FCA

Check the company and the service together

FCA authorisation is permission for specified activities. A firm’s presence in an official search does not answer whether it can provide your particular service, or whether the person contacting you belongs to that firm.

The Financial Conduct Authority is an independent UK public body. It regulates financial conduct and markets; it is separate from the Financial Ombudsman Service and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

A new product: use Firm Checker

1. Open the FCA Firm Checker yourself and choose “Check a firm”. Search the exact company, not only the app’s brand.
2. Choose the matching result by comparing its reference number, website, phone and postcode with your records.
3. Select the product or service category. Read both what the firm can do and what it cannot do. Ask about the exact product if the category is broader than your proposed service.

On 9 October 2026, we followed that path for OANDA Europe Limited, chose “Investments, including pension plans”, and obtained an Authorised / Some permissions result. That category result is not a finding that every investment service is permitted or offered. The page itself asks users to confirm the exact product.

A historical agreement or detailed record: use the Register

The Financial Services Register guidance describes a public record of firms and individuals currently or previously authorised by the FCA or PRA. Open the Register to inspect the complete company entry, dates, permissions and disciplinary or regulatory information. Save the record relevant to the date of your agreement.

A number, a status and an activity are different fields

Sources: FCA authorisation guidance and the Register guidance above. The FCA explains that “No longer authorised” can follow voluntary cancellation, while “Revoked” follows enforcement cancellation. Examine the particular action record before attributing a reason.

For an AR, the Register guidance says principals agree the permitted activities and are responsible for that business. Going outside those activities can affect access to FOS or FSCS. Confirm the principal through the official entry, then ask it about the actual service and protection.

Three differences a single “FCA regulated” badge misses

Historical company versus current company

Gain Capital – Forex.Com UK Limited, 190864 displays No longer authorised since 6 October 2017. StoneX Financial Ltd, 446717 displays Authorised. They are different companies. Match an old agreement and any transfer notice to the corresponding record; do not merge their numbers.

Investment status versus payment-services status

OANDA Europe Limited, 542574 displays Authorised for its investment record, alongside a separate Cancelled – Authorised PI payment-services field dated 4 July 2018. The second field is not cancellation of the investment authorisation.

Permission versus the service actually contracted

The OANDA Firm Checker investment category reports Some permissions. Its UK agreement describes execution-only derivative trading. A broad list of regulatory permissions does not tell you that your contract includes personal advice or portfolio management.

These named records were checked on 9 October 2026. They illustrate how to read fields, not a recommendation to open an account. Full permissions and every historical action were not independently assessed.

Read the account-specific evidence in the FOREX.com profile and OANDA profile. Their UK descriptions do not extend UK protection to a separate overseas contract.

Authenticate who contacted you after finding the firm

The FCA clone-firm guidance describes impersonators using genuine names, addresses and reference numbers while changing phone numbers, websites or email details. A genuine firm in the Register therefore does not validate every contact claiming to represent it.

1. Compare the complete website, phone and email against the official entry. Similar spelling is insufficient.
2. Contact the firm through an independently verified route to authenticate the representative and instruction.
3. If told that the official contact details are outdated, or no contact information is available, ask the FCA for help rather than accepting the explanation from that contact.
4. Resolve a changed bank account or unexplained third-party recipient before sending money.

Use the FCA Warning List for published warnings. A search with no matching warning is not proof of safety. The FXCN domain check is a first check, not authentication by the FCA.

Choose the channel for the problem you need resolved

The FOS time-limit guide gives most other complaints an eight-week business response period and generally six months from the final response for referral. Payment and e-money complaints have a different response period. Earlier event/awareness limits and exceptions can also apply. Confirm your case’s timetable directly with FOS; this page does not calculate a deadline.

The investment compensation limit is not the bank-deposit limit. Do not apply a deposit-insurance headline to a derivative account. FCA, FOS and FSCS carry out different tasks; none makes a trading loss automatically reimbursable.

Keep enough evidence to repeat the check

A useful record connects your transaction to an identifiable company and dated terms. Record the following before relying on a permission claim:

• The complete legal name, FRN, trading name, product and customer category in your agreement.
• The official profile URL, status and effective date, relevant permission or restriction, and when you checked it.
• The contact and payment instructions received, plus your verification through a separate company channel.
• For a dispute, dated transactions, correspondence, the remedy requested and the final response.

If any essential field is unclear, ask the firm or FCA to resolve it. A foreign licence, group relationship, third-party score or company-incorporation number does not fill a missing UK activity permission.

Questions and review scope

Sources are linked beside their claims. FCA consumer guidance and the named Register profiles were checked on 9 October 2026; the Firm Checker path was followed directly in the browser. FOS and FSCS guidance was reviewed through retrieved official text. This guide does not determine individual legal eligibility, assess every permission or action, or certify investment safety. Send a correction.