Independent · Europe-first · Free
A public register of 519 brokers, banks and trading apps that serve Europeans, checked against 69 regulators. See which licence protects you in your country and what happens if a firm fails, then use our calculators to trade with the risk rules the EU actually applies.
Before you deposit
Brands are not licensed; companies are. Look at the footer of the broker's site and the client agreement for the exact company name that would hold your money.
Search that company on the regulator's own register, not a link the broker gives you. Check the website domain listed there matches the one you are on. Clone firms copy real licence numbers.
EU rules cap retail leverage, protect you from a negative balance and give you access to a compensation scheme and an ombudsman. Offshore entities give you none of these.
Reviewed profiles
United Kingdom
Forex / CFD
Since 1974
EU/EEA licence
Pioneer of financial spread betting, listed on the London Stock Exchange; EU clients are served by IG Europe GmbH in Frankfurt and Swiss clients by IG Bank in Geneva.
Switzerland
Multi-asset
Since 1996
EU/EEA licence
Listed Swiss online bank; its Luxembourg bank serves EU clients and it co-owns the Yuh app with PostFinance.
United Kingdom
Forex / CFD
Since 1989
EU/EEA licence
London-listed CFD and spread-betting provider whose EU business runs through CMC Markets Germany GmbH, supervised by BaFin.
Poland
Forex / CFD
Since 2002
EU/EEA licence
Warsaw-listed broker with the xStation platform; offers commission-free stocks and ETFs up to a monthly volume alongside CFDs, with branches across the EU.
Denmark
Multi-asset
Since 1992
EU/EEA licence
Danish bank-broker with SaxoTraderGO and SaxoTraderPRO; absorbed BinckBank, which expanded its presence in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Italy.
Israel
Forex / CFD
Since 2007
EU/EEA licence
Social-trading platform best known for CopyTrader; its European business is run by eToro (Europe) Ltd in Cyprus and it listed on Nasdaq in 2025.
Israel
Forex / CFD
Since 2008
EU/EEA licence
Single-platform CFD provider listed in London; runs European entities in Cyprus (CySEC) and Estonia (Finantsinspektsioon) plus a UK entity.
United States
Multi-asset
Since 1978
EU/EEA licence
Global multi-asset broker with access to 150+ exchanges; EEA clients are onboarded by Interactive Brokers Ireland.
Ranked by Protection Score, which measures structural protection, not trading costs or quality. How the score works.
By country
AustriaFMA
BelgiumFSMA · NBB
BulgariaFSC
CroatiaHANFA
CyprusCySEC · Central Bank of Cyprus
CzechiaČNB
DenmarkFinanstilsynet (DK)
EstoniaFinantsinspektsioon
FinlandFIN-FSA
FranceAMF · ACPR
GermanyBaFin
GreeceHCMC · Bank of Greece
HungaryMNB
IrelandCentral Bank of Ireland
ItalyCONSOB · Banca d'Italia
LatviaLatvijas Banka
LithuaniaBank of Lithuania
LuxembourgCSSF
MaltaMFSA
NetherlandsAFM · DNB
PolandKNF
PortugalCMVM · Banco de Portugal
RomaniaASF
SlovakiaNBS
SloveniaATVP
SpainCNMV · Banco de España
SwedenFinansinspektionen
IcelandCentral Bank of Iceland
LiechtensteinFMA Liechtenstein
NorwayFinanstilsynet (NO)
United KingdomFCA
SwitzerlandFINMA
ESMA rules at a glance
| Underlying | Max leverage | Initial margin | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major currency pairs | 30:1 | 3.33% | Any pair made of two of USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, CAD and CHF – e.g. EUR/USD, GBP/JPY, EUR/CHF |
| Non-major pairs, gold and major indices | 20:1 | 5% | EUR/PLN, AUD/USD, EUR/SEK, XAU/USD, DAX 40, CAC 40, EURO STOXX 50, S&P 500 |
| Commodities other than gold, non-major indices | 10:1 | 10% | Brent, WTI, silver, natural gas, smaller indices |
| Individual shares and other reference values | 5:1 | 20% | Single-stock CFDs, ETFs as CFDs, bonds |
| Cryptocurrencies | 2:1 | 50% | Bitcoin, Ether and other crypto CFDs |
These limits apply to retail clients of EU/EEA brokers, together with a 50% margin close-out rule, negative balance protection and a ban on trading incentives. The UK FCA applies equivalent rules. Read the guide.
Tools
What one pip is worth in euro, pounds, francs or any account currency.
Size a trade from your account, risk % and stop-loss distance.
Required margin under ESMA retail leverage limits, by asset class.
Result of a trade in pips and in your account currency.
Spread + commission + overnight costs, per trade and per year.
Estimate the overnight charge on a leveraged CFD or FX position.
How deep losses compound and how likely a losing streak is.
What realistic returns and costs do to capital over time.
Start here
Safety & regulation
Brands are not licensed – companies are. A practical, five-minute routine to confirm that the firm holding your money is authorised to serve you, and to spot clone firms.
Safety & regulation
How leverage and margin work for European retail traders, the ESMA limits by asset class, negative balance protection, the margin close-out rule and what changes for professional clients.
Safety & regulation
If your broker fails, an investor compensation scheme may pay you. Limits range from €20,000 to €100,000 depending on the country of the firm's licence. Here is how it works.
Safety & regulation
Clone firms copy the names and licence numbers of real brokers. Here are the scam patterns European regulators warn about most, the red flags, and what to do if you have already paid.
Forex & CFD basics
A pip is the standard price step in forex – 0.0001 for most pairs and 0.01 for yen pairs. How to count pips, what a pip is worth in euro or pounds, and how points work for indices and gold.
Markets & timing
Forex trading hours converted to European time zones, the London–New York overlap, daylight-saving quirks, the daily rollover and when spreads are widest.
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Why this site exists
Forex.eu.com lists firms whether or not they pay us, shows licences and protections from public registers, and flags firms that serve Europeans from offshore entities. Where we earn affiliate commission, we label it.
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