Is an SCB licence "real" regulation?

SCB does conduct AML supervision and basic capital-adequacy oversight, so it is real regulation in the technical sense. But there is no statutory compensation scheme, no leverage caps, no mandatory negative balance protection, and no binding-award ombudsman. Treat SCB as legal cover for the broker's commercial activity, not a meaningful consumer-protection regime.

Why do brokers like FxPro Global Markets and Pepperstone Limited use SCB?

SCB licensing lets them onboard clients excluded from EU/UK/AU jurisdictions by retail leverage caps — most clients access leverage above 1:200 there. The same broker group typically operates a tier-1 entity (FCA, ASIC) for European/Australian retail and the SCB entity for the rest of the world.

How risky is funding an SCB-licensed broker?

Risk varies sharply by group. Major broker groups with FCA/ASIC entities and audited financial statements (FxPro, Pepperstone, IC Markets via Bahamas) generally honour withdrawals reliably. Pure-offshore brokers without sister tier-1 entities have a worse track record and significantly higher complaints volume on industry forums.

Can I sue an SCB-licensed broker if there's a dispute?

Disputes go through Bahamian courts under Bahamian law. Cross-border enforcement is slow, expensive and frequently impractical for retail-sized claims. Some major broker groups offer voluntary internal arbitration that produces faster outcomes than litigation.

Does Bahamian banking secrecy affect transparency?

The Bahamas has signed onto the OECD Common Reporting Standard (CRS) and reports tax-residency information to most major countries since 2018. Banking-side secrecy is no longer the protection it was pre-2010. The relevant transparency gap today is the SCB's lighter-touch supervision compared to tier-1 regulators, not bank secrecy.

Regulator profile · BS

SCB — Securities Commission of the Bahamas

Tracked byBrokerlist Editorial · Independent review teamUpdated April 22, 2026

The Securities Commission of the Bahamas (SCB) is the Bahamian financial regulator for capital-markets activities. It is a frequent jurisdiction for offshore forex and CFD brokers serving non-EU/non-US clients.

Brokers in Bahamas accepting residents under SCB

Jurisdiction: Commonwealth of The Bahamas.
Founded: 1995
Mandate: Established under the Securities Industry Act. SCB licenses securities firms, mutual funds and investment advisers, supervises conduct and AML compliance, and operates a public registry of all licensees.
Consumer protection: No statutory compensation scheme equivalent to the EU ICF or UK FSCS. Client-money segregation is required under SCB rules but enforcement intensity is lower than tier-1 jurisdictions. Negative balance protection is not mandated.
Retail leverage caps: No statutory cap. Retail leverage of 1:200 to 1:500 is typical with SCB-licensed providers. Suitability and risk-disclosure obligations apply but are loosely enforced compared to ESMA jurisdictions.
Public register: SCB publishes a list of registered firms. The site does not offer a structured search comparable to FCA or ASIC; verifying a specific firm typically requires emailing the SCB directly. Open register ↗
Dispute resolution: No independent ombudsman with binding-award powers comparable to the FOS or AFCA. Disputes go through the firm's own complaints process or, ultimately, the Bahamian courts.
Editor notes: Major brokers including FxPro Global Markets and others use SCB-licensed entities to onboard clients excluded by EU/UK leverage caps. Treat an SCB licence as offshore: legal cover for the broker, but limited consumer recourse if anything goes wrong.

Brokers we track with a SCB licence

No brokers

No tracked broker currently holds a SCB licence in our database.

Brokers in Bahamas accepting residents under SCB →Regulators →Top 10 →

Frequently asked

Is an SCB licence "real" regulation?: SCB does conduct AML supervision and basic capital-adequacy oversight, so it is real regulation in the technical sense. But there is no statutory compensation scheme, no leverage caps, no mandatory negative balance protection, and no binding-award ombudsman. Treat SCB as legal cover for the broker's commercial activity, not a meaningful consumer-protection regime.
Why do brokers like FxPro Global Markets and Pepperstone Limited use SCB?: SCB licensing lets them onboard clients excluded from EU/UK/AU jurisdictions by retail leverage caps — most clients access leverage above 1:200 there. The same broker group typically operates a tier-1 entity (FCA, ASIC) for European/Australian retail and the SCB entity for the rest of the world.
How risky is funding an SCB-licensed broker?: Risk varies sharply by group. Major broker groups with FCA/ASIC entities and audited financial statements (FxPro, Pepperstone, IC Markets via Bahamas) generally honour withdrawals reliably. Pure-offshore brokers without sister tier-1 entities have a worse track record and significantly higher complaints volume on industry forums.
Can I sue an SCB-licensed broker if there's a dispute?: Disputes go through Bahamian courts under Bahamian law. Cross-border enforcement is slow, expensive and frequently impractical for retail-sized claims. Some major broker groups offer voluntary internal arbitration that produces faster outcomes than litigation.
Does Bahamian banking secrecy affect transparency?: The Bahamas has signed onto the OECD Common Reporting Standard (CRS) and reports tax-residency information to most major countries since 2018. Banking-side secrecy is no longer the protection it was pre-2010. The relevant transparency gap today is the SCB's lighter-touch supervision compared to tier-1 regulators, not bank secrecy.