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Broker legality checker
Is your broker allowed to offer binary options where you live? Check country-specific product restrictions and named regulatory warnings — not just whether its website opens.
Sources reviewed 22 October 2026 · Binary options and relevant forex/payment restrictions · Not legal advice or live monitoring
Select both to view a result. Countries without verified coverage are marked “Not verified”, never automatically “Legal”.
Read the result correctly
A ban, a warning and no verified record are different
Product banned / restricted
A regulator restricts the sale or distribution of a product to retail clients. Read who the rule applies to, its exceptions and whether it covers your intended product.
Named regulatory warning
An authority has specifically warned about a brand, domain or entity. This is stronger evidence than a generic risk article, but applies only within the warning's stated scope.
Not verified
We cannot confirm local permission or prohibition for this combination. Unknown is not permission. We never call a broker regulated just because we could not find a warning.
“Unregulated” must be checked against a specific entity, activity and jurisdiction. A government license, permission to serve your country and permission to offer binary options are three separate questions. This checker does not issue “Legal / approved” verdicts without those checks.
Country reference
What the sources actually say
All six platforms are researched separately in the country reviews below. Pakistan now links to the original SECP notice. Blocked documents, incomplete registers and indexed-only evidence are disclosed; a research gap is never approval.
Pakistan
SECP's original release warns about unauthorized offshore platforms and specifically identifies Qxbroker (Quotex). SBP separately prohibits covered offshore forex, margin/CFD transactions and outward payments through any channel without its permission. These sources do not establish a comprehensive binary-options product rule for every selected brand; absence of a named warning is not approval.
All six brands researched separately with SECP/SBP sources. Only Quotex has a verified named SECP warning here. Primary SECP and SBP text read; reports of blocking other apps were not upgraded without the original order. Permissions for the other five remain unverified.
Quotex
SECP's original 9 April 2025 release identifies Qxbroker (Quotex), qxbroker.com/en/, as unauthorized to operate in Pakistan and advises against opening accounts, depositing or sharing personal/financial information. It reports referral to FIA, PTA and Google for action including blocking; completed blocking was not verified. Original release text was read in this review.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
RBI says residents may transact forex only with authorized persons and for permitted purposes through permitted channels; unauthorized forex ETPs are not permitted. All six selected brands appear on its forex Alert List. This is not a definitive assessment of every binary-options product under every Indian law.
All six exact brand/domain entries checked against RBI's official webpage and original PDF. These are forex-related Alert List findings; corporate operators and every binary-options product are not independently adjudicated.
Quotex
Quotex appears at no. 35 on RBI's forex Alert List with quotex.com. Forex/FEMA, ETP and promotion scope; not an all-products binary-options ban. The row does not identify a corporate operator.
Pocket Option appears at no. 37 on RBI's forex Alert List with pocketoption.com. The list's forex/ETP and promotion scope is not a worldwide licensing determination; no operator is specified in this row.
Binomo appears at no. 4 on RBI's forex Alert List with binomoidr.com/in. Preserve this exact domain; this does not establish authorization for another domain or every product under the brand.
IQ Option appears at no. 25 on RBI's forex Alert List with iq-option.com. No corporate entity is specified. An overseas/EU permission would not establish RBI authorization or permission for an Indian resident's transaction.
Olymp Trade appears at no. 28 on RBI's forex Alert List with olymptrade.com. Residents' forex transactions remain subject to FEMA authorization, purpose and channel requirements; no operator is specified in this row.
Expert Option appears at no. 7 on RBI's forex Alert List with expertoption.com. This is an official forex-related warning, not a finding about every non-forex product; no operator is specified in this row.
Bangladesh Bank's indexed circular directs authorized dealers to guard against international-card payments abroad from Bangladesh for activities including online gambling and forex/stock-exchange trading. This is payment/foreign-exchange evidence, not a verified binary-options-specific prohibition or a named finding against every broker. The original document was unavailable during this review; confirm current rules directly before any payment.
