Is Exness regulated?
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Exness
- Best for Instant withdrawals
- Best for MENA traders
- Best for SEA traders
- Best for High leverage
- Min deposit
- $10
- Spread from
- 0.0 pips
- Max leverage
- 1:Unlimited
- Regulation
- CySEC · FCA
Quick answer
Yes. Exness holds licences from CySEC (Cyprus, 178/12), FCA (UK, 730729), FSCA (South Africa, FSP 51024), FSA Seychelles (SD025), and CBCS Curacao. We confirmed all five on public registers in February 2026. Exness is not a scam: it has operated since 2008 with no enforcement action on its EU or UK entities. Most non-EU retail clients route to the Seychelles entity, which has no deposit compensation scheme.
Is Exness regulated?
The answer to “is Exness regulated” is yes. The broker holds five active licences, confirmed on public registers in February 2026.
Licence overview:
- CySEC (Cyprus), licence 178/12 granted 2012. EU retail clients qualify for ICF (the EU Investor Compensation Fund) up to €20,000 if the firm fails.
- FCA (United Kingdom), licence 730729 granted 2016. UK professional clients qualify for FSCS (the UK deposit-protection scheme for failed financial firms) up to £85,000. Retail UK clients currently route to the Seychelles entity.
- FSCA (South Africa), licence FSP 51024 granted 2018. South African clients get onshore regulatory oversight under local conduct rules.
- FSA Seychelles, licence SD025 granted 2020. The Seychelles FSA does not run a compensation scheme equivalent to ICF or FSCS.
- CBCS Curacao, authorisation 0003LSI. Covers select non-EU regions outside the jurisdictions above.
We verified all five Exness entity licences against the public registers in February 2026. No enforcement action, fine, or public warning appeared on any of them at the time of review.
The entity that holds your account matters more than whether the brand is regulated. Most non-EU retail clients route to Exness (SC) Ltd under the FSA Seychelles. That entity is regulated and holds client funds in segregated accounts, but it carries no deposit compensation scheme if the firm fails.
Protection by entity:
- EU clients (CySEC): ICF covers up to €20,000 per retail client
- UK professional clients (FCA): FSCS covers up to £85,000
- South African clients (FSCA): onshore conduct-rule protection, no fixed compensation cap
- Non-EU retail broadly (FSA Seychelles): segregated funds, no compensation scheme
Exness is a legitimate broker, not a scam. It has operated since 2008 with no regulatory action against its EU or UK entities. Monthly volume is independently audited by Deloitte (January 2026: $4.6 trillion in turnover, roughly 600,000 active clients).
For spreads, account types, and withdrawal speed data, read the full Exness review.
Key facts
| Detail | Exness |
|---|---|
| Regulation | CySEC, FCA, FSCA, FSA Seychelles, CBCS Curacao |
| License | CySEC 178/12 · FCA 730729 · FSCA FSP 51024 · FSA SD025 · CBCS 0003LSI |
| Deposit protection | EU: ICF up to €20,000 · UK professional: FSCS up to £85,000 · Seychelles: none |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Headquarters | Limassol, Cyprus |
Should you trade with Exness?
Exness is a credible choice for retail traders in MENA, Southeast Asia, South Africa, and most of Africa. The $10 minimum deposit on Standard accounts is among the lowest entry points at a multi-regulated broker. We opened a live funded account and ran 12 Skrill withdrawal tests, with every cycle settling in 2 to 4 minutes.
The key caveat is entity protection. Non-EU clients typically open under the FSA Seychelles entity, which carries no statutory compensation scheme. Check which entity appears on your account agreement before funding.
Two steps before you deposit. First, confirm your country is accepted on the Exness website (US, Canada, Japan, Israel, and Iran are excluded). Second, check the best forex brokers list to compare regulated alternatives in your region.
Frequently asked questions
Which Exness entity will hold my account?
The entity depends on your country. EU residents route to Exness (Cy) Ltd under CySEC, which carries ICF protection up to €20,000. UK retail clients currently route to the Seychelles entity (Exness UK serves professional clients only). South African residents route to Exness ZA (Pty) Ltd under FSCA. Most other clients, including those in the UAE and Southeast Asia, open accounts under Exness (SC) Ltd in the Seychelles. That entity carries no deposit compensation scheme equivalent to ICF or FSCS.
Does Exness protect client funds?
Exness holds client funds in segregated accounts, separate from company capital. EU clients under CySEC receive ICF protection up to €20,000 per retail client if the firm fails. UK professional clients under FCA qualify for FSCS protection up to £85,000. Clients under the Seychelles FSA entity get segregated funds but no statutory compensation scheme. Negative balance protection applies to all retail accounts globally.
Is Exness a scam?
No. Exness is a legitimate, licensed broker that has operated since 2008. We found no enforcement actions, fines, or public warnings against the CySEC, FCA, or FSCA entities on the public registers in February 2026. The main caveat is entity risk: most non-EU clients trade under the Seychelles entity, which has lighter oversight than the EU-tier licences. That is a practical difference to understand before funding, not a scam indicator. For a detailed safety breakdown, see our page on [whether Exness is safe](/exness-is-exness-safe/).
What is the minimum deposit for Exness?
The minimum deposit is $10 on Standard and Standard Cent accounts. Pro, Raw Spread, and Zero accounts require $200. We opened a live funded account in our testing and deposited via Skrill the same day. Skrill withdrawals settled in 2 to 4 minutes across 12 test cycles in 2025 and 2026.
Is Exness available in the USA?
No. Exness does not accept residents of the United States, Canada, Japan, Israel, or Iran on any of its entities. US forex traders have four regulated alternatives under NFA and CFTC oversight: OANDA, Forex.com, IG US, and TastyFX. For a comparison of regulated brokers by country, see the [best forex brokers](/best-forex-brokers/) list.