France is one of Europe’s biggest, most dynamic and potentially most rewarding Forex markets. It is also one of the most conservative, in regards to the rules and regulations guiding the activity. At the center of what can only be called a massive anti-Forex push, is the local financial regulatory agency, AMF (Autorite de Marches Financiers), which is indeed one of the strictest and most draconic such authority in Europe. The AMF has traditionally aimed to guide the French public away from investments entailing high risk and high reward, towards the much more conservative stock market. The regulator is fairly certain that the advertising practices employed by some of the operating Forex brokers in France are unfair, as they tend to downplay the financial risks associated with the activity, focusing instead on the potential rewards.

Forex brokers in France who have run afoul of the AMF are added to a backlist, which currently holds quite a few operators. This list is constantly updated, as the AMF uncovers new rule-breakers.

The reasons behind the heavy-handedness of the AMF are very real though, and well argued. Back in 2014, the authority conducted a study, according to which, 9 out of 10 French Forex traders had lost money during the period spanning the previous 5 years. The losses were massive too, averaging out at more than EUR 10k per person. It is also true though that most of those losses were to unlicensed Fx brokerages located outside the jurisdiction of the AMF. There are a fair number of Forex brokers authorized by the AMF to offer financial intermediary services in France.


Broker Features Regulator Platforms Next Step
Number One Broker Between 74-89% of CFD traders lose Founded: 2010
Between 74-89 % of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs
  • Low trading costs
  • Great market flow
  • Research and analysis which helps spot trades
  • Wide range of Copy and Social Trading options
  • Limited range of non-forex markets
ASIC, FCA MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader
Your capital is at risk Founded: 2006
Europe* CFDs ar...
  • Multi-asset broker offering a wide variety of markets
  • Strong regulatory framework
  • Innovative risk management tools
  • Choice of market-leading platforms
  • Wide spreads on some markets
  • Expiry date on Demo Accounts
ASIC, FSA, FSB, MiFID MetaTrader4, Sirix, AvaOptions, AvaTrader, Mirror Trader
eToro Logo77% of CFD traders lose Founded: 2007
77 % of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
  • Social and Copy Trading Platform
  • Beginner Friendly
  • Risk-free Demo Account
  • Top-tier regulation
  • Limited means of raising queries
  • Withdrawal process isn’t really ‘client-focused’
ASIC, CySEC, FCA eToro Platform
Blackbull LogoYour capital is at risk Founded: 2014
  • User-friendly platform with great trade-analysis tools
  • Leverage Up To 1:500
  • Spreads as low as 0.00 pips
  • Quality trade execution thanks to high-spec IT infrastructure
  • $0 minimum account opening balance
  • 26,000 tradeable instruments
  • Not available in all jurisdictions
  • Regulatory infrastructure
FSPR MT4
XM LogoYour capital is at risk Founded: 2009, 2015, 2017
  • Low minimum deposit
  • Super- tight bid-offer spreads
  • Impressive trading platforms
  • Tier-1 regulators
  • Difficult to contact tech support
  • No Crypto
ASIC, CySEC, IFSC MT4 Terminal, MT4 for Mac, Web Trader, iPhone/iPad Trader, Droid Trader, Mobile Trader, MT5

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