IC Markets FCA Regulation checklist

Many broker brands operate through several legal entities registered in different jurisdictions, each with its own regulator, rules, and client protections. The protections you receive depend on the entity named in your client agreement, not on the brand as a whole. Before assuming any FCA-related protection applies to you, identify exactly which entity would hold your account, then check that entity's status. Leverage limits, negative balance protection, and compensation arrangements can all differ from one entity to another under the same brand.

The UK Financial Conduct Authority maintains a public register of authorised firms. To verify a claim of FCA regulation, search that register for the exact legal entity name or reference number the broker publishes, and confirm that the details match, including the firm's permissions and trading names. Be alert to clone firms that copy the names or reference numbers of genuine firms, and always navigate to the register yourself rather than following a link supplied in a promotional message. If the entity you would contract with is not on the register, FCA protections do not apply to your account regardless of how the brand is regulated elsewhere.

Authorisation by a regulator such as the FCA sets conduct standards and may bring specific client protections, but it does not guarantee trading profits, eliminate market risk, or prevent losses from leverage. Understand which protections the relevant regime actually provides, such as client money segregation rules or compensation scheme coverage limits, and check the current thresholds in the regulator's own materials. Regulation is one input into broker due diligence alongside costs, execution, platform fit, and support, not a substitute for the rest of your research.