AMF - Autorité des Marchés Financiers
- Website: http://www.amf-france.org
- Founded: 2002
- Operated by: Government
- License Type: AA
- Country: France
- Hotline: (+33) 01 73 03 34 04
Who is the AMF?
In France, the two main financial regulators are AMF (Autorité des Marchés Financiers – Financial Markets Authority) and ACPR (Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution – Prudential Supervision and Resolution Authority).
AMF oversees financial markets and investment firms.
ACPR, under the French Central Bank, supervises banking and insurance activities.
Since France is an EU member state, its financial regulations must comply with MiFID (Markets in Financial Instruments Directive), the EU framework that governs investment services across the European Economic Area (EEA).
How does the AMF regulate a forex broker?
1. Client Fund Protection: Client funds must be held in segregated accounts.
2. Reporting Obligations: Brokers must submit audited reports and anti-money laundering (AML) reports.
How to check a broker is AMF-regulated or not?
Broker profiles can be verified on the official website: https://www.regafi.fr/spip.php?rubrique3.
The detailed steps are as below:
1. Obtain the broker’s official name from its website.
2. Enter the name into the search bar on regafi.fr.
3. Open the broker’s profile and click “Activities based in France.” Check whether the broker is authorized for: C9 – Financial contracts for differences (CFDs), or B4 – Foreign exchange services linked to investment services.
4. Compare the information on the AMF website with the broker’s own website. If it does not match, the broker may be unauthorized and should be avoided.
5. If the broker is EEA-authorized (EU passport), also verify its license with the regulator in its home country.
How to solve disputes with a AMF-regulated broker?
1. Contact the broker directly and attempt to resolve the issue.
2. If unresolved: file a complaint with the AMF Ombudsman (Médiateur de l’AMF), which helps mediate disputes between investors and brokers. Complaints can be submitted online: AMF Mediation Request.
3. Court proceedings: If mediation fails, the final option is to take the case to a French court.
