Policy

Broker Verification

The Verified mark records a small number of facts we checked ourselves against primary sources. This page states exactly which facts, how we check them, what they cost, how often we re-check, and what the mark deliberately does not claim.

Effective August 20, 2026v1.3

What the mark means

A Verified mark on a broker profile means three things, and only these three. The legal entity behind the brand is the one we say it is. Every licence shown on the profile was checked against the regulator's own public register. And the profile is controlled by someone who can demonstrate authority to act for that entity.

A mark that claimed more than we actually check would be worse than no mark at all, which is why the list is short and the next section is specific.

The checks

Legal entity. We record the registered company name, registration number and jurisdiction, and confirm them against the relevant company register. Trading names are recorded separately from the entity that holds the licence.
Licences. Each claimed licence is looked up in the issuing regulator's public register. The entity holding it, the licence type or permitted activity, its status and its date must match what the profile shows. We use the register itself, never a screenshot or a claim on the broker's own website.
Licence numbers, where the register omits them. Several registers publish no licence number at all, identifying a licence by holder, type and date instead. Where that is the case and a number still appears on the profile, it is taken from the licence document issued by the regulator, and our verification date refers to the licence as found in the register rather than to the number. We would rather show the number and say where it came from than leave a reader unable to quote the licence at all.
Control of the domain. We issue a one-time token that must be published at a location we specify on the broker's primary domain, or confirmed from a mailbox on that domain. This is what stops a third party from claiming a profile that is not theirs, and it is also why the mark cannot be granted without the company's participation.
Authority of the representative. The person claiming the profile must be identifiable as acting for the entity, and we keep a record of who was granted control and when.
Internal consistency. Claims on the profile must not contradict the licence. A profile that advertises instruments or client jurisdictions the licence does not cover is not verified until the contradiction is resolved.

If any check fails, the mark is not granted. We tell the applicant which check failed and what would resolve it.

What the mark does not mean

Its absence is not a failure. Most brokers in the directory have never applied for verification, and an unmarked profile means exactly that: not applied, or not yet completed. It does not mean a broker was checked and found wanting. If we ever check a broker and it fails, that is recorded on the profile in words, not by the quiet absence of a mark. The same caution applies to the Verified filter in the catalogue: it narrows the list to brokers who went through the process, which is not the same as the list of trustworthy ones.
It is not a recommendation, an endorsement, or a statement that the broker is a good choice for you.
It says nothing about solvency, execution quality, withdrawal speed, or how the broker treats clients in a dispute.
It is not an audit. We do not inspect accounts, client money arrangements or internal controls.
A verified broker can still hold a low TW Score, and an unverified broker can hold a high one. The two are unrelated by design.

Verification and the TW Score

Being verified does not raise the score, does not enter the score as a component, and does not move a broker up any ranking computed from the score. It is a statement about identity, not about quality, and the two are kept apart deliberately.

What it costs, and what the fee buys

Verification is a paid service: 590 US dollars a year, covering the checks above and the annual re-check. We charge because the work is real — register lookups across several jurisdictions, document review, and a fresh pass every twelve months.

The fee buys the check, not the result. If a check fails, the mark is not granted and the fee is not returned. That is deliberate: a refund on failure would give us a reason to pass everyone, which would make the mark worthless to the reader it exists for.

Two things stay free and always will. Claiming your profile costs nothing. And the licence checks we run editorially, on our own initiative, cost nothing either — those are part of keeping the directory accurate, and a broker who never pays us anything can still have every licence on its profile checked against the register.

Verification is sold separately from advertising and is never bundled into a placement package. Keeping the two apart on the price list is the point: it is how we can say the mark is not an advertising label and be believed.

How long it lasts

Verification is re-checked every twelve months, and immediately whenever we become aware of a change to a licence, a change of legal entity, or a transfer of the domain. A verification that is never re-checked describes the past, not the present, so the annual check is part of the mark rather than an optional extra.

When it is withdrawn

A licence lapses, is suspended, is revoked, or ceases to cover the activity shown on the profile.
The legal entity or the domain changes hands and the new party has not been verified.
Information supplied to us turns out to be false or materially incomplete.
The annual re-check fails and is not resolved within thirty days of us asking.

The mark is never withdrawn because of a low score, negative reviews, or a decision not to buy advertising. Withdrawal is recorded on the profile with its date, so a mark that disappears leaves a trace rather than vanishing quietly.

How to apply

Claim your profile first. Open your broker page in the directory and use the claim link on it. Once ownership is confirmed you can request verification from the company dashboard, or by writing to [email protected] from an address on your primary domain.

Disputing a decision

If verification is refused or withdrawn and you believe we are wrong, reply to the notice we send, or write to [email protected]. Point us at the register entry that contradicts our finding. A register entry settles the matter; an assertion does not.