Is Tickmill safe?
Tickmill is regulated by FCA (717270) and 3 more authorities, keeps client funds in segregated accounts, and clients are covered by ICF (€20,000).
Operating: 4 of 5 register entries hold a live authorisation as of 2026-09-17; the rest no longer take new clients.
Verdict based on verified regulatory data below. We are not affiliated with regulators.
Legal entities behind Tickmill
Each row is one register card, read on the date shown. A brand can span several licences with different statuses — the one you contract with decides your protection.
| Entity | Regulator | Reference | Status | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tickmill South Africa (Pty) Ltd | FSCA · South Africa | FSP 49464 | AuthorisedRegister wording: Authorized · Date Authorised 09/10/2019 · FSP Type Company - PrivateFSCA's FSP search returns its results through a form, so the link opens the search: enter FSP number 49464. | 2026-09-17 |
| Tickmill UK Ltd | FCA · United Kingdom | FRN 717270 | AuthorisedRegister wording: Authorised · since 29/07/2016 | 2026-09-17 |
| Tickmill Europe Ltd | CySEC · Cyprus | 278/15 | AuthorisedRegister wording: Investment Firms (Cypriot) · licence 278/15 of 05/08/2015 | 2026-09-17 |
| Tickmill Europe Ltd | FCA · United Kingdom | FRN 733772 | No longer authorisedRegister wording: Cancelled · since 10/12/2023 | 2026-09-17 |
| Tickmill Ltd | FSA Seychelles · Seychelles | SD008 | AuthorisedRegister wording: Listed under Securities DealerThe FSA's securities-dealer list names Tickmill Ltd but prints no licence number; SD008 is the number Tickmill publishes. | 2026-09-17 |
Register records for all brokers (CSV, JSON) · Register change log
Why this broker scores 83/100
Full methodology →⚠ 1 axis accounts for 7 of 17 lost points
How safe is your money
Segregated client accounts
Client funds held separately from operating capital. Required by regulator.
Investor compensation: ICF (€20,000)
If broker becomes insolvent, your covered assets are reimbursed up to the scheme's limit.
Not a publicly traded company
Private — financials are not disclosed publicly.
12 years of operations
Founded 2014. No major regulatory actions on record.
Negative balance protection
You cannot lose more than your account balance.
CFD/crypto exposure
Offers high-leverage products. 74–89% of retail CFD accounts lose money in the long run.
Independent reviews
What could go wrong
- CFD-only — does NOT offer real stocks, ETFs or bonds despite 'Stock CFDs' brandingTickmill's homepage lists 'Stock & ETF CFDs' as asset classes — these are derivatives, not actual securities. You don't own the shares, no dividends as cash (cash-adjusted via CFD price), no voting rights, no FATCA. If you want to compound a real-shares portfolio over years, Tickmill cannot serve you.
- High-leverage retail accounts (1:500) under offshore FSA SeychellesEU/UK clients get 1:30 ESMA-mandated leverage. Offshore (FSA Seychelles) gets up to 1:500 — but the FSA Seychelles license has weaker investor protection than FCA / CySEC. Tickmill's own risk warning reports 69% (UK) / 73% (EU) of retail CFD accounts lose money — and that is before stacking the higher offshore leverage.
- No proprietary platform — MT4 / MT5 onlyTickmill doesn't operate its own UI; you use the standard MetaTrader stack. Fine for FX traders fluent in MT, but no differentiation vs other FX brokers. No web-trader, no mobile-first option, no integrated research.
- Compensation caps at €20,000 — below FCA (£85k) / SIPC ($500k)Investor compensation tops out at the listed cap — well below the FCA (£85k) or SIPC ($500k). Matters most if your balance exceeds it.
- CFD-only (no direct exchange access)You never own the underlying — overnight financing applies
Frequently asked questions
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What happens if Tickmill goes bankrupt?
How we verified this review
Every fact below is verified against primary sources. We refresh on a schedule and on reader feedback.