All six brands searched against Bangladesh Bank/BSEC sources. No named warning or local permission verified. Payment-rule evidence is indexed official text; the original bank documents returned maintenance/access errors, so this is a partial-source review, not a completed live register check.
Quotex
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
UAE rules differ by jurisdiction. DIFC/DFSA guidance includes binary options in Restricted Speculative Investments and tells authorized firms to assess UAE gambling prohibitions. ADGM/FSRA COBS 23.12.1 restricts retail offers/sales of specified OTC Leveraged Products and expressly mentions binary options or analogous products. Neither is a nationwide verdict on residents' offshore trading. Federal CMA and CBUAE permissions for these brokers remain unverified.
All six brands researched across federal CMA (formerly SCA), CBUAE, DIFC/DFSA and ADGM/FSRA. No matching official brand warning or local permission verified. Some registers were blocked or dynamically populated; searches are incomplete. Financial-zone rules are not a nationwide verdict.
Quotex
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
CMA cautions against listed websites conducting securities business without a Saudi licence and directs investors to verify licensed institutions. This review did not establish a binary-options-specific product rule or a named finding for these six brokers. The warning list is not exhaustive.
All six brands researched against CMA sources. No exact-match named warning or permission verified; the paginated warning list was not exhaustively checked. Missing entries are not approval.
Quotex
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
SC's Investor Alert List contains direct entries for Pocket Option, Binomo, IQ Option Ltd and Expert Option, with differing activity descriptions. Separate Quotex- and Olymp-related clone entries do not establish findings against the genuine platforms. This review does not establish a comprehensive binary-options product rule.
All six brands checked against SC's official list data. Direct warnings verified for Pocket Option, Binomo, IQ Option Ltd and Expert Option. Quotex- and Olymp-related clone entries were excluded from findings against the genuine platforms.
Quotex
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
SC's list names Pocket Option / Pocket Option Malaysia, pocketoption.com/en/, for 'Carrying on unregulated activities' (entry year 2020). This is not a verified binary-options product ban or a more specific securities finding.
SC's list names Binomo, binomo.com, for carrying on unlicensed capital-market activities of dealing in securities (entry year 2024). Match the domain and activity; not a global licensing verdict.
SC's direct IQ Option Ltd entry lists iqoption.my, iqoption.com/en and iq-option.com/lp/mobile/en for dealing in securities without SC authorization (entry year 2020). Separate potential-clone entries are not merged with this warning.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
SC's direct Expert Option entry lists expertoption.com for carrying on unlicensed capital-market activities of dealing in securities (entry year 2023). The expert-option.pro entry and expertize0ption.com clone are not treated as the same operation.
Indonesia's OJK-hosted SWI release describes binary-option online trading as illegal gambling, rather than licensed trading of goods. It also warns about unregistered brokers. This finding concerns the binary-option activity, not every product using the same brand.
All six brands researched separately. Existing OJK/SWI evidence names Quotex, Binomo and Olymptrade. The original page timed out on this pass; no new named warnings were verified for the other three. The sourced product rule remains separate from entity warnings.
Quotex
The OJK/SWI release names this brand in its warning about binary options and illegal brokers. Check the notice's exact activity and entities; this is not a global licensing assessment.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
The OJK/SWI release names this brand in its warning about binary options and illegal brokers. Check the notice's exact activity and entities; this is not a global licensing assessment.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
The OJK/SWI release names this brand in its warning about binary options and illegal brokers. Check the notice's exact activity and entities; this is not a global licensing assessment.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
CBSL says residents other than authorised dealers may not undertake forex trading or remit funds abroad for it. The notice does not expressly mention binary options.
All six brands researched; CBSL's full original forex notice read. It does not name any of the six or expressly classify binary options. No brand-specific authorization verified.
Quotex
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
SEC's IQ OPTION advisory concerns unauthorized investment solicitation, securities and operation of the named offshore platform. It does not establish a comprehensive binary-options product rule or the permissions of the other selected brands.
