Forex IB marketing rules

Forex and CFDs are high-risk, leveraged products, so regulators treat their marketing more strictly than most products. As an IB, your posts, videos and messages count as promotion, and brokers can end your partnership if you break the rules. Regulators in several countries have also taken action against unauthorised "finfluencers".

The basic principle: fair, clear and not misleading

Almost every major regulator uses some version of this test. Your marketing must not exaggerate benefits, hide risks or give a false impression. Showing only winning trades, or a lifestyle funded by "trading profits", fails this test.

Risk warnings

In the UK and EU, CFD providers must show a standard risk warning that includes the percentage of their retail client accounts that lose money. This comes from ESMA's product intervention measures of 2018, which national regulators such as the FCA and CySEC then made permanent. Brokers usually require their IBs to include the same warning, with the broker's current percentage, in any promotion.

Practical tips:

• Use the exact wording and current percentage your broker gives you.
• Make it visible: in the video itself, in the caption and on landing pages, not hidden behind "see more".
• Keep it updated: the percentage changes, usually every quarter.

Finfluencer rules by region

• United Kingdom: only authorised firms can communicate or approve financial promotions. The FCA has published guidance on promotions on social media and has prosecuted finfluencers for promoting unauthorised trading schemes.
• European Union: ESMA's product intervention measures, made permanent by national regulators, limit retail CFD leverage (30:1 for major currency pairs) and ban monetary and non-monetary benefits, such as deposit bonuses, for retail CFD clients. Don't advertise bonuses to EU retail clients.
• Australia: ASIC's product intervention order limits retail CFD leverage, and ASIC Information Sheet 269 explains when finfluencers need a licence or can breach the law, for example by giving financial product advice or promoting for payment without one.
• United States: CFDs can't be offered to US retail clients, and anyone soliciting forex business generally needs to be registered with the CFTC and be a member of the NFA.

Also check the rules in your clients' countries, not just your own. Many brokers' terms forbid marketing to certain countries entirely.

Phrases to avoid

• "Guaranteed profit", "risk-free", "can't lose".
• "Make $X a day" or any income promise.
• "Copy my trades and get rich".
• "Regulated" for a broker whose licence you haven't checked, or which is regulated only for a different entity.
• "Free money" or "bonus" for regions where bonuses are banned.

Other things that cause trouble

• Not disclosing the relationship. Tell your audience that you earn commission if they open an account. Advertising standards and platform rules usually require it.
• Personal advice. Telling someone what to trade, or how much to invest, can be regulated advice. Stick to education unless you are authorised.
• Bidding on the broker's brand. Many brokers ban IBs from paid search ads on their brand name.
• Fake reviews or screenshots. Edited results or invented testimonials are misleading, and in many countries illegal.

Checklist before you post

1. Does the post include the broker's current risk warning?
2. Have I disclosed that I earn commission?
3. Have I avoided income promises and "guaranteed" claims?
4. Am I targeting only countries the broker allows?
5. Does the content follow the broker's brand guidelines, and does it need their approval?
6. Would a beginner understand the risks after reading or watching this?

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to include a risk warning on Instagram or TikTok?

If you promote CFDs or forex to UK or EU audiences, you should include the broker's standard risk warning, and most brokers require it everywhere. Put it in the content and the caption.

Can I show my own trading results?

Be very careful. Show losses as well as wins, explain that past performance doesn't predict future results, and never edit screenshots. Some brokers don't allow it at all.