Is HFM a Scam or Legit?
HFM passes the kitchen inspection. Its licence is public and easy to check.
HFM cooks under FCA licence 801701, issued to HF Markets (UK) Ltd, and that entry sits right there in the FCA public register. It has kept the doors open since 2010, 16 years on the line. Scam kitchens do not hold a regulated licence year after year; they close and vanish.
The FCA paperwork
| Regulator | FCA |
| Licence number | 801701 ✓ |
| Registered entity | HF Markets (UK) Ltd |
| Status | Authorised |
| Register | register.fca.org.uk |
| Years regulated | 16+ |
What the FCA seal buys you
FCA-regulated brokers must keep client funds in accounts segregated from company funds, provide negative balance protection, and contribute to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which covers up to £85,000 per client if the broker becomes insolvent.
Every licence on the wall
HFM keeps 5 regulatory licences pinned up across different jurisdictions. Which one serves your table comes down to where you live.
| Regulator | Licence | Entity | Max leverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| FCA | 801701 | HF Markets (UK) Ltd | 1:30 max |
| CySEC | 183/12 | HF Markets (Europe) Ltd | 1:30 max |
| FSCA | 46632 | HF Markets SA Pty Ltd | 1:500 max |
| DFSA | F004885 | HF Markets MENA Ltd | 1:500 max |
| FSA | SD015 | HF Markets (Seychelles) Ltd | 1:2000 max |
Inspect the kitchen yourself
Open register.fca.org.uk and type in licence number 801701, or search the entity name HF Markets (UK) Ltd. A proper listing shows you the entity, its authorisation status, and exactly which regulated activities it is cleared to serve.
The whole check takes under a minute. When a broker is nowhere to be found on its regulator's register, treat that as a spoiled dish and walk away, every legitimate, regulated firm shows up there.
The usual complaints, and what they really mean
Most complaints about HFM fall into standard categories: withdrawal processing times, spread widening during news events, and account verification requests. These are normal business practices, not indicators of fraud.
None of that is fraud. It is the ordinary grumbling any busy kitchen gets when it holds firm on its own terms. A genuine forex scam runs with no licence at all, blocks every withdrawal, and disappears with the money on the table. That is simply not how HFM operates.
The red flags of a kitchen you should never eat at
Whatever broker you are weighing up, these are the signs of a rotten kitchen to walk out of:
- No licence number on show, or one that turns up nowhere on the official register
- Being pushed to deposit more before they will let you cash out
- Promises of guaranteed returns or "risk-free" trading, nobody serves that dish
- A platform that only ever plates profits and never a loss
- No real address and no way to contact a human
- A licence from a regulator nobody has heard of, with no official website behind it
Not one of these fits HFM. Its FCA licence 801701 is out in the open, it names its offices in Limassol, Cyprus, and it has been serving without a break since 2010.
Frequently asked questions
Is HFM safe to deposit money with?
HFM cooks under FCA oversight, and your money sits in its own segregated pot. UK diners are covered on top by the FSCS, up to £85,000. None of this makes trading itself risk-free, but it walls your deposit off if the broker ever goes under.
Why do people ask if HFM is a scam?
Most "scam" searches come from traders who lost money, not from anyone who was cheated. CFDs are a hot stove, 70% of HFM retail clients burn their fingers. Getting burned on a legitimate platform does not turn it into a scam. Scams block every payout and disappear; HFM has paid out withdrawals for 16 years running.
Is HFM regulated in my country?
The kitchen holds licences reaching 66 countries across 5 jurisdictions. Which entity seats your account depends on where you are; the licence table above shows exactly which one covers your region.
What happens to my money if HFM goes bankrupt?
A FCA-regulated broker must keep client cash in segregated bank accounts, walled off entirely from its own operating money. UK clients also get FSCS cover up to £85,000.