11  Best FSCA Regulated Forex Brokers 2023

How to choose the best FSCA Regulated Forex Brokers

The FSCA, formerly the FSB, is the government agency responsible for regulating South African brokers. While international brokers can attain FSCA licenses, it is more common for local brokers to have this licensing. If you are choosing between FSCA regulated broker, here is what to consider:

Regulation: We list the FSCA license number for each SA regulated broker to make it easy to verify each broker’s regulatory status. Traders can use this number to confirm the licensing and verify that the license number belongs to the broker in question and is not being loaned by another regulated company. While the FSCA is a respected organization in South Africa, there is additional security in a broker being regulated by international tier 1 regulators like the FCA (United Kingdom) and ASIC (Australia).

ZAR accounts: South African and International brokers can offer ZAR accounts. In this case, when a client deposits with the broker, the funds are kept in Rands and not converted to USD, EUR, or GBP. ZAR accounts have both advantages and disadvantages, but should you wish to keep your funds, you will need a broker with ZAR base currency support.

Segregated accounts: FSCA regulated brokers must keep all client funds in segregated accounts, which keeps client money and company operation money separate and makes client funds more protected from abuse. However, just because the broker must have segregated accounts does not mean they are using South African banks, so if you would rather your money be kept in South Africa, it is wise to register a ZAR trading account with a local broker. 

Trading costs: As with comparing brokers of any regulation, it is important to look at what it would cost to trade with any specific broker. When we compare trading costs, we consider what trading one lot of EUR/USD on the entry-level account would cost a trader. 

The Financial Sector Conduct Authority or FSCA is the local regulator of all non-banking related activities and has oversight over all regulated brokers in South Africa.

The FSCA regulates all Forex brokers with an office in South Africa

Previously known as the Financial Services Board (FSB), the FSCA was founded in 1991 following the recommendations of Van der Horst committee. The committee recommended the creation of an independent body to supervise and regulate the non-banking financial services sector in South Africa.

In 2018, the FSB changed their name to the FSCA or the Financial Sector Conduct Authority. It is responsible for the market conduct regulation and supervision of financial service providers like Forex brokers, investment funds, and investment managers.

The Financial Sector Conduct Authority has the following four goals:

• Protect customers of financial services.
• Improve efficiency and integrity of financial markets.
• Promote financial stability.
• Increase financial inclusion.

To achieve these goals, it also creates regulations in the interest of the public and publishes warnings of illegal schemes.

Internationally, the Financial Sector Conduct Authority is a recognised member of the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) and takes a leading role in regulation in the SADC block.

Why should I trade with an FSCA-regulated Forex broker?

All FSCA regulated brokers must keep client funds segregated from operational funds. This ensures that in the case of broker bankruptcy, all client funds can be returned.

FSCA-regulated brokers must also have a physical office in South Africa and submit regular audits to the FSCA. This ensures that any disputes are governed by South African laws and that client funds are not being misused.

FSCA regulated brokers must keep client funds in segregated accounts

Having a physical office in South Africa allows brokers to partner with local banks, which are governed by South African laws. 

Over-the-counter Derivative Provider (ODP) licence

Since 2019, the FSCA has required all Forex brokers in South Africa to apply for an Over-the-counter Derivative Provider (ODP) licence. This has created a new set of requirements for South African Forex brokers to follow:

Due Diligence: Brokers now need to conduct due diligence on new traders before they can be allowed to trade. Clients will need to prove their capital adequacy before starting to trade. New traders must also show that they understand the risks involved.

Reporting: Every broker that has been authorised must also report the details of every transaction to an authorised trade repository. These transaction details include the names of the parties, the valuation of the transaction, the underlying asset of the trade, details of the instrument traded, and the margin that has been maintained.

Forex brokers who do not hold an ODP licence are in contravention of the regulations and can be liquidated at the request of the FSCA, as happened to JP Markets in September 2020 (see image above).

All FSCA regulated brokers must apply for an ODP licence

These new requirements have put the FSCA firmly in charge of the Forex industry in South Africa and will provide a much safer and more secure environment for traders.

How to check if your Forex broker is regulated by the FSCA

All Forex brokers that are regulated by the FSCA are required to publish their Financial Service Provider (FSP) number on their website. KhweziTrade is a popular South African Forex broker, and we can see from the bottom of their website that their FSP number is 44816:

Once you have the FSP number of a broker you can go use the FSCA’s search page to enter the FSP and verify that the broker is indeed licenced. You can see below that we have entered KhweziTrade’s FSP as listed on their website.

Once we submit the FSP number via the FSCA’s search page, we can see that there is a company called Khwezi Financial Services (Pty) Ltd with that FSP number.

A broker having a legal name different to their trading name is quite common, so it is sometimes difficult to search for a broker by trading name alone using this service. When you can, use the FSP number, or legal name if you know it.

If we click on the Details button, we then have a full overview of Khwezi Financial Services regulatory status:

The important part of this section for our purposes is the Products Approved section. Let us have a look at it in closer detail:

Here we can see that Khwezi Financial Services, as a large financial services company, holds a wide range of licences. We have highlighted the two product licences that matter for our purposes. We can see that they hold a Category I and a Category II licence for Derivative instruments.

All Forex trading is over-the-counter derivative trading

All Forex trading is derivative trading, as traders never actually hold any currency – they are just speculating on a price derived from a real-world asset (such as the USD or the ZAR). So Khwezi Financial Services’ two Derivative instruments licences allow them to provide derivatives (such as Forex derivatives) to traders.

