the licensing process, document list, requirements for the size of the charter capital, employees, and office (virtual or physical), as well as the duration of the procedure, differ in each jurisdiction and depend on national legislation. We advise you to seek the support of SBSB experts, who will take care of organizational issues in accordance with the regulator’s requirements.

Cost of Forex Trading License

The price of legal services for the licensing procedure is determined on an individual basis. If you are interested in a specific price offer, leave a request to SBSB specialists. We take into account the characteristics of the project, the category of the license, the jurisdiction, and the forex trading license requirements, as well as the volume of consulting and support services. The cost of registration also depends on the requirements of some regulators regarding the freeze of the authorized capital.

Contact SBSB Fintech Lawyers if You Need Help Obtaining Forex Trading Licence

The SBSB Fintech Lawyers team has been providing comprehensive legal support since 2013, helping clients obtain official permits to operate in various jurisdictions. Our experts are familiar with the specifics of the Forex market in different countries and the requirements of regulatory authorities for the licensing procedure, which allows for obtaining licenses in the shortest possible time. We also help with alternative solutions. If you have a forex broker license for sale or are interested in a ready-made company with obtained activity permits for a quick start of the project, we will help you implement all ideas and choose the optimal options.

If you have any questions, please contact our specialists!