HFM review: is HFM regulated? Licence check, fees and the honest verdict
Verdict
- HFM (HF Markets) holds five separate licences: the FCA (UK, 801701), CySEC (Cyprus, 183/12), South Africa's FSCA (46632), Seychelles' FSA (SD015) and Kenya's CMA (155) — a genuinely wide regulatory footprint.
- The specific leverage figures HFM advertises most (up to 1:2000, and "unlimited" on its InfinityX account) come from HF Markets (SV) Ltd, based in St Vincent & the Grenadines — an entity its own leverage table names with no financial regulator attached at all.
- Minimum deposit is $0, and HFM's own site lists spreads from 0.0 pips on its Zero account, 0.6 on Pro, 0.3 on InfinityX and 1.4 on Cent/Premium.
- HFM states withdrawals submitted before 10:00am server time are processed the same business day, and those submitted after are processed the next business day — that's HFM's own claim, not a time we have measured ourselves.
- HFM offers swap-free trading on selected accounts, but does not publish admin-fee amounts or grace-period lengths, and several instruments carry a separate "Carry Charge" after a rollover period, per HFM's own terms.
"Is HFM regulated" is a fair question to ask before funding an account, and the honest answer is more layered than a yes or no: HFM genuinely holds five real licences, but the specific account most searches are actually asking about — the one with extreme leverage — sits under a sixth entity with no financial regulator named at all.
HFM's regulatory licences
HFM operates five separately regulated entities, spanning the UK, Cyprus, South Africa, Seychelles and Kenya. All five are checkable on their respective regulator's public register.
| Regulator | Jurisdiction | Licence |
|---|---|---|
| FCA | United Kingdom | 801701 (HF Markets (UK) Ltd) |
| CySEC | Cyprus | 183/12 (HF Markets (Europe) Ltd) |
| FSCA | South Africa | 46632 (HF Markets SA (PTY) Ltd) |
| FSA | Seychelles | SD015 (HF Markets (Seychelles) Ltd) |
| CMA | Kenya | 155 (HFM Investments Ltd) |
The leverage entity: where the 1:2000 figure actually comes from
HFM's own trading-accounts page names the entity behind its highest-leverage terms as HF Markets (SV) Ltd, incorporated in St Vincent & the Grenadines — and lists no financial regulator against it at all. That's the entity offering unlimited leverage on InfinityX and 1:2000 on Cent, Zero, Pro and Premium. If HFM's five regulated licences are the reason you trust the brand, it's worth knowing they are not the entities carrying its most aggressive leverage terms.
| Entity | Regulator | Leverage |
|---|---|---|
| HF Markets (SV) Ltd | Offshore — no financial regulator named | InfinityX unlimited; Cent/Zero/Pro/Premium up to 1:2000 |
Fees and account types
HFM's minimum deposit is $0, and it publishes spreads from 0.0 pips on its Zero account ("From 0 on Forex"), 0.6 on Pro, 0.3 on InfinityX, and 1.4 on Cent/Premium, per its own trading-accounts page.
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Withdrawals and swap-free terms: what HFM claims
HFM's FAQ states withdrawals are processed 24/7, with requests submitted before 10:00am server time handled the same business day and later requests handled the next business day. HFM's swap-free trading is offered on selected accounts, but the published page does not state an admin-fee amount or grace-period length, and notes that several instruments carry a separate "Carry Charge" after a position has been rolled over for a set number of days.
The verdict
- HFM's five regulated licences (FCA, CySEC, FSCA, FSA Seychelles, CMA Kenya) are real and checkable — but its own trading-accounts page attributes the leverage figures most people search HFM for to a sixth, unregulated entity.
- $0 minimum deposit and spreads from 0.0 pips are genuinely competitive headline numbers, worth weighing against which entity you'd actually be signing up under.
- Withdrawal times above are HFM's own claim; we have not yet timed a real withdrawal ourselves.
- Swap-free trading exists, but admin fees and grace periods aren't published — confirm directly with HFM support before assuming a specific cost.
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Is HFM regulated?
Yes — HFM holds licences with the FCA (UK), CySEC (Cyprus), South Africa's FSCA, Seychelles' FSA and Kenya's CMA, all checkable on the regulators' own public registers. Its highest-leverage terms, however, are published under a sixth entity, HF Markets (SV) Ltd, which HFM's own page names with no financial regulator attached.
What licence does HFM trade under?
It depends which entity you're onboarded under — HFM operates five regulated entities (FCA 801701, CySEC 183/12, FSCA 46632, FSA Seychelles SD015, CMA Kenya 155) plus an unregulated offshore entity, HF Markets (SV) Ltd, that carries its most extreme leverage terms.
What is HFM's minimum deposit?
$0, per HFM's own site.
Is HFM's 1:2000 leverage regulated?
No — HFM's own trading-accounts page attributes that leverage figure (and InfinityX's "unlimited" leverage) to HF Markets (SV) Ltd, an entity incorporated in St Vincent & the Grenadines with no financial regulator named against it, distinct from HFM's FCA-, CySEC-, FSCA-, FSA- and CMA-regulated entities.
How fast are HFM withdrawals?
HFM's own FAQ states withdrawal requests submitted before 10:00am server time are processed the same business day, and later requests the next business day. That's HFM's claim; we have not yet completed a first-party timed test to confirm it.
Nothing here is investment advice. CFDs carry a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage, and most retail accounts lose money.