How the Kitchen Is Inspected
Every CFD platform on this site passes the same kitchen inspection before it earns a place on the menu. The licence on the wall is checked against the regulator own register, the bill is read from the platform own figures, and the whole thing is dated and re-scanned. This page sets out that method in full. It is linked from every core page for a reason.
A restaurant is only as trustworthy as its last inspection. The same rule applies to a CFD platform. A page that praises every broker and flags nothing reads as marketing, and search engines and readers both discount it. The method below is built to do the opposite. It states where each fact comes from, dates it, and removes anything that cannot be confirmed.
The organisation is the accountable author. There is no invented analyst with a fictional biography behind these reviews. Facts are sourced from official registers and the platform own filings, and the verification system records what was checked and when.
Read the licence
Take the licensed entity name and licence number from the platform, not from its marketing copy.
Cross-check the register
Open the issuing regulator public register and confirm the number matches the official record exactly.
Date the check
Stamp the verification with the date it was made, so every reader knows how fresh the fact is.
Re-scan on a cycle
Re-run the check on a rolling schedule and update the review the moment a register record changes.
Each review carries dated verification stamps, the licensed entity names as they appear on the register, and the exact licence numbers. These are not decorative. They are the trail that lets any reader repeat the check independently. The last-checked date at the top of every core page shows when the figures were last confirmed.
The same four-stage inspection is applied to all 103 platforms, from the largest listed broker to the smallest offshore name. Costs are read from the platform own schedule. Regulation is graded by tier, from Tier 1 authorities such as the FCA and ASIC down to offshore licences with thinner protection. The regulation guide explains what each tier means for client money.
Authority comes from the source, not from opinion. Licence claims deep-link to the regulator that issued them on the regulated CFD platforms page. Founding years, headquarters and corporate listings come from public filings. Where a fact cannot be sourced, it is left out rather than guessed.
No licence number, spread or statistic on this site is invented. If a figure cannot be confirmed, it does not appear. Rankings are set by verified regulation and posted cost, and affiliate links are disclosed on every page. CFDs are leveraged products with a high risk of loss, and that risk is stated wherever a recommendation could be read.
When a re-scan finds a lapsed or restricted licence, the review is updated and the platform is pulled from any regulated shortlist until the record is clear. A platform that believes a fact is wrong can point to the register entry that proves it, and the correction is made against that official record.
How does InvestingChef verify a CFD broker?
Every broker passes a kitchen inspection. The licensed entity name and licence number are taken from the platform, matched against the issuing regulator public register, dated, and re-scanned on a rolling schedule. A licence that cannot be confirmed on the official record is not published.
Who writes the reviews?
Reviews are produced and checked by the InvestingChef verification system on behalf of the organisation. Facts such as licence numbers, founding year and headquarters come from official registers and the platform own filings, not from a single named analyst.
Are the rankings paid for?
No. Placement on any best-of list is decided by verified regulation and posted cost. Some outbound links are affiliate links, and that is disclosed on every page. A commercial arrangement cannot move a platform up a ranking.
How often is the data re-checked?
Licence status, minimum deposits and spreads are re-scanned on a rolling schedule, and every core page carries a last-checked date. The most recent site-wide inspection ran on 2026-09-28.
What happens if a licence lapses?
If a re-scan finds a lapsed, restricted or withdrawn licence, the affected review is updated and the platform is removed from any regulated shortlist until the position is clear. Corrections are made as soon as the register record changes.