Comprehensive Scam/Risk Assessment of KQMarkets.co.uk 

⚠️ Urgent Summary — Serious Regulatory and Credibility Concerns

KQMarkets.co.uk presents itself as a UK-based trading platform for forex, CFDs, and spread betting, claiming to be authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) with licence number 780026 and offering client protections like segregated funds and negative-balance protection. (kqmarkets.co.uk)

However, independent financial watchdog analyses reveal critical discrepancies in those claims and strongly advise against treating this as a legitimate retail CFD/forex broker. Key regulatory evidence shows that the firm’s FCA authorisation is limited and does not include permissions to onboard retail clients for CFD/forex trading, despite KQ Markets’ marketing claims. Given these contradictions, the platform carries very high risk and should be approached with extreme caution — if at all. (FastBull)

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1. Regulatory Legitimacy Does Not Match Services Promoted

KQ Markets’ own website and disclosures state:

• It is “Authorised and regulated by the FCA” under FCA Register Number: 780026
• Head office: 1 St. Katharine’s Way, London, E1W 1UN, UK. (kqmarkets.co.uk)

However, closer scrutiny from independent broker reviewers finds that:

• The FCA record for firm number 780026 is legitimate, but that authorisation only covers investment advice — not retail forex or CFD trading.
• KQ Markets claims that CFD and securities trading is provided by StoneX and describes itself as an “introducer” of StoneX, a valid FCA-regulated broker. But StoneX’s own FCA disclosures and official representative lists do not include KQ Markets as an introducer or appointed representative.
• Because KQ Markets is not authorised to offer the core services it markets (CFD/forex) to retail clients, its onboarding of such clients is therefore not compliant with FCA permissions. (FastBull)

This situation is a serious regulatory mismatch: the company is not permitted to perform the activity it advertises to everyday traders.

2. Independent Risk Classifications Label It High Risk / Scam-Like

Leading broker-monitoring outlets that track regulatory compliance and broker behaviour now classify KQ Markets with caution:

• BrokersView explicitly labels KQ Markets as “SCAM” for retail derivative services because it offers trading it is not authorised to provide.
• It also highlights that the claimed relationship with StoneX is unsubstantiated and likely intended to mislead prospective clients. (FastBull)

These findings suggest that KQ Markets lacks the regulatory backing it needs to lawfully serve retail clients in the UK or other markets, and its marketing represents a regulatory overreach.

3. Independent Safety Scores Are Poor

Independent trading broker reputation trackers such as WikiFX assign KQ Markets a very low trust score (around 3.20/10) and issue explicit warnings advising traders to stay away from the platform due to concerns about:

• Withdrawal issues
• Ambiguous fee structures
• Potential impersonation or clone account risks
• Regulatory weak spots and unclear legal protections for clients (WikiFX)

While a low trust score alone doesn’t prove fraud, it strongly signals that further care and verification are required before engaging with any financial service provider.

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4. Mixed Technical and User-Security Signals

Automated website risk tools sometimes show relatively normal baseline metrics (e.g., valid SSL, domain age), but this does not verify regulatory compliance or financial market legitimacy. One automated scan showed that the site appears “technically safe,” yet this kind of analysis cannot confirm that the business model is lawful or properly authorised in the financial space, especially for regulated instruments like CFDs. (ScamAdviser)

Importantly, few independent user reviews exist, and the discussions that do appear in public forums describe regulatory uncertainty rather than confirmed, reliable trading experiences. (beermoneyforum.com)

5. Client Protections Are Not Guaranteed

Platforms authorised by top regulators such as the FCA must provide critical investor protections, including:

✔ Client funds held in segregated accounts
✔ Access to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) for dispute resolution
✔ Participation in the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS)
✔ Clear, enforceable regulatory oversight

Even if KQ Markets could rely on its FCA permission for investment advice, it does not have permission to provide the trading services it advertises to retail clients, meaning these protections do not necessarily apply to the services you might sign up for. (FCA)

Thus, if you deposit funds believing protections exist, you may not have the safeguards you expect if the platform ceases operations, mishandles funds, or behaves unfairly.

6. Conflicting Regulatory Signals Increase Risk

KQ Markets promotes features like:

• Spread betting and CFD trading across thousands of markets
• Education resources and advanced platforms
• Negative balance protection and fund segregation

…which are hallmarks of legitimate brokers. But the disconnection between the authorised scope of its FCA licence and the products it markets produces a regulatory mismatch widely regarded as a serious risk signal. (kqmarkets.co.uk)

Regulators such as the FCA differentiate very clearly between:

• Investment advice licences — allowing limited financial guidance
• Trading and dealing licences — required for offering actual execution and asset exposure to retail clients

KQ Markets’ licence does not appear to cover the latter.

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7. What This Means for Investors

If you were to use KQMarkets.co.uk under the impression that you are trading with a fully regulated forex/CFD broker:

You could face significant risks, including:

• Lack of enforceable protections through the regulator
• No guarantee of client compensation via FSCS
• Possible misstatement of services you are legally entitled to receive
• Difficulty raising complaints or claims against the firm in the event of disputes
• Withdrawal or execution issues without regulatory oversight to intervene (FastBull)

Those are precisely the outcomes financial regulators aim to prevent when they strictly license and supervise brokers.

8. Official Regulatory Verification Steps — If You Consider It

Before trusting any broker claiming FCA regulation:

1. Search the FCA Financial Services Register using the firm’s name and reference number.
2. Confirm that the licence specifically includes permission for CFD and forex dealing with retail or professional clients.
3. Check whether the broker is listed as an appointed representative of another regulated firm if it claims this relationship.
4. Verify investor compensation and dispute resolution rights on the regulator’s site.

KQ Markets’ advertised FCA licence number 780026 exists, but the permitted activities on that licence do not cover the trading services it markets to you. (FastBull)

9. Final Conclusion — High Risk / Regulatory Discrepancies

KQMarkets.co.uk should not be treated as a fully regulated online CFD/forex broker.

While the platform appears professional and claims FCA authorisation, independent financial assessments clearly indicate:

• The licence held is only for investment advice and not for CFD/forex dealing. (FastBull)
• The claimed introduction relationship with StoneX is not verified on StoneX’s official regulator disclosures. (FastBull)
• Independent risk trackers give the site poor trust scores and explicit “stay away” warnings. (WikiFX)

⚠️ Recommendation

Do not open an account or deposit funds with KQMarkets.co.uk unless you receive clear, independent verification of regulatory permissions that match the products you want to trade.

Contracts for Difference (CFDs) and spread bets are high-risk instruments even with proper regulation — without it, the risk of financial loss, lack of recourse, and potential misconduct increases dramatically.

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Investor Safety Reminder

Before engaging with any online broker:

✔ Always check exactly what regulatory permissions a licence grants.
✔ Confirm that the broker’s name matches the licence holder on official registers.
✔ Understand that some licences do not include trading permissions.
✔ Verify any claimed relationships with other regulated entities through their official disclosures.
✔ Be skeptical of big promises from firms whose marketing outpaces their regulatory footprint.

These steps help protect capital and rights in the event of disputes.

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