Beware! BNP Groups 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.
BNP Groups presents itself as a reliable global broker, trusted by more than a million traders, but it would be a mistake to trust these assurances. Closer inspection reveals that this website is not a licensed financial services provider. In this review, we will look in detail at why it is in your best interest to stay away from BNP Groups and recommend more trustworthy brokers.
BNP Groups Regulation and safety of funds
Guaranteed Funds | Segregated Accounts | Negative balance protection | |
BNP Groups | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
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.
We don’t see a company name or regulatory license details on the home page of the website. The Client Agreement states that the broker is run by a company called BNP Groups LLC, based and licensed in the UK.
However, a check of the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority’s register shows that this is not true. In fact, we found no evidence that this legal entity actually exists.
If you want to trade on financial markets without being scammed, you can turn to some of the legitimate brokers that actually operate from established financial hubs like the UK. These brokers have to meet stringent requirements for financial stability and transparency of operations imposed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
They must provide clients with negative balance protection and to participate in a guarantee fund that covers up to GBP 85,000 of a client’s investment should the broker go into insolvency. These brokers are also required to keep their clients’ money segregated from their own operating funds in separate bank accounts.
BNP Groups Trading software
Analytical tools | Auto trading | Custom indicators | Mobile apps | |
BNP Groups | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
MT4 | 30+ indicators | ✅ | ✅ | Android and iOS |
MT5 | 50+ indicators | ✅ | ✅ | Android and iOS |
cTrader | 40+ indicators | ✅ | ✅ | Android and iOS |
BNP Groups uses web-based trading software. Here is how it looks like:
While this platform has the basic functionality to place orders, it cannot compare to the capabilities provided by MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5). It is no coincidence that these platforms have established themselves as the industry standard. 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.
It should be noted that the presence of a trading platform does not make this website any more legitimate and does not guarantee that this alleged broker offers real trading. Many scammers use rigged trading software to fool their victims that their money is being invested.
On the website we also see links to download remote access software. Scammers often convince potential victims to install such software and provide access to their personal devices, supposedly to get technical help.
BNP Groups Trading instruments
Currency | Stocks | Indices | Crypto | Commodities | |
BNP Groups | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
XM | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
FP Markets | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Octa | x | x | x | x | x |
More than 200 instruments are included in the BNP Groups trading software, the largest part of them being cryptocurrencies. But FCA regulations prohibit brokers from offering crypto derivatives trading to retail traders. So this also shows that the BNP Groups can’t really be a licensed broker based in the UK.
BNP Groups Spreads and cost of trading
BNP Groups | XM | FP Markets | Octa | |
Spread EURUSD | 0.9 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
Spread GBPUSD | 1 | 1.3 | 1.5 | x |
Spread USDJPY | 1 | 1.3 | 1.5 | x |
When you visit the website of a legitimate broker you will find proposals for different types of trading accounts suitable for investors with different preferences, as well as detailed descriptions of trading parameters – minimum deposit, order execution method, tradable financial instruments, leverage, spread, swap, commissions, etc.
Such information is not available on the BNP Groups website. In the trading platform we see a very low spread of 0.9-1 pip. But we can neither be sure that this trade is real, nor do we know if this shady broker charges additional commissions.
BNP Groups Maximum leverage
Forex | Stocks | Crypto | Gold | Indices | |
BNP Groups | 100:1 | 50:1 | 10:1 | 50:1 | 00:1 |
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 | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Further proof that BNP Groups is not what it claims to be is that it offers leverage of 1:100. It is not possible for a UK licensed broker to offer such risky levels of leverage. The FCA, like EU regulators, limits leverage to 1:30 for trading in major currency pairs and even lower levels for more volatile assets.
Regulated brokers offer higher leverage only to professional clients who must meet very high standards for capital and experience and forgo the guarantees enjoyed by retail traders.
If you don’t qualify as a professional trader but are willing to take the risk of high-leverage trading, the most viable option is to use the services of an offshore affiliate of an established brand.
BNP Groups Deposit and withdrawal methods
Deposit time | Withdrawal time | Price | |
Crypto | 24 hours | 24 hours | Fee depends on crypto |
The deposit menu links to the obscure Allpaysoft cryptocurrency purchasing platform. Withdrawals are also only allowed via cryptocurrency.
Scammers prefer cryptocurrencies because these transactions are not subject to refunds. While there are some legitimate brokers that accept digital currencies like Bitcoin, they do so alongside other transparent payment methods such as credit/debit card, bank transfer or popular e-wallets like PayPal, Neteller or Skrill.
BNP Groups Minimum deposit
BNP Groups | XM | FP Markets | Octa | |
Minimum deposit | N/A | $5 | $100 | $100 |
The leading brands in the industry offer beginner traders starter accounts with a very low minimum deposit. You have no good reason to take chances with shady brokers like BNP Groups.
BNP Groups Withdrawal requirements
Trading volume | Fee/Tax on withdrawal | Minimum withdrawal | |
BNP Groups | Not specified | 24.5%% | 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 |
BNP Groups’s Client agreement states that customers below the Platinum level pay extremely high upfront commission on withdrawals – from 12% up to 24.5%. Nowhere is it explained what Platinum level means. These are typical scam clauses.