Is TIO Markets Legit?

Is TIO Markets legit and regulated?

The FCA (Financial Conduct Authority, the UK financial regulator) issued licence reference 488900 to TIO Markets UK Ltd. We verified this against the public register in July 2026: it is active, with no enforcement action recorded.

TIO Markets is a legitimate broker, not a scam. The brand has operated since 2018.

The broker runs two separate legal entities:

• TIO Markets UK Ltd: FCA-authorised, FSCS (Financial Services Compensation Scheme) investor protection up to £85,000, leverage capped at 1:30 on major forex pairs
• TIO Markets Ltd: registered in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, supervised by the Seychelles FSA (Financial Services Authority), client funds held in segregated accounts (funds held separately from company money), no statutory compensation scheme

⚠️ The detail that matters most: most retail clients, including many who register from inside the UK, are onboarded to the offshore Seychelles entity. That account carries higher leverage and no FSCS cover, even though the brand shows an FCA badge.

We opened a live funded account and tested withdrawals in 2026. E-wallet payouts through Skrill settled within 24 hours, and live chat first response averaged under 4 minutes across our test contacts.

Both entities hold client funds in segregated accounts, separate from TIO Markets’ operating capital. That means your money is not mixed with the company’s own funds.

On the FCA entity, the FSCS adds a second layer of protection up to £85,000 per eligible client if the firm fails. On the offshore entity, segregation is the only protection: there is no compensation fund behind it.

To confirm which entity holds your account, open your client agreement and find the legal entity name. “TIO Markets UK Ltd” means FCA and FSCS cover; “TIO Markets Ltd” means the Seychelles entity with segregated funds only.

Two concrete steps before you deposit:

• Read the entity name on your client agreement
• Decide whether the FSCS cover is important for your deposit size

Key facts

Should you trade with TIO Markets?

TIO Markets suits beginners in MENA (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain) and Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand) who want a $20 first forex account on MT4 or MT5. Islamic swap-free accounts are available across GCC countries by request.

The Nano account allows micro-lot sizing, useful for practising risk control with a small balance.

The caveat applies to most users: confirm the entity name on your agreement before funding. If FSCS-backed protection is a priority, look for a broker where the FCA entity is the default onboarding route for your country.

Our best regulated forex brokers guide compares the onshore protection structures across the main regulated options.

For full spread data, account-tier cost comparisons, and withdrawal test results, read the complete TIO Markets review. The review details the $25 repeat-withdrawal fee and the $30 monthly inactivity fee, both of which affect small-balance traders more than the spread.