What is the CMVM license?
A simple explanation of the regulator, the strength of the license, and what to check before opening an account.
The Comissão do Mercado de Valores Mobiliários, or CMVM, is Portugal's national securities regulator and supervises financial intermediaries, securities markets and investment services within its jurisdiction. For international traders researching a Portugal-based or Portugal-authorized broker, CMVM's registers provide an important way to verify the legal entity and its authorization to provide investment services.
Portugal is part of the European financial-services framework, which means some investment firms may serve Portuguese clients through cross-border or passporting arrangements while remaining primarily supervised by a regulator in another EU or EEA jurisdiction. The CMVM register can therefore show both locally supervised firms and entities permitted to operate in Portugal under European arrangements.
Eligible investors may also fall within Portugal's Investor Compensation Scheme when its statutory conditions apply. Before opening an account, traders should confirm the entity, authorization route, home regulator where applicable and the investor-protection framework attached to their specific account.
