Is Markets.com Safe?
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- Best for MENA CFD traders
- Best for Stock CFDs
- Best for Multi-asset trading
- Min deposit
- $100
- Spread from
- 0.6 pips
- Max leverage
- 1:300
- Regulation
- FSCA · FSC BVI
Quick answer
Yes, Markets.com is a legitimate broker, not a scam. It holds an active FSCA (South Africa's financial regulator) licence and a BVI FSC (British Virgin Islands regulator) registration. The key caveat: the FCA (UK regulator) and CySEC (EU/Cyprus regulator) entities closed to new retail clients after 2022. Current accounts route to South Africa or BVI tiers, which carry lighter investor protection.
Is Markets.com Safe and Regulated?
Is Markets.com safe? Yes, with one key caveat about the regulatory structure that changed after 2022.
I opened a live funded account and tested bank wire withdrawals across 6 cycles in 2025 and 2026.
The two active licences in 2026:
- FSCA (Financial Sector Conduct Authority, South Africa), under TradeTech Markets (South Africa) Pty Ltd, FSP licence 46860
- FSC BVI (British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission), under Markets.com BVI Ltd
Two licences no longer open to new retail clients:
- FCA (Financial Conduct Authority, UK) via Finalto Trading (UK) Ltd. Existing clients keep FSCS (Financial Services Compensation Scheme) protection up to GBP 85,000.
- CySEC (Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission). Existing clients keep ICF (Investor Compensation Fund) cover up to EUR 20,000.
The FCA and CySEC step-down from new-client onboarding happened between 2022 and 2023. This was a Finalto Group commercial decision, with no enforcement action on the public record.
Markets.com is not a scam. Founded in 2006, the brand carries 19 years of operating history and a 3.6 Trustpilot score from over 5,400 reviews.
⚠️ The real concern is entity routing: outside South Africa, all new clients go through the BVI FSC structure. That entity carries no compensation scheme, which is a genuine counterparty risk if fund protection during a potential default matters to you.
Negative balance protection applies across all entities. No retail client can lose more than the deposited amount.
Key facts
| Detail | Markets.com |
|---|---|
| Regulation | FSCA (active), FSC BVI (active), CySEC (historical), FCA (historical) |
| Licence | FSCA FSP 46860, FSC BVI: see BVI FSC register |
| Deposit protection | FSCA: conduct rules, no compensation fund. BVI: none. Existing CySEC clients: ICF EUR 20,000. Existing FCA clients: FSCS GBP 85,000. |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom (Finalto Group) |
Should you trade with Markets.com?
Markets.com is a good fit for retail CFD (contract for difference) traders in the UAE, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Mexico, Qatar and Kuwait. The platform covers 2,200 instruments including 2,000-plus stock CFDs, forex pairs, indices and commodities across MT4 (MetaTrader 4), MT5 (MetaTrader 5) and the proprietary Marketsx terminal (the broker’s own web and mobile trading app).
The main caveat: if you are outside South Africa, your account sits with the BVI FSC entity. That entity carries no compensation scheme, so fund protection during a potential default rests entirely on the broker’s solvency.
US, UK, Australian, Canadian and EU residents are not accepted. Check the full availability list before applying.
For the complete breakdown of spreads, withdrawal test results, platforms and leverage, read the Markets.com review. To compare brokers regulated by major financial authorities, see Best Regulated Forex Brokers 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Which Markets.com entity will hold my account?
South African residents route to TradeTech Markets (South Africa) Pty Ltd, regulated under FSCA (Financial Sector Conduct Authority, South Africa) FSP 46860. All other accepted-country clients, including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Kuwait and Nigeria, go through Markets.com BVI Ltd, licensed by the British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission. The former CySEC (Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission) and FCA (Financial Conduct Authority, UK) entities closed to new retail after 2022, though existing clients in those tiers retain their investor protection.
Does Markets.com protect client funds?
Client funds at all Markets.com entities are held in segregated accounts (client money kept separate from company funds). The FSCA entity follows South African conduct rules. For existing CySEC-tier clients, the ICF (Investor Compensation Fund) covers up to EUR 20,000 per person if the broker defaults. Existing FCA-tier clients have FSCS (Financial Services Compensation Scheme) cover up to GBP 85,000. The BVI FSC entity does not operate a compensation scheme: clients in that tier carry the full counterparty risk if the offshore entity fails.
Is Markets.com a scam?
No. Markets.com has operated continuously since 2006, now as part of the Finalto Group based in London. No material enforcement actions appear on the public FSCA or BVI register for the current active entities. The FCA and CySEC step-down was a commercial decision by Finalto, not the result of regulatory sanctions. Read the full Markets.com review for the complete safety analysis.
What is the minimum deposit for Markets.com?
The minimum deposit is USD 100 on the Standard account. There is no commission: the broker earns through spreads, which averaged 0.6 pips on EUR/USD in my testing during the London session. Bank wire withdrawals took 3 to 5 business days across 6 test cycles in 2025 and 2026.
Is Markets.com available in the USA?
No. Markets.com does not accept US residents. Other excluded markets include the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and most EU member states. Accepted markets include the UAE, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, Morocco, Taiwan and others. For regulated alternatives, IC Markets and Pepperstone hold active FCA and ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission) licences and serve many global markets.