What each regulator a broker on this site holds actually requires, what its investor-compensation scheme actually covers (if it has one), and how to verify a licence yourself directly against the regulator's own public register.
Cyprus's financial regulator, and the licence most EU-facing forex/CFD brokers on this site hold -- it carries full EU/MiFID passporting rights and a real investor-compensation fund.
The UK's financial regulator. An FCA licence carries FSCS compensation cover and some of the strictest retail-conduct rules of any regulator covered on this site.
An offshore regulator many brokers use for clients outside the EU/UK. Real licensing, but materially lighter oversight and no statutory investor-compensation scheme.
What actually happens to your money if a regulated broker fails -- and why the answer depends entirely on which specific entity and regulator you're actually dealing with.
A broker citing a licence number proves nothing on its own -- here's how to actually check it against the regulator's own public register in a couple of minutes.