Find Trusted FMA Brokers

Do you need to locate the best FMA regulated brokers around? We’ve got great news – you’ve come to just the right place. Our experts have decades of experience in the financial and trading sectors, and are here to tell you all about the very best brokers regulated by the FMA.

The FMA was formed in 2011 after the New Zealand parliament passed the Financial Markets Bill to create a new regulatory agency to oversee regulations and supervision of financial markets to restore consumer confidence and to bring back investors to the country.

According to the new Bill, the FMA has the complete power to license, regulate, supervise, and revoke licenses for all financial firms. And to ensure that the integrity and transparency of the financial markets are kept intact. The regulatory framework for the FMA is currently outlined by the Financial Markets Conduct Act of 2013.

Read on to find out more about who the FMA are, how they operate, what to do if you need to complain to the FMA about a broker, and much more.

Can FMA regulated brokers be trusted?

Several large-scale financial meltdowns and broker scams have rendered a bad image to New Zealand’s overall economy and the effectiveness of its regulatory governance. In fact, the New Zealand authorities were pretty much forced to reform their regulatory guidelines to ensure that a repeat of the scenario never happens again in the future. The regulatory protocols were reformed to such an extent that even genuine brokers who had legitimate business transactions were affected and ultimately banned from carrying out businesses under the FMA license.

The FMA was introduced by taking into account several aspects of an international code of conduct that all regulated financial companies must adhere to, and the same rules apply to brokers that are regulated by the FMA.

Brokers constantly monitored

The FMA has become more proactive in its efforts on fighting financial crimes by enforcing its rules on its member companies. Now, it constantly monitors all regulated firms and supervises their activities by issuing guidance and policy updates on a periodic basis. This means that all brokers regulated by the FMA are safe, secure, and transparent in their dealings with the consumer. The regulatory protocols were reformed to such an extent that even genuine brokers who had legitimate business transactions were affected and ultimately banned from carrying out businesses under the FMA license.

What is the FMA?

The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) is the regulatory authority for financial markets as well as its participants in New Zealand. During the 2006 to 2010 period, the Securities Commission of New Zealand, which was the predecessor to the FMA, received a lot of criticism due to the failure of numerous financial companies and the subsequent loss of client funds. The Securities Commission of New Zealand was also unable to enforce strict regulations, which ultimately led to the breakdown of the New Zealand economy, played in part by the global financial crisis.

What does the FMA do?

FMA is committed to consumer education by enabling the general public to browse through their online resources and gain more information about the financial markets. The organization inspires investors to make calculative decisions based upon extensive research. And to be diligent in their approach while dealing with financial entities that are regulated with the FMA. They also promise swift action against rogue brokers who deviate from the rigorous code of conduct that all member companies are required to adhere to.

The FMA is also involved in formulating strict anti-money laundering policies through the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act of 2009. All FMA member organizations are required to comply with the act and the FMA will not deviate from its stand of protecting the overall interests of the nation. Additionally, the FMA conducts regular audits of organizations to ensure that all financial transactions are carried out in line with FMA’s guidelines.

What is a FMA regulated broker?

An FMA regulated broker is any organization which has a valid license with the FMA, and follows their rules. But before the FMA, there was the Securities Commission of New Zealand.

Several brokers and financial companies had registered their businesses in New Zealand under the previous Securities Commission of New Zealand guidelines, which means their licenses were issued according to the then prevalent regulations.

However, the transition from the Securities Commission of New Zealand to the FMA did not account for existing companies that were already carrying out genuine operations in New Zealand. Hence, a majority of these companies were banned or deregulated from the FMA.

This created an uproar among standing businesses, and the FMA was forced to reconsider its stance by reforming its regulatory framework to issue licenses to all previous companies. However, under the new reforms, all companies must reform its operational procedures to satisfy the new regulations. Failure to do so can attract hefty fines and permanent bans on licenses.

How do I complain to FMA regulated brokers?

The primary aim of the FMA is to restore investor confidence by working with the consumer to sustain the financial markets through honesty and transparency. Therefore, the FMA is dedicated to the consumer that allows investors to contact the FMA directly in case of any complaints or tip-offs. The FMA offers multiple channels for consumers to get in touch with the FMA through helpline numbers, emails, and web contact forms.

The FMA conducts consumer surveys and has formed a consumer advisory network that works on incorporating consumer feedback while creating regulatory guidelines for licensing financial companies in the country. These initiatives are often seen as FMA’s answer to upholding the integrity of the financial markets, as they constantly seek feedback from consumers on their experiences with FMA member companies.

How to check that a broker is regulated by the FMA

Once you’ve found what you believe to be the best FMA regulated brokers, you’ll want to make sure that they’re legitimate with 100% certainty. But how do you do this?

If you take a look at the webpage of any broker in New Zealand, chances are there’ll be information on all the licenses they hold. This will often be in the footer of the page, or sometimes in a section which is dedicated to regulation specifically. Find this and you’ll be able to find out the broker’s FMA license number.

But some brokers have outdated or completely false licensing information. So, once you’ve tracked down their number, you can cross check this against the FMA’s official website, which will list all the best and worst FMA regulated brokers.