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STARTRADER regulation and how it scores
Regulation carries the heaviest weight in the score, which is why it is scored first. Here is STARTRADER's licensing and the protections behind it.
Facts last checked . Read the full STARTRADER review.
Regulation and safety
- Regulated by
- ASIC (421210); FSCA (52464); Mauritius FSC (GB24203371); Seychelles FSA (SD049); UAE CMA (20200000241, Category 5 introduction/promotion only)
- Regulator tier
- Tier 1
- Register entry
- ASIC Professional Registers, AFSL 421210
- Client money segregated
- Yes
- Held at
- Regulated banking institutions
- Negative balance protection
- Yes
- Compensation scheme
- Financial Commission compensation fund up to €20,000 per eligible client; no statutory compensation scheme for the Seychelles/Mauritius entities
- Audited by
- Independent external auditors
- Not available to
- United States and other jurisdictions where STARTRADER services are prohibited or restricted
Check the licence yourself: ASIC Connect, the FSCA search of financial services providers, the Mauritius FSC register of licensees, the Seychelles FSA list of regulated entities.
What this means
Regulation carries the heaviest weight in the score, which is why it is scored first.
STARTRADER holds a tier-one authorisation from ASIC. That matters more than any headline spread: it determines your leverage cap, whether losses can exceed your deposit, and what happens to your money if the firm fails.
It also operates an offshore entity (FSC and FSA). Which one you are onboarded to depends on where you live, and the two carry very different protections - worth confirming before you deposit.
ASIC caps retail leverage at 1:30, requires negative balance protection, and obliges the broker to hold client money in a separate trust account.
The FSCA licenses derivative providers in South Africa without a fixed retail leverage cap, so headline leverage is often higher than an FCA or ASIC entity may offer.
An FSC licence (Mauritius or Belize, depending on the entity) is an offshore authorisation with lighter reporting duties than a tier-one regulator.
Client money is held separately from the firm's own money, at Regulated banking institutions. That separation is what makes your balance recoverable if the company fails, rather than part of the pool its creditors divide up.
Negative balance protection applies, so a losing position cannot take the account below zero and leave you owing the broker money.
Covered by Financial Commission compensation fund up to €20,000 per eligible client; no statutory compensation scheme for the Seychelles/Mauritius entities, which pays eligible clients up to its limit if the firm fails owing client money.
Questions about STARTRADER regulation
Is STARTRADER tier-one regulated?
STARTRADER's strongest licence is recorded as Tier 1.
Who regulates STARTRADER?
STARTRADER is regulated by ASIC (421210); FSCA (52464); Mauritius FSC (GB24203371); Seychelles FSA (SD049); UAE CMA (20200000241, Category 5 introduction/promotion only).
Does STARTRADER offer negative balance protection?
Yes. STARTRADER offers negative balance protection, so a losing position cannot leave you owing the broker more than your account held.
Regulation at brokers under the same regulator
- ATFX regulation also licensed by ASIC
- Exness regulation also licensed by FSCA (South Africa)
- EC Markets regulation also licensed by ASIC
- FP Markets regulation also licensed by ASIC
- PU Prime regulation also licensed by FSCA (South Africa)