A broker's website can say anything. According to Economies.com, that is exactly the problem: you cannot tell whether an online broker is truly regulated by looking at its marketing pages, and the claims it makes about licences and supervision are verified in one place — the regulator's own register. The point matters for retail traders because the register is the only independent record of who is actually authorised to deal with clients. A licence number printed on a homepage proves nothing on its own; the same string of digits can be copied, borrowed from an unrelated entity, or attached to a brand that operates under a different corporate structure than the one holding the permission. 【Why the website can't settle the question】 Regulatory status is a relationship between a specific legal entity and a specific authority. Brokers often run several entities across different jurisdictions, and the one named in the client agreement is not always the one named in the banner advertisement. Checking the register means matching the exact entity name, the licence number and the permissions attached to it — not the trading brand. 【What the check actually involves】 A register lookup typically confirms whether an entity is authorised, what activities the authorisation covers, and whether any conditions or restrictions apply. None of that information originates with the broker. 【Who this touches】 Anyone opening an account with an offshore-facing broker, and anyone comparing platforms on the strength of their regulatory badges, sits in the affected group. Basic account safety still applies: verify the entity on the regulator's register before funding, enable two-factor authentication, treat unsolicited approaches as suspect, and never transfer money to a private account. Confirm details through official channels rather than links supplied by the person making contact.