About

Methodology & Editorial Standards

Editorial Independence

BrokerChecker is an independent editorial platform. We do not accept payment for reviews, affiliate commissions from reviewed companies, or sponsored placements of any kind.

Every review is conducted by our in-house research team using a consistent, documented methodology. Companies cannot pay to influence their score, verdict, or ranking position.

Our editorial team operates independently from any commercial relationships. Revenue is generated through clearly labeled display advertising that is separated from editorial content and has no influence on our assessments.

Scoring Methodology

Each provider is evaluated across five categories on a 1–10 scale. The overall score is a weighted average reflecting the relative importance of each factor to consumer protection.

Transparency

Clarity of fee disclosures, team identities, corporate structure, and terms of service. We assess whether key regulatory documents are accessible and accurate.

Regulation

Verification of all regulatory claims against official registers (FCA, SEC, ASIC, CySEC, etc.). We distinguish between tier-1, tier-2, and offshore regulation.

Fees

Comparison of spreads, commissions, withdrawal fees, and hidden charges against industry benchmarks. We test with real accounts where possible.

Customer Support

Direct testing of support channels — response times, knowledge accuracy, and resolution quality across live chat, email, and phone.

Trustworthiness

Track record analysis including operating history, regulatory actions, user complaints, fund security measures, and corporate governance.

Verdict Definitions

Recommended

Meets our standards for regulatory compliance, transparency, and service quality.

Use With Caution

Concerns identified in one or more categories. Proceed with full awareness of documented risks.

Avoid

Significant red flags identified. We recommend against using this service.

Under Investigation

Currently under active review by our research team. Verdict pending.

Research Team

JW

James Whitfield

Senior Financial Analyst

Former compliance officer with 15 years in financial services regulation. Leads broker and platform investigations.

SC

Sarah Chen

Cryptocurrency Research Lead

Blockchain researcher and certified crypto analyst specializing in exchange evaluation and DeFi platform risk assessment.

MT

Michael Torres

Consumer Protection Analyst

Consumer advocacy background with expertise in identifying fraudulent financial services and protecting retail investors.

DRH

Dr. Rebecca Harmon

Regulatory Compliance Expert

PhD in Financial Regulation from LSE. Former regulatory advisor with deep expertise in cross-border compliance frameworks.

DP

David Park

Trading Platform Specialist

Former quantitative trader with 10 years of platform evaluation experience across equities, forex, and derivatives markets.

Contact

For corrections, press inquiries, or general questions: contact@brokerchecker.org

To report a potentially fraudulent financial service: investigations@brokerchecker.org