Capital.com vs Pepperstone: Which Broker Is Better?

Capital.com operates through several regulated entities, including Capital Com (UK) Limited, authorised by the UK FCA under licence number 793714; Capital Com Australia Pty Ltd, regulated by ASIC under licence number 513393; and Capital Com SV Investments Limited, authorised by CySEC under licence number 319/17. The group also includes an entity regulated by the DFSA in Dubai under licence number F006943, together with regulated entities in other jurisdictions.

Capital.com applies client-protection measures that include segregated client funds, anti-money-laundering and compliance requirements, and negative-balance protection for eligible retail clients. Additional compensation schemes or protection measures may be available depending on the regulatory entity responsible for the account.

Leverage, products, investor rights and complaint procedures depend on the legal company through which the account is opened. Traders should therefore verify the entity name and licence number shown in the client agreement rather than relying on Capital.com’s combined list of global licences.

Capital.com protects client funds by keeping them separate from the company’s operating funds in segregated accounts under applicable regulatory requirements. Eligible retail clients may also receive negative balance protection, helping limit losses to the funds available in the trading account. Additional compensation schemes or safeguards may apply depending on the entity and jurisdiction.

Traders should review the legal entity, applicable protection rules and compensation limits before depositing, because the available safeguards are not necessarily identical across all Capital.com entities.

Pepperstone operates through several regulated entities, including Pepperstone Group Limited, authorised by ASIC under licence number 414530; Pepperstone Limited, authorised by the UK FCA under licence number 684312; and Pepperstone EU Limited, regulated by CySEC under licence number 388/20. The group also includes an entity supervised by the DFSA in Dubai and another regulated by the SCB in the Bahamas for different regions.

The FCA, ASIC and CySEC licences provide Pepperstone with a strong regulatory foundation, but account conditions and client protection are not identical across all entities. Leverage, investor protection, complaint procedures and negative-balance protection may differ according to the client’s country and the legal company accepting the account.

Before opening a Standard or Razor account, traders should verify the entity name and licence number shown during registration. This is especially important for traders choosing Pepperstone for low spreads and fast execution, as the account may be assigned either to a highly regulated entity or to an international company offering more flexibility under different protection rules.

Regulated Pepperstone entities hold eligible client funds in accounts separate from the company’s operating capital. Pepperstone also states that client money is held with tier-one banks under the requirements applying to the relevant legal entity. Eligible retail clients may receive negative balance protection, helping limit liability arising from a negative trading-account balance.

Certain clients registered with UK or European entities may qualify for statutory investor compensation schemes, subject to eligibility conditions and legal limits. Protection is not identical across the FCA, ASIC, CySEC, DFSA and Bahamas entities. Traders should verify the company responsible for their account and the safeguards that apply before depositing.