Traders often treat “regulated” as a green light. It is closer to a seatbelt: useful, not magic. A licence says a firm may offer certain products to certain clients under a rulebook. It does not say you will withdraw on time, or that a 1:500 account is a good idea.
What you can usually check
Public registers list the legal name, reference number, and sometimes the permissions. Match that name to the account form — not to the ad. If the sales chat points you to a different entity after you ask about the licence, that is the story.
What a licence does not do
- It does not remove market risk. Leverage cuts both ways.
- It does not freeze spreads. Typical costs move.
- It does not make a review score a forecast.
- It does not cover you if you signed with an entity that is not the one on the register you searched.
How to use this on Peak Pips
Our review notes treat licence clarity as a score input, not a slogan. If we cannot verify the entity, we do not invent a number. Read the firm’s own documents before you fund.