If you are ever unsure whether a broker is FSCA regulated, the FSCA search page is the best place to find out. Be aware that some bad brokers will use names similar to licenced financial services companies so as to confuse people.

Other FSCA Protections for Forex Traders

The FSCA’s supervises activity in the Forex currency market to protect Forex traders from irregularities and rogue brokers. If you want local protection when trading Forex, you want your broker to be regulated locally.

The FSCA issues public warnings about fraudulent brokers in the regularly-updated Media Releases section of their website.  These warnings include guidance on individuals or companies misrepresenting themselves, or organisations falsely representing their services.

This register of FSPs will also show if an entity has submitted an application to the FSCA, or if it has been stripped of regulation in the past.

Financial regulation is a crucial metric in our review process, as regulation is the primary way we establish the trust of the brokerage. We believe that there is value in being locally regulated as it gives clients more straightforward access to solve any disputes that could arise.

Regulation is the primary way to establish trust in a Forex broker

FSCA Strategy 2018-2022

Central to the mission of the FSCA are four core statements, which together, form the reason why residents want to trade with an FSCA regulated Forex broker.

The FSCA improves the efficiency and integrity of the South African financial markets. By monitoring the whole financial market and not just any particular entity, it ensures the safety of the entire market, and in doing so, can protect all market participants including retail Forex traders.

In addition, the FSCA ensures that regulated brokers treat all clients fairly. A client of a regulated brokerage who feels they have been cheated has a legally defined process to resolve their issue.  All regulated brokers must have this process available to potential clients.

FSCA-regulated brokers must present written material in a way that does not confuse or mislead the reader. They are required to provide financial education and promote the financial literacy of potential clients. As financial products can be complicated, it is the obligation of all regulated members to explain all products and their associated risks.

Finally, the FSCA assist in maintaining financial stability in South Africa by supervising the registered entities.

A client trading with an FSCA regulated broker should expect to be treated fairly, expect to be educated on financial products whenever needed, and can rest assured that the government is monitoring their broker’s activities to ensure they are safe and secure.

History of the FSCA

Previously known as the Financial Services Board (FSB), the FSCA opened in 1991 following the recommendations of Van der Horst led committee. The committee had recommended the creation of an independent body to oversee or supervise and regulate the non-banking financial services sector in South Africa.

After the Van der Horst committee, various acts have increased and expanded the mandate of the Financial Services Board. In 2001, the Financial Intelligence Centre Act and the subsequent amendments that followed later increased the FSB mandate to include issues of combating money laundering.

Later in 2004, the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services, also known as FAIS, expanded the role of FSB to include, among other things, the conduct of market in the banking sector.

As of April 1st, 2018, the FSB changed their name to the FSCA or the Financial Sector Conduct Authority which is responsible for market conduct regulation and supervision.

The FSCA Structure

A board oversees the Financial Sector Conduct Authority which executes its mandate through divisions. The FSCA has the sole mandate to select its own Commissioner, making the organisation less of a target of the financial politics and pressures. Apart from overseeing the day-to-day running of the institution, the Commissioner acts as the Registrar of the Non-banking Financial Institutions in South Africa.

The authority of the Commission is distributed to Deputy Commissioners appointed by the Minister of Finance, and are supported by the Chief Risk Officer, General Counsel, Media Liaison Officer.

Key Financial Sector Conduct Authority Responsibilities

As part of its mission of ensuring that the investment environment in South Africa is sound and conducive, the Financial Sector Conduct Authority has built a strong reputation for its regulatory framework in the following sectors:

• Capital Markets
• Insurers
• Financial Services Providers
• Collective Financial Schemes
• Nominee Companies
• Friendly Societies
• Retirement Funds

The FSCA ensures the cooperation of regulated entities and has the power to impose compensation orders, unlimited penalties and cost orders for those who do not comply.  These orders are adhered to as though they are a judgment from South Africa’s Supreme Court, and are a matter of public record.

A customer complaints service is effective in fielding complaints, plus a separate self-policing appeals board which any aggrieved entity can approach should they feel like they might have been aggrieved by either the regulator or any of its executive officers.

Summary

The FSCA is credited for bringing stability and transparency to South Africa’s investment industries.  Forex traders who want to have protection can find brokers that are regulated, and who comply with South African law.  

FAQs

How do I know if a Forex broker is regulated by the FSCA?

Every broker regulated by the FSCA is required to post their FSP licence number on their website. If you know the broker’s FSP number or legal name, you can also use the FSCA’s search facility to check on their regulatory status.

Forex Risk Disclaimer

Trading Forex and CFDs is not suitable for all investors as it carries a high degree of risk to your capital: 75-90% of retail investors lose money trading these products. 

Forex and CFD transactions involve high risk due to the following factors: Over-leveraging, unpredictable market volatility, slippage arising from a lack of liquidity, inadequate trading knowledge or experience, and a lack of regulatory protection for clients.

Traders should not deposit any money that is not disposable. Regardless of how much research you have done, or how confident you are in your trade, there is always a substantial risk of loss. (Learn more from the FCA or from ASIC)

Our Methodology

Our State of the Market Report and Broker Directory are the result of extensive research on over 180 Forex brokers. The explicit goal of these resources is to help traders find the best Forex brokers – and steer them away from the worst ones – with the benefit of accurate and up-to-date information.

With over 200 data points on each broker and over 3000 hours of research and review writing, we believe we have succeeded in our goal. 

In a world where trading conditions and customer support can vary based on where you live, our broker reviews focus on the local trader and give you information about these brokers from your perspective.

All research has been conducted by our in-house team of researchers and writers, gathering information from various company representatives, websites and by sifting through the fine print. Learn more about how we rank brokers.