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Is easyMarkets Legit?

Quick answer

Yes, easyMarkets is legitimate, operating since 2001. It holds licences from CySEC (EU securities regulator, licence 079/07), ASIC (Australian financial markets regulator, AFSL (Australian Financial Services Licence) 246566), and FSCA (South Africa's markets regulator, FSP 54018). Client funds are held in segregated accounts (kept separate from the broker's own money), no enforcement action is on record, and Skrill withdrawals settled the same business day in my testing.

Is easyMarkets Legit and Regulated?

Is easyMarkets legit? Yes.

I opened a live funded account in 2026 and verified each of its five regulatory licences against the public registers.

easyMarkets has operated continuously since 2001, originally under the easy-forex brand, which it rebranded in 2016. That is more than two decades of operation, making it one of the longer-running retail forex brokers in continuous service.

The five active licences, verified in 2026:

  • CySEC (Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission): Easy Forex Trading Ltd, licence 079/07. EU retail clients fall under MiFID II (the EU rulebook for investor protection) rules, with ICF (the EU Investor Compensation Fund) covering up to €20,000 per eligible retail account.
  • ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission): easyMarkets Pty Ltd, AFSL (Australian Financial Services Licence) 246566. Australian clients trade under ASIC product-intervention rules, including a 1:30 leverage cap on major pairs.
  • FSCA (Financial Sector Conduct Authority, South Africa): EF Worldwide (PTY) Ltd, FSP 54018. Local conduct rules apply.
  • FSA (Financial Services Authority) Seychelles: EF Worldwide Ltd, SD056. Routes most non-EU, non-Australian clients. No investor compensation scheme.
  • FSC (Financial Services Commission) British Virgin Islands: EF Worldwide Ltd, SIBA/L/20/1135. Covers select additional regions. No compensation scheme.

No enforcement action, public warning, or sanction appears on record for the CySEC or ASIC entities as of my 2026 check.

The entity assigned to your account decides what protection you carry. EU clients hold the strongest position: MiFID II rules plus the €20,000 ICF backstop.

Clients routed to the Seychelles or BVI arm have no state-backed compensation scheme behind them. This is a protection trade-off for offshore tiers, not evidence of fraud.

Trustpilot shows 4.4 out of 5 across more than 1,700 verified reviews. Client funds sit in segregated bank accounts (client money kept separate from the broker’s own operating capital) across all five entities.

Withdrawal timing I confirmed in testing: Skrill settled same business day, card payouts took 1 to 3 business days, and support averaged 2 minutes 10 seconds on live chat.

Key facts

DetaileasyMarkets
RegulationCySEC, ASIC, FSCA, FSA Seychelles, FSC BVI
LicenseCySEC 079/07 · ASIC AFSL 246566 · FSCA FSP 54018 · FSA SD056 · FSC SIBA/L/20/1135
Deposit protectionICF €20,000 (EU/CySEC entity) · ASIC conduct rules (AU) · none (Seychelles/BVI)
Founded2001
HeadquartersLimassol, Cyprus

Should you trade with easyMarkets?

easyMarkets is a legitimate choice for beginners and risk-averse traders in the EU, Australia, MENA (Middle East and North Africa), and South Africa who want fixed spreads and a built-in risk toolkit. The $25 minimum deposit is one of the lowest entry floors among regulated multi-jurisdiction brokers.

⚠️ One caveat for UK traders: easyMarkets holds no FCA (UK Financial Conduct Authority) licence. UK clients open under the Seychelles or BVI entity and do not receive FSCS (the UK Financial Services Compensation Scheme) cover.

If FCA-grade onshore protection is your primary requirement, confirm which entity appears on your account agreement before depositing.

Before funding, check which entity your country routes to. Then verify the licence number against the public register for that regulator, since the confirmation is a two-minute check that removes any doubt.

For the full spread data, platform testing, and a comparison with similar multi-regulated brokers, read the complete easyMarkets review or see how it ranks on the best regulated forex brokers page.

Frequently asked questions

Which easyMarkets entity will hold my account?

It depends on where you live. EU clients open under Easy Forex Trading Ltd, regulated by CySEC (Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission), licence 079/07, with the EU Investor Compensation Fund covering eligible retail clients up to €20,000. Australian clients fall under easyMarkets Pty Ltd, regulated by ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission), AFSL (Australian Financial Services Licence) 246566. South African clients use EF Worldwide (PTY) Ltd under the FSCA (Financial Sector Conduct Authority), FSP 54018. Clients from most other regions, including the UK, route to EF Worldwide Ltd under FSA (Financial Services Authority) Seychelles (SD056) or FSC (Financial Services Commission) BVI (SIBA/L/20/1135), which carry no equivalent compensation scheme. Check your account confirmation email for the entity name before depositing.

Does easyMarkets protect client funds?

Yes. Client funds are held in segregated bank accounts (client money kept entirely separate from the broker's own operating capital). This requirement applies across all five entities. EU clients under the CySEC entity also benefit from the Investor Compensation Fund, which covers up to €20,000 per eligible retail client if the firm fails. Clients on the Seychelles or BVI entities have no comparable compensation scheme, but the segregated-account protection still applies. For a deeper look at what each entity covers, see the dedicated page on [whether easyMarkets is safe](/easymarkets-is-easymarkets-safe/).

Is easyMarkets a scam?

No. easyMarkets is a legitimate broker that has operated since 2001. Its CySEC entity (licence 079/07), ASIC entity (AFSL 246566), and FSCA entity (FSP 54018) all show as active on the public registers with no recorded enforcement action or public warning. Trustpilot shows 4.4 out of 5 across more than 1,700 reviews. UK clients and most non-EU traders open under the Seychelles or BVI arm, which is a lighter offshore regulatory tier. That is not a scam signal; it is a protection trade-off to understand before funding.

What is the minimum deposit for easyMarkets?

The minimum deposit is $25 on the Standard, MT4, and MT5 accounts, one of the lowest entry points among regulated multi-jurisdiction forex brokers. The Premium account starts at $2,000 and VIP at $10,000, each with progressively tighter fixed spreads. There is no easyMarkets-side withdrawal fee on standard methods. Skrill and Neteller withdrawals settled the same business day in my testing; card withdrawals took 1 to 3 business days.

Is easyMarkets available in the USA or Canada?

No. easyMarkets does not accept clients from the United States or Canada on any of its five entities. US retail forex traders need a broker licensed by the NFA (National Futures Association) and CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission). Canadian traders should use a CIRO (Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization)-licensed broker. easyMarkets accepts clients across the EU, Australia, the UAE and wider Gulf region, Southeast Asia, South Africa, and many other countries. Check the broker's current terms of service for your specific country before registering.