Choosing a forex broker in South Africa: what can actually be checked
This page does not rank brokers and does not score them. It shows who is licensed by the FSCA, what each licence covers, and the four checks that are possible before you deposit.
We do not publish a ranking, and here is why
A ranking of brokers is an opinion dressed as a measurement. The numbers that would make it honest — real spreads at the hour you trade, real withdrawal times, real rejection rates — are not published by anyone in a form that can be verified, and the sites that rank brokers are usually paid by the firms they rank.
What can be verified is the register: who is allowed to take your money, for which service, and whether that permission is valid today. That is what this page is.
What the 30 licensed entities are allowed to do
| Category | Firms | Examples from the register |
|---|---|---|
| OTC derivative provider | 30 | Velocity Trade Capital Pty Ltd, Peresec Prime Brokers (Pty) Ltd, IG Markets South Africa Limited (South African Branch), Exness Sc (Ltd) and 26 more |
Why the ODP register is the one that matters
A firm can hold an FSP number and still not be approved to issue leveraged foreign exchange or contracts for difference. Those are over-the-counter derivatives, and the authorisation for them is a separate entry on a separate register. Checking the FSP list alone can leave you satisfied about a firm that is not cleared for the product you are about to trade.
The extract below is that second register. Several well-known international brands withdrew their applications rather than complete it, which is itself a fact worth knowing before a deposit.
Four checks that are possible
All four take one browser tab and about five minutes. None of them requires trusting a review site, including this one.
Open the FSCA register- 1The licence covers the service you are about to useA licence names activities. A firm licensed for one of them is not supervised for another, and the register is where that is written down - not the broker's own page.
- 2The entity in your agreement is the entity on the registerGroups onboard clients through several companies. The name in the client agreement and on the payment details is the one that has to appear here, letter for letter.
- 3The status is current on the day you depositA register is a snapshot. Suspended, lapsed or revoked means stop, and a name you cannot find at all means there is no local supervision behind your money.
- 4What is not in the register cannot be verifiedSpreads, execution speed, bonuses and awards are claims. Nothing on this page repeats them, because there is no public document to check them against.
FSCA-licensed brokers in South Africa
- Checked
- 2026-09-29
- Source
- fsca.co.za
- Entries
- 30
| Licensee | Licence no. | Activity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Velocity Trade Capital Pty Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| Peresec Prime Brokers (Pty) Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| IG Markets South Africa Limited (South African Branch) | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| Exness Sc (Ltd) | — | OTC derivative provider · Foreign | Approved |
| Plus500Au (Pty) Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Foreign | Approved |
| Citi Group Global Markets Pty (Ltd) | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| Easytrader Pty Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| First World Trader Pty Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| SCM DMA (Pty) Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| Markets South Africa (Pty)Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| Exinity Limited | — | OTC derivative provider · Foreign | Approved |
| TF Global Markets South Africa (Pty) Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| Cargill RSA Proprietary Limited | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| AT Global Markets SA (Pty) Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| Island Prime 54 (Pty) Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| JP Markets SA (Pty) Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| Scope Markets SA (Pty) Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| SA Derivatives (Pty) Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| IFX Brokers Holdings (Pty) Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| Rocketx Pty Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| Fivewest Global (Pty) Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| Ovex FSP (Pty) Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| Unum Prime Pty Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| Investec Markets Pty Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| Flare Fx (Pty) Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| Prime Markets Pty Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| Parsa Financial Services Pty Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| Valr Dam (Pty) Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| Radar ATS Pty Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |
| Capital.Com South Africa (Pty) Ltd | — | OTC derivative provider · Local | Approved |