U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
SEC · United States · Established 1934
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is the financial regulator of the United States, established 1934. It caps retail leverage at 1:50, requires negative balance protection and segregated client funds, and compensates clients up to USD 500,000 if a firm fails.
Check a firm's licence yourself
What this licence gets you
The rules a firm has to follow to keep this licence. A dash means we hold no answer on file, which is not the same as a no.
- Maximum leverage, retail
- 1:50
- Maximum leverage, professional
- —
- Compensation if the firm fails
- USD 500,000
- Negative balance protection
- Required
- Client funds held separately
- Required
- Hedging
- Not permitted
- FIFO order closing
- Not mandatory
- Supervision covers
- U.S. securities markets (stocks, bonds, options, ETFs; forex only via CFTC/NFA overlap)
- Body type
- Federal government agency
About SEC
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is the federal agency regulating securities markets and broker-dealers, enforcing anti-fraud, disclosure, and investor protection laws with broad enforcement powers. It does not regulate retail forex (CFTC/NFA does), but all securities firms (including those offering forex via dual registration) must comply with SEC rules. The SEC sets the global benchmark for transparency and market integrity.