Safety and due diligence
How do I check whether an investment firm is regulated?
A short, practical FCA verification process to help spot unauthorised or clone firms.
The short answer
Use the FCA's Firm Checker or Financial Services Register to confirm the legal entity, permissions and contact details for the service. If you cannot find the firm or details do not match, pause and contact the FCA.
Verify the entity, not just the brand
A polished website or social account is not proof of authorisation. Search the legal entity in the provider's terms and compare it with the FCA listing.
The FCA warns that unauthorised firms and clone firms can impersonate genuine businesses. Use the contact details from the Firm Checker when responding to unexpected approaches.
Shariah-compliance considerations
Regulatory verification is necessary but does not answer whether a product is Shariah-compliant. After you verify the legal entity, separately inspect the product's return structure, cash policy, holdings and methodology.
A provider should be able to explain both its regulatory status and how it screens or runs the product. Do not accept one as proof of the other.
What this means in practice
- 1Find the legal entity in the provider's terms and conditions.
- 2Search it on the FCA's Firm Checker or Register.
- 3Match the contact details and permissions to the service offered.
- 4Only after this check, assess the product's Shariah methodology and documentation.