Most “HFM review” pages repeat what the broker says about itself. We did something simpler and more useful: on 22 October 2026 we looked up each HFM company on the regulators’ own public registers. Below is what we could verify, what we could not, and what it means for a trader in Asia.
HFM licences we verified
| Regulator | Company | Licence / reference | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| FCA (United Kingdom) | HF Markets (UK) Limited | FRN 801701 | Listed on the register (checked 15 Oct 2026) |
| CySEC (Cyprus) | HF Markets (Europe) Ltd | 183/12 | Listed on the register (checked 15 Oct 2026) |
| FSA (Seychelles) | HF Markets (Seychelles) Ltd | – | Listed on the register (checked 15 Oct 2026) |
| St Vincent and the Grenadines (company register, via LEI) | HF Markets (SV) Ltd | 22747 IBC 2015 | Listed on the register (checked 15 Oct 2026) |
Claims we could not verify
These appear on the broker’s own pages or in third-party reviews. We could not confirm them on an official register, so treat them as unverified:
- FSCA (South Africa): HF Markets SA (Pty) Ltd, FSP 46632 (register not reachable or blocking automated checks).
- DFSA (Dubai): HF Markets (DIFC) Ltd, F004885 (register not reachable or blocking automated checks).
- CMA (Kenya): HFM Investments Ltd, licence 155 (not found on the public list we checked).
Which company will open your account?
Large broker groups use several companies with different licences. The company that matters is the one named in your client agreement, and that depends mainly on where you live. HF Markets (UK) Limited serves UK clients and HF Markets (Europe) Ltd serves the EU. Many traders in Asia are signed up through HFM’s “/sv/” pages, which belong to HF Markets (SV) Ltd, a company registered in St Vincent and the Grenadines. That company appears in the global LEI register, but St Vincent does not license forex brokers, so it holds no forex licence. The group’s licensed offshore company is HF Markets (Seychelles) Ltd, whose website on the Seychelles register is hfm.com/sc/. Before depositing, open the client agreement and check that the company name and licence number there match the register.
What the licences mean for your protection
| Regulator | Type | Compensation if the company fails |
|---|---|---|
| FCA (United Kingdom) | Tier-1 (United Kingdom) | FSCS, up to £85,000 per person |
| CySEC (Cyprus) | EU (Cyprus) | Investor Compensation Fund, up to €20,000 |
| FSA (Seychelles) | Offshore | No comparable compensation scheme |
| St Vincent and the Grenadines (company register, via LEI) | Company registration only, no forex licence | None |
Accounts
HFM lists these account types: Cent, Premium, Zero, Pro. It offers a cent account, which lets you trade very small sizes; see our cent account guide. It also has a raw-spread account with commission. Spreads and fees change, so compare the current figures on the broker’s site; our guide to trading costs shows what to look at.
Our verdict
HFM (formerly HotForex) is a large, long-running group, and its FCA, CySEC and Seychelles licences are confirmed on the registers. The FCA register also lists several clone websites pretending to be HFM, such as hfmarketsx.com, so always type the address yourself. The key point for traders in Asia: the sign-up pages many of us use, including our own HFM link, open accounts with HF Markets (SV) Ltd, which has no forex licence. If licence protection matters to you, check which company your client agreement names before you deposit, and keep balances modest.
How to check it yourself in five minutes
- Find the company name and licence number in the footer of the broker’s website or in the client agreement.
- Search for that company on the regulator’s own register, not through a link sent by the broker.
- Check that the website address and company name on the register match.
- If anything does not match, treat it as a clone or a scam. Our guide on how to check a broker’s regulation shows each step.
Frequently asked questions
Is HFM regulated in my country?
Probably not. Vietnam’s State Bank has not licensed any retail forex broker, and offshore brokers are generally not licensed by Asian regulators. That is why the licence of the company that opens your account matters so much.
Is my money safe with HFM?
No broker is risk-free. Your protection depends on the company that holds your account: an FCA or CySEC company is covered by a compensation scheme, an offshore company usually is not. Keep only the money you actively trade with at any broker.
Disclosure: HFM is one of the brokers leaksfx may receive a commission from, and our author works with some brokers as an Introducing Broker. That is why we limited this page to facts that can be checked on official registers; see how we review brokers. Forex and CFD trading on margin is high-risk and most retail traders lose money. If you decide to open an account after reading this, you can use our HFM link.