Authority and scope
Sections ↑An issuer making a regulated derivatives offer must hold the relevant FMA licence. The authority’s guidance distinguishes the licensing application from Financial Service Providers Register registration and associated fees.[1]
The product distinction matters. Exchanging currency and entering a derivative linked to a currency are different services. FMA’s forex guidance discusses derivatives such as forwards, options, swaps and margin products; the contract’s economic and legal structure determines the relevant licence question.[5]
Registers and permission checks
Sections ↑Reading the evidence
| Check | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| Legal identity | Match the agreement’s company, including any former name, to its current provider record.Source 2 |
| Permission | Check the derivatives-issuer licence, status and scope rather than treating a registration number as sufficient.Source 2 |
| Offer documents | Regulated derivative offers require a client agreement and product disclosures; the specific offer still determines contract terms.Source 1 |
The broker articles linked to this reference are editorial coverage, not a complete list of licensed providers.[2]
FSPR registration is not proof that a provider is licensed by FMA or even based in New Zealand. The register also records the provider’s dispute-resolution membership. Use it for those specific fields, then check FMA’s licensed-provider record for derivatives-issuer authority and any conditions.[4][2]
Check the exact legal entity, permissions, current status and scope in the official record. A brand connection in our coverage does not establish authorisation.
Rules for firms and products
Sections ↑The published standard conditions require a derivatives issuer to take reasonable steps to ensure that brokers, introducers and white-label businesses distributing its products have the authorisations required where they operate. Distribution through another brand does not make the issuer’s own licensing obligations disappear.[3]
Conduct and onboarding
| Topic | Published position and meaning |
|---|---|
| Customer understanding | Condition 12 addresses whether the retail investor has sufficient knowledge and experience to understand the derivative’s risks. If the issuer concludes that the customer cannot understand them, it must not enter the derivative.Source 3 |
| Insufficient information | The condition distinguishes an inability to establish understanding from a finding that the customer lacks understanding: warning requirements apply where the information is insufficient.Source 3 |
| Disclosure and fair dealing | Regulated offers require the relevant disclosure and client agreement. Misleading, deceptive, false or unsubstantiated representations are addressed by the fair-dealing framework.Source 1 |
Client assets and protection boundaries
Sections ↑FMA’s derivatives-issuer guidance identifies trust obligations for derivatives investor money and property, including holding relevant money in a separate trust account at a specified bank. Examine the client agreement and permitted uses of margin, rather than treating “segregated” as a promise that assets never move or that losses cannot occur.[1]
Complaints and dispute resolution
Sections ↑Retail dispute route
| Topic | Published position and meaning |
|---|---|
| Provider first | Use the firm’s complaint process and retain the response.Source 4 |
| Independent scheme | Check its named scheme in disclosures or FSPR. The approved schemes are Banking Ombudsman, IFSO, Financial Services Complaints and Financial Dispute Resolution Service.Source 4 |
| Eligible dispute | The member’s scheme can provide free independent dispute resolution; membership and the case rules determine access.Source 4 |
Reporting misconduct and enforcement
Sections ↑FMA can investigate possible breaches and act on issues affecting the market, but says it cannot obtain remedies for individuals. A regulatory complaint about recurring misconduct and an application to the provider’s dispute scheme therefore serve different purposes.[4]
Compensation and firm failure
Sections ↑A derivatives-issuer licence, a trust-account obligation and dispute-scheme membership are separate protections. None of those facts alone establishes that a trading loss or an insolvent issuer’s entire account balance will be reimbursed. The sources cited here do not establish a universal investor-insurance amount for New Zealand derivatives accounts.[1][4]
Contacts & official resources
Sections ↑Use the authority’s official website for current official routes. Purpose-specific resources have not yet been established in this profile.
Sources & further reading
- Derivatives issuers: licensing and regulated offers Financial Markets Authority · Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- Licensed and reporting providers directory Financial Markets Authority · Accessed 10 Oct 2026
- Standard conditions for derivatives-issuer licences, April 2024 Financial Markets Authority New Zealand · Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- Disputes, FSPR and consumer protection Financial Markets Authority New Zealand · Accessed 15 Oct 2026
- Foreign-exchange trading: product and provider distinctions Financial Markets Authority New Zealand · Accessed 15 Oct 2026
A documented resource is not a finding of eligibility or compensation coverage. Consult the named body and current official terms for your firm, product and circumstances.
Report an error or submit an update
Covered broker profiles
Profiles connected to this authority in our coverage. This is not a complete official register or a list of approved brokers; see each entity’s dated status.
ASB Securities
A detailed New Zealand profile of ASB Securities’ online NZ/Australian dealing, international telephone service, value-banded commissions, Cash Management Account, order controls, margin lending, nominee custody, settlement and complaint routes.
- Operating status
- Active
- Headquarters
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Sources checked
- 15 Oct 2026
EC Markets
The Mauritius-operated EC Markets offering, including STD, ECN and PRO pricing, instrument-specific leverage, onboarding documents, stock-CFD platform limits and the contractual conditions behind payments and protection.
- Operating status
- Active
- Sources checked
- 10 Oct 2026
Forsyth Barr
Forsyth Barr offers transaction-only assistance, advice and separately managed portfolios. Its cash-management service supports several currencies, while overseas shares are normally held in custody under the terms effective 12 October 2026. Cash returns, custody rights and the New Zealand deposit-compensation rules need to be considered separately from investment performance.
- Operating status
- Active
- Headquarters
- New Zealand
- Sources checked
- 27 Oct 2026
Hatch Invest New Zealand
A detailed New Zealand profile of Hatch’s US brokerage service through DriveWealth, including one-off and Auto-invest pricing, Kids accounts, FX charges, order controls, FDIC cash sweep, SIPC boundaries, transfers, tax reporting and support.
- Operating status
- Active
- Headquarters
- Wellington, New Zealand
- Sources checked
- 29 Oct 2026
Pacific Financial Derivatives
PFD combines an active New Zealand derivatives-issuer licence with MT4 accounts, forex and CFD markets, a published outage desk, managed-account mandates and FIX access. Its payment charges and several legacy-document discrepancies deserve close attention.
- Operating status
- Active
- Headquarters
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Sources checked
- 19 Oct 2026
Sharesies
A detailed New Zealand reference to Sharesies’ pay-as-you-go and subscription pricing, self-directed and advised accounts, nominee custody, currency conversion, transfers, reports, withdrawals and protection boundaries.
- Operating status
- Active
- Headquarters
- Wellington, New Zealand
- Sources checked
- 15 Oct 2026
ZERO Markets
ZERO Markets offers Standard and Super ZERO accounts, MetaTrader CFDs, Islamic pricing, copy services and managed-account infrastructure. This profile separates international tariffs, cash and credit, operating rules and the different Australian, New Zealand, Mauritius and SVG relationships.
- Operating status
- Active
- Sources checked
- 11 Oct 2026