Unregulated Forex brokers – Can You Even Trade With Them?

Why are Some Forex Brokers Unregulated?

The biggest reason why unregulated Forex brokers avoid licensesis that they want to reduce the operational costs to generate more profits. On top of that, usually, the regulatory bodies set the leverage ratio limits which is not a profitable option for most of the companies in the industry. Therefore, they choose to be unregulated to get more users based on that lack of control.

Besides, sometimes when the broker companies are just being established, they choose to avoid the costs that the regulatory bodies charge for their authorizations. Regulation sometimes costs more than a million dollars, so it is not surprising that a lot of companies want to avoid paying this huge amount upfront.

Without government agencies breathing down their necks, Forex brokers without a license have more opportunities for offering services regulated brokers cannot. For example large bonuses, much lower minimal margins, etc. Basically, anything that would somehow expose the traders to larger risks. This makes an incentive for them to avoid getting a license to have unlimited possibilities and to be able to offer a lot more trading opportunities to their customers.

However, it does not mean that every Forex broker that does not have authorization has a legitimate reason for it. Numerous broker companies are called Forex scams. They take advantage of investors, by offering amazing features on their platforms, just to bail on them once the deposit has been made. Because of these companies alone, all FX traders around the globe are recommended to steer clear of them as much as possible.

Why You Should Go For Regulated Forex Brokers

As we have already mentioned, choosing the right broker is probably the most important decision a trader can make while trading in the foreign exchange market. There are a lot of things that a good broker can impact including the most essential – final payouts.

A regulated Forex broker means the company is registered with a financial institution of their own country and they have to follow their written laws and regulations. Through a license, you basically get the recommendation and a “go-ahead” by the country’s most important financial experts. Any broker that has a license has any Forex trade scam concerns immediately erased.

Another noticeable feature is that the Forex Investors who select a regulated broker company will receive financial compensation in case the firm goes bankrupt. Besides, when the company has to comply with the regulations set by the financial regulator the Forex traders have a sense of safety as they know that their financial protection is guaranteed.

There are cases when people choose forex brokers without a license because they want to trade with a high level of leverage ratios. But this higher leverage can come at a cost of larger losses in case of unsuccessful trades, or a complete loss of capital if the broker turns out to be a scam.

How to Avoid Unregulated Forex Brokers

The very first thing you can do to avoid unregulated brokers is to check their license. If they are not displaying any license, then that’s your cue to leave the website. But even if they do show a license, but you’re still sketchy, it’s recommended you double check it on the regulator’s website.

It’s best to search for the company with 3 different methods:

• With the provided license number
• With the company name
• With parent company name

If neither of these methods yield any results, then it’s best to avoid them. Why? Because they’re most likely lying about their license, which is much worse than not having one and being honest about it.

But if the broker passes the license “test” so to say, there are other things you can take into account. The first is how long the broker has been active on the market. Regardless of how small these companies may be, there will always be some kind of media that talks about them, be it in the past or in the present.

If you find out that the company is brand new, then it’s best to avoid them. Why? Because most Forex scam brokers change their brand names once their previous one is compromised. They do a complete rebrand and start all over again. The newer an unlicensed broker is, the more likely they are to scam you.

Final Thoughts on Forex brokers Without a License

The overall conclusion of this guide is that no matter how much you’d like to have higher limits on your trades, it’s never a good idea to entrust them to unregulated brokers. Sure there is a chance for higher gains, but there is a much higher chance of larger losses or complete account balance wipeouts.

It is much better to entrust your funds to a trusted forex broker that has if not as good, then somehow similar features as the unregulated company. This will keep you safer, minimize your risks and maximize your profits, but across a slightly larger time frame.