69 authorities
Who regulates brokers in Europe
A licence is only as good as the regulator behind it. Here is every authority that appears in our register, with links to its official register and warnings, and how many firms we track under each.
Europe has no single financial regulator. Each country has its own national competent authority, and EU bodies such as ESMA set common rules. What matters to you as a client is simple: a licence from an EU or EEA regulator can be passported across Europe and carries the EU's investor protections with it, while licences from outside Europe – however respectable – do not.
Offshore licensing centres are a separate category. They can issue licences quickly and cheaply, with light supervision, and are used by brokers to offer products that European rules ban. We mark them in amber throughout the site.
EU-level bodies
They set rules and coordinate; they do not license brokers directly.
| Regulator | Country | Firms | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESMA European Securities and Markets Authority |
 European Union |
0 | Search register |
| ECB European Central Bank – Banking Supervision |
European Union |
51 | Website |
EU & EEA national regulators
A licence from any of these can be "passported" to every other EEA country, bringing ESMA retail protections with it.
| Regulator | Country | Firms | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| FMA Finanzmarktaufsicht (Austrian Financial Market Authority) |
 Austria |
11 | Search register |
| FSMA Financial Services and Markets Authority |
 Belgium |
14 | Website · Warnings |
| NBB National Bank of Belgium |
Belgium |
14 | Website |
| FSC Financial Supervision Commission (Bulgaria) |
 Bulgaria |
13 | Website |
| BNB Bulgarian National Bank |
Bulgaria |
5 | Website |
| HANFA Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency |
 Croatia |
7 | Website |
| HNB Hrvatska narodna banka (Croatian National Bank) |
Croatia |
5 | Website |
| CySEC Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission |
 Cyprus |
64 | Search register · Warnings |
| Central Bank of Cyprus Central Bank of Cyprus |
Cyprus |
5 | Website |
| ČNB Česká národní banka (Czech National Bank) |
 Czechia |
14 | Website |
| Finanstilsynet (DK) Finanstilsynet (Danish Financial Supervisory Authority) |
 Denmark |
10 | Website |
| Finantsinspektsioon Finantsinspektsioon (Estonian Financial Supervision and Resolution Authority) |
 Estonia |
6 | Website |
| FIN-FSA Finanssivalvonta (Financial Supervisory Authority of Finland) |
 Finland |
10 | Website |
| AMF Autorité des marchés financiers |
 France |
18 | Search register |
| ACPR Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution |
France |
14 | Search register |
| BaFin Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht) |
 Germany |
48 | Search register |
| HCMC Hellenic Capital Market Commission |
 Greece |
15 | Website |
| Bank of Greece Bank of Greece |
Greece |
6 | Website |
| MNB Magyar Nemzeti Bank (Central Bank of Hungary) |
 Hungary |
11 | Website |
| Central Bank of Iceland Seðlabanki Íslands (Central Bank of Iceland) |
 Iceland |
4 | Website |
| Central Bank of Ireland Central Bank of Ireland |
 Ireland |
5 | Search register · Warnings |
| CONSOB Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa |
 Italy |
19 | Website |
| Banca d'Italia Banca d'Italia |
Italy |
18 | Website |
| Latvijas Banka Latvijas Banka (Bank of Latvia) |
 Latvia |
5 | Website |
| FMA Liechtenstein Financial Market Authority Liechtenstein |
 Liechtenstein |
4 | Website |
| Bank of Lithuania Lietuvos bankas (Bank of Lithuania) |
 Lithuania |
4 | Website |
| CSSF Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier |
 Luxembourg |
12 | Search register · Warnings |
| MFSA Malta Financial Services Authority |
 Malta |
16 | Search register |
| AFM Autoriteit Financiële Markten |
 Netherlands |
15 | Search register |
| DNB De Nederlandsche Bank |
Netherlands |
8 | Website |
| Finanstilsynet (NO) Finanstilsynet (Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway) |
 Norway |
7 | Website |
| KNF Komisja Nadzoru Finansowego (Polish Financial Supervision Authority) |
 Poland |
16 | Website |
| CMVM Comissão do Mercado de Valores Mobiliários |
 Portugal |
11 | Website |
| Banco de Portugal Banco de Portugal |
Portugal |
11 | Website |
| ASF Autoritatea de Supraveghere Financiară |
 Romania |
14 | Website |
| BNR Banca Națională a României (National Bank of Romania) |
Romania |
7 | Website |
| NBS Národná banka Slovenska |
 Slovakia |
5 | Website |
| ATVP Securities Market Agency (Agencija za trg vrednostnih papirjev) |
 Slovenia |
4 | Website |
| Banka Slovenije Banka Slovenije (Bank of Slovenia) |
Slovenia |
2 | Website |
| CNMV Comisión Nacional del Mercado de Valores |
 Spain |
24 | Website |
| Banco de España Banco de España |
Spain |
19 | Website |
| Finansinspektionen Finansinspektionen (Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority) |
 Sweden |
11 | Search register |
United Kingdom & Switzerland
Strong regulators outside the EU. Since Brexit, UK licences no longer cover EU clients.
| Regulator | Country | Firms | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| FCA Financial Conduct Authority |
 United Kingdom |
76 | Search register · Warnings |
| FINMA Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority |
 Switzerland |
52 | Website · Warnings |
Outside Europe
Some are highly respected (ASIC, MAS), others are offshore licensing centres. None of them authorise a firm to serve EU residents.
| Regulator | Country | Firms | Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASIC Australian Securities and Investments Commission |
 Australia |
35 | Website |
| FSCA Financial Sector Conduct Authority |
 South Africa |
21 | Website |
| FSA Seychelles Financial Services Authority (Seychelles) |
 Seychelles |
25 | Website |
| VFSC Vanuatu Financial Services Commission |
 Vanuatu |
9 | Website |
| FSC Belize Financial Services Commission (Belize) |
 Belize |
6 | Website |
| FSC Mauritius Financial Services Commission (Mauritius) |
 Mauritius |
13 | Website |
| SCB Securities Commission of The Bahamas |
 Bahamas |
8 | Website |
| CIMA Cayman Islands Monetary Authority |
 Cayman Islands |
5 | Website |
| BVI FSC British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission |
 British Virgin Islands |
7 | Website |
| CFTC / NFA Commodity Futures Trading Commission / National Futures Association |
 United States |
8 | Search register |
| SEC / FINRA U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission / FINRA |
United States |
5 | Search register |
| DFSA (Dubai) Dubai Financial Services Authority |
 United Arab Emirates |
10 | Website |
| SCA Securities and Commodities Authority (UAE) |
United Arab Emirates |
2 | Website |
| FSRA (ADGM) Financial Services Regulatory Authority – Abu Dhabi Global Market |
United Arab Emirates |
2 | Website |
| FSA Japan Financial Services Agency (Japan) |
 Japan |
8 | Website |
| MAS Monetary Authority of Singapore |
 Singapore |
8 | Website |
| SFC Securities and Futures Commission (Hong Kong) |
 Hong Kong |
4 | Website |
| FMA NZ Financial Markets Authority (New Zealand) |
 New Zealand |
5 | Website |
| CIRO Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization |
 Canada |
5 | Website |
| CMA Kenya Capital Markets Authority (Kenya) |
 Kenya |
5 | Website |
| Labuan FSA Labuan Financial Services Authority |
 Malaysia |
3 | Website |
| JSC Jordan Securities Commission |
 Jordan |
4 | Website |
| ISA Israel Securities Authority |
 Israel |
0 | Website |