Beware! Link Financial Limited is an offshore broker! Your investment may be at risk.
RECOMMENDED FOREX BROKERS
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Open trading accounts with at least two brokers.
Link Financial Limited assures us that it offers investments in the financial markets through a well established and award winning forex broker. But before you put your money on the line you must do a careful fact check. And in the case of Link Financial Limited , the check reveals that it is not a legitimate financial services provider at all. In this review, we’ll show you how to identify genuine investment intermediaries among the many scams of the Link Financial Limited kind.
Link Financial Limited Regulation and safety of funds
Guaranteed Funds | Segregated Accounts | Negative balance protection | |
Link Financial Limited | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
UK regulated brokers | £85 000 | Yes | Yes |
EU regulated brokers | €20 000 | Yes | Yes |
AU regulated brokers | No | Yes | Yes |
US regulted brokers | Yes | Yes | No |
The most important information about a financial services provider is its regulatory status. Licensed brokers provide detailed information about which company runs them, where it is based, which jurisdictions it is authorised in and which regulatory bodies oversee its activities.
This website does not provide convincing evidence that the Link Financial Limited legal entity actually exists. No Terms and Conditions and Customer Agreement have been made available that meet the standards for such required documentation.
A UK address is given:
But Link Financial Limited is not one of the companies authorised by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority:
Another European financial regulator, Italy’s CONSOB, has blacklisted Link Financial Limited:
Under no circumstances should you trust your money to such websites full of false and contradictory information. Instead, you can turn to one of the many companies that really work under the supervision of respected regulatory bodies like Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) or Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK.
As their customer you will enjoy a number of guarantees including negative balance protection and guarantee for your funds if the broker goes bankrupt, which goes up to EUR 20,000 in EU and 85,000 GBP in the UK. Regulations in the UK and EU include some important measures designed to improve investor protection and promote market integrity and transparency, such as transaction reporting. Regulated brokers are also required to segregate their operational funds from the client’s money.
Link Financial Limited Trading software
Analytical tools | Auto trading | Custom indicators | Mobile apps | |
Link Financial Limited platform | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
MT4 | 30+ indicators | ✅ | ✅ | Android and iOS |
MT5 | 50+ indicators | ✅ | ✅ | Android and iOS |
cTrader | 40+ indicators | ✅ | ✅ | Android and iOS |
After registering an account, we get access to a pretty basic web trading platform that doesn’t feature extensive customization options or advanced functionality. We’ve seen the exact same platform being used by multiple fake brokers we’ve encountered. Scammers are using rigged trading software to fool their victims into believing that their money is really being invested and even turning a profit.
If you use the services of a licensed broker, you will get the opportunity to use established software with advanced features and versions for all types of devices and operating systems. The most widely used trading platforms in the industry are MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5). These platforms have established themselves as industry standard because they offer a wide range of features, including a variety of options for customization, multiple account usage, designing and implementing custom scripts for automated trading and backtesting trade strategies.
Link Financial Limited Trading instruments
Currency | Stocks | Indices | Crypto | Commodities | |
Link Financial Limited | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
XM | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
FBS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
FXTM | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
In Link Financial Limited’s trading software, we see instruments from all asset classes, including cryptocurrencies.
As stated, this trading is in all likelihood fictitious. Furthermore, the FCA prohibits brokers that are truly based in the UK from offering crypto derivatives trading to retail customers.
Link Financial Limited Spreads and cost of trading
Link Financial Limited | XM | FBS | FXTM | |
Spread EURUSD | 0,6 | 0.6 | 1 | 1.1 |
Spread GBPUSD | 0,6 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.4 |
Spread USDJPY | 0,6 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.4 |
In the trading platform we see a low spread of about 0.6 pips. Link Financial Limited states that in addition to the spread it charges a low commission, but without providing details. It is therefore unclear what price the trader is paying.
Link Financial Limited Maximum leverage
Forex | Stocks | Crypto | Gold | Indices | |
Link Financial Limited | 200:1 | 100:1 | 10:1 | 100:1 | 100:1 |
UK regulated brokers | 30:1 | 5:1 | ❌ | 10:1 | 10:1 |
EU regulated brokers | 30:1 | 5:1 | 2:1 | 10:1 | 10:1 |
AU regulated brokers | 30:1 | 5:1 | 2:1 | 10:1 | 10:1 |
US regulated brokers | 50:1 | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
The different account types offered by Link Financial Limited include leverage between 1:100 and 1:200. This is also proof that this is not a regulated broker. High leverage creates the opportunity for more significant profit, but correspondingly increases the risk of sudden and excessive losses. All leading regulators therefore restrict leverage for retail traders. The FCA, like EU regulators, limits leverage to 1:30 for trading in major currency pairs and even lower levels for more volatile assets.
If you are willing to take the risk of trading with high leverage and benefit from bonuses and promotions, the best option is to invest through an offshore division of an established brand.
Link Financial Limited Deposit and withdrawal methods
Deposit time | Withdrawal time | Price | |
Bank wire | 2-5 business days | 2-5 business days | $25+ |
Credit card | Instant | 24 hours | Free |
PayPal | 1 hour | 24 hours | 2% |
Skrill | 1 hour | 24 hours | 2% |
Neteller | 1 hour | 24 hours | 2% |
Crypto | 24 hours | 24 hours | Fee depends on crypto |
Link Financial Limited claims to offer all major payment methods including bank transfer, credit/debit cards and established e-wallets such as PayPal and Skrill. But after registering an account we do not get access to a functioning deposit menu.
Experience has shown that fake brokers routinely advertise conventional payment methods, but actually steer their potential victims towards cryptocurrency transactions. This not only guarantees them anonymity, but also deprives the defrauded of the option to request a refund or chargeback. If you’re interested in legitimate brokers that accept digital currency payments alongside conventional methods, check out this list.
Link Financial Limited Minimum deposit
Link Financial Limited | XM | FBS | FXTM | |
Minimum deposit | €2000 | $5 | $10 | $5 |
The minimum deposit required by Link Financial Limited is extremely high – 2000 EUR. For a hundred times less you could open a starter trading account with a licensed and reputable broker.
Link Financial Limited Withdrawal requirements
Trading volume | Fee/Tax on withdrawal | Minimum withdrawal | |
Link Financial Limited | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified |
UK regulated brokers | No | No | No |
EU regulated brokers | No | No | No |
AU regulated brokers | No | No | No |
US regulated brokers | No | No | No |
Since Link Financial Limited does not provide proper legal documentation, it is unclear what traps the fraudsters may have set. Typically, fake brokers make withdrawing money impossible through huge fees and impossible-to-fulfil traded volume conditions.