How to Verify a Broker's License Number

A license number on a website is just text. Anyone can type "FCA Reg. 123456." The only proof that a broker is regulated is what appears on the regulator's own public register — and verifying it takes under five minutes.

Every tier-1 regulator publishes a searchable public register. Here is how to use each of them.

The four-step verification

Locate the license number and regulator name in the broker's footer
Navigate to that regulator's official register (not a link on the broker's site)
Search the number or firm name
Confirm the firm name, address, and permissions match what the broker claims

Where to verify by regulator

Regulator	Register
FCA (UK)	register.fca.org.uk
ASIC (Australia)	ASIC Connect Professional Register
NFA / CFTC (US)	nfa.futures.org/basicnet
FINRA BrokerCheck (US securities)	brokercheck.finra.org
CySEC (Cyprus)	cysec.gov.cy
BaFin (Germany)	mwbif.bafin.de
AMF (France)	amf-france.org
FINMA (Switzerland)	finma.ch
MAS (Singapore)	mas.gov.sg/fi
SFC (Hong Kong)	sfc.hk
CIRO (Canada)	ciro.ca

Always reach the register by typing the URL yourself — phishing pages mimic regulator sites.

What to confirm on the register

Status: "Authorised", "Approved", "Current" — not "Ceased", "Suspended", or "Former"
Name match: the registered name matches the firm you are dealing with, exactly
Address: matches the broker's published address
Permissions: include the activity you need (dealing, arranging, making a market)
Disciplinary history: any fines, bans, or enforcement actions

The five common tricks

Another firm's number: displaying a license that belongs to a different (sometimes defunct) entity. Always cross-check the name.
Parent vs subsidiary: the license belongs to the group parent; you contract with an offshore subsidiary. Match the entity in your agreement, not the brand.
Expired license: the firm held a license but surrendered it. Check the status field.
Fake number: a string that returns no result at all. No result = no license.
Wrong regulator: an offshore FSC number displayed next to an FCA logo. Verify the named regulator, not the logo.

Entity-level check (the most important)

Brokers with a tier-1 license often onboard you through a separate legal entity. Before depositing, open the client agreement and find the exact legal entity name. Then verify that entity on the register — not the marketing brand. A brand can hold a UK FCA license for its UK entity and still route you through a BVI entity.

Practical steps

Note the license number and the named regulator from the footer
Open the regulator's official register yourself
Confirm name, status, address, and permissions
Cross-check the legal entity in your client agreement against the register
Read the disciplinary tab — a clean record matters

Bottom line

Five minutes on a regulator's register is the difference between a protected account and a donation. Verify before you deposit, not after a problem.