All six brands researched against SEC sources. Original IQ OPTION advisory read and matched to the named offshore operation. No exact-brand official finding or permission verified for the other five; this is not a blanket product ban.
Quotex
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
SEC's June 2021 advisory identifies the offshore operation as IQ OPTION LCC (source spelling) and says it is not registered or authorized to solicit/accept public investments or issue securities in the Philippines. It advises the public not to invest. This is not a worldwide finding about every entity using the brand.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
FCA prohibits selling, marketing and distributing binary options to retail consumers by firms acting in or from the UK. This is a product-supply ban, not a blanket statement about an individual reader's conduct.
All six brands researched against FCA sources. PocketOption warning rechecked; Olymp Trader and Expert Option FX near-name warnings excluded because their domains differ. Other brand permissions remain unverified; the retail product-supply ban applies independently.
Quotex
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
FCA's PocketOption notice says the identified firm is not FCA-authorized. It lists pocketoption.com, potrade.com, trader-pockethub.com and m.pocketoption.com/en. This is a UK warning, not a worldwide license determination.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
ASIC prohibits issuing and distributing OTC binary options to retail clients. The published extension runs until 1 October 2031; it is not an indefinite ban.
All six brands researched against ASIC sources. No new exact-brand warning verified; the complete alert register could not be retrieved. The retail product ban is separately sourced and is not a broker licence check.
Quotex
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
In Canadian jurisdictions implementing MI 91-102, binary options with a term shorter than 30 days cannot be advertised, offered, sold or otherwise traded with individuals. The implementation notice excludes British Columbia; its separate provincial rule is not verified here. A term of 30 days or longer is not approval.
All six brands researched against provincial/CSA sources. Named IQ Option warning is British Columbia-specific; ExpertOption warning is Québec-specific. Neither is a Canada-wide authorization verdict; other brand permissions remain unverified.
Quotex
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
BCSC's 2 March 2016 warning identifies Iqoption Europe Ltd., operating as IQ Option, at www.iqoption.com, as not registered to trade in or advise on securities or exchange contracts in British Columbia. Historical, province-specific notice; not a Canada-wide or current EU licence verdict.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Québec AMF's 9 May 2025 warning names ExpertOption, expertoption.com and EOLabs aliases as not registered with AMF or authorized to solicit Québec investors. This is Québec-specific, not a Canada-wide licensing determination.
The US does not have a blanket binary-options ban: some products can trade on regulated US exchanges. Offshore/off-exchange offers require careful checking of the venue, exact product and applicable CFTC/SEC permissions.
All six brands researched against CFTC/SEC sources. Pocketoption matched to CFTC's July 2022 RED List additions. No exact-match finding verified for the other five; absence is not approval or a completed live registration check.
Quotex
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
CFTC's 14 July 2022 release names Pocketoption, pocketoption.com, among RED List additions: not CFTC-registered and appearing to act in a capacity requiring registration. Inclusion is not itself a concluded statutory violation or a worldwide licensing finding.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Providers offering binary options to New Zealand retail investors must hold an FMA derivatives-issuer licence. FMA describes these products as very high risk.
All six brands researched against FMA sources. IQ Option is named as an associate in FMA's RB Options caution. The scam description of RB Options was not transferred to IQ Option; no current permission verified for any selected brand.
Quotex
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
FMA's 19 August 2020 RB Options notice names IQ Option (www.iqoption.com) as an associate and recommends caution because the entities are not registered companies or financial service providers in New Zealand. Its scam description of RB Options is not a categorical finding against IQ Option or a current licence-register assessment.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
Local authorization for this broker's exact contracting entity, domain and binary-options activity has not been verified. An offshore license or private membership does not establish permission to serve residents here.
BaFin's national measure prohibits marketing, distributing and selling covered binary options to retail clients. Check the instrument's definition, exceptions and territorial scope for the particular contract.
AMF's national measure prohibits marketing, distributing and selling covered binary options to retail investors in France or from France. The product definition and any exceptions must be checked against the instrument.
CySEC announced permanent national retail binary-options measures applying in or from Cyprus, aligned with ESMA's measures. This does not determine whether a different product offered by a licensed Cyprus entity is permitted.
CVM has issued specific warnings restricting public offers/client solicitation by the named IQ Option and Pocket Option entities. Those warnings do not establish a universal binary-options prohibition or the status of every other broker.
FSMA's regulation prohibits commercializing binary options to consumers through electronic trading platforms, with related rules for other OTC derivatives.
The Czech National Bank prohibits retail marketing, distribution and sale of binary options, subject to defined exceptions; trading remains available only to professional investors.
MNB prohibits retail marketing, distribution and sale of binary options, with narrow exceptions such as capital-protected and specified long-term prospectus products.
Binary options are OTC derivatives: offering them as a business to Japanese residents requires Japanese registration, even if the provider holds an overseas licence.
SPK describes betting-like binary options as neither derivatives nor capital-market activities, placing them outside its regulatory scope. That is not approval and not a verified ban; other Turkish laws may apply.
A news report of a Ministry of Public Security warning says binary-option platforms operating in Vietnam are illegal under foreign-exchange rules and show fraud risks. Secondary evidence; not a verified rule on individual trading.
Find the legal entity, registered address, domain and license number in the broker's terms. Similar names, clone websites and different regional entities can have different permissions.
2
Open the government register yourself
Use your country's financial regulator, not a screenshot, influencer video or private certificate. Compare the domain and company details, permitted activities and warning list.
3
Verify the product and local payment rules
A forex or CFD permission does not necessarily authorize binary options. Foreign-exchange controls and payment restrictions may apply even when the broker is offshore.
4
Do not bypass a restriction
An accessible site or VPN does not create legal permission. If the offering is prohibited, warned against or unverified, do not treat a signal, bonus or referral as a reason to deposit.
Method & limitations
Evidence first. No false reassurance.
We prioritize official regulator notices, product-intervention rules and public registers. Product-level rules are applied to all six brokers only for the covered retail binary-options activity. Brand-specific warnings are matched separately, without extending them to unrelated companies or products.
Sources were reviewed on 22 October 2026. This page is not automatically refreshed, and a review date is not a guarantee that nothing has changed. Follow the linked source for current details; if evidence is incomplete, the result stays not verified. No account, broker login, deposit amount or personal identity is needed for this check.
We are not a regulator or law firm. This is educational information, not individualized financial or legal advice. For a definitive answer, ask your local authority or a qualified local professional about your exact broker entity, product and circumstances.
Common questions
Broker legality, explained simply
+−Is TradeFather a trading broker?
No. TradeFather Signals is an independent provider of educational trading content, calculators and analysis-based signals. It does not hold your funds, accept trading deposits or execute trades. Using educational content is different from opening a broker account; local laws and access restrictions still apply.
+−Does an accessible broker website mean it is legal?
No. A website accepting registrations, an app-store listing or a successful withdrawal does not establish local authorization. Check the exact legal entity, domain, license number and permitted product in your regulator's official register before depositing.
+−What does a binary options ban actually mean?
Read the scope: many rules prohibit providers from selling, marketing or distributing binary options to retail clients. That is not automatically a statement that reading a chart or using educational material is a criminal offense. The checker describes the product rule separately from broker authorization.
+−What if my result says not verified?
It means we do not have enough reliable evidence to label that country-and-broker combination. It does not mean legal, licensed or safe. Check your local financial regulator and any foreign-exchange or payment rules before sending money.
+−Is an offshore license or private membership enough?
Not necessarily. A license in another country may not permit services to residents of yours. Private dispute-resolution memberships are not the same as government regulatory authorization. Check the entity and activity with your local regulator.
+−Is this a live legal database?
No. This is a manually reviewed educational reference with dated official sources, not a live register, legal opinion or guarantee. Rules and warnings can change. Open the source and verify the exact entity and product each time before depositing.
Learn first. Keep your money under your control.
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