Risk scorecard
Each area is scored 0 (clean) to 10 (worst). Higher means more risk.
Regulation
7/10 · HighThe Cyprus arm held a genuine CySEC licence (339/17), but the retail arm drew an FMA New Zealand warning for falsely claiming NZ registration; the licence never covered that solicitation.
Identity & transparency
5/10 · ModerateA real, registered Cyprus entity (HE 346068) that is identifiable, offset by misleading regulatory statements on the retail site and a split Cyprus-boutique versus Hong-Kong-retail presentation.
Withdrawals & conduct
3/10 · LowNo credible independent pattern of blocked withdrawals or unreturned deposits was found; the operation is defunct, so data is limited but no fund-integrity pattern is established.
Reputation
6/10 · HighAn FMA public warning plus a poor independent review rating and a very thin genuine footprint; no overwhelming multi-platform withdrawal pattern.
Website claims
8/10 · CriticalThe retail site made a material false regulatory claim (NZ registration) that the FMA confirmed was untrue; the separate CySEC claim on the boutique site was accurate.
Operational history
4/10 · ModerateThe legal entity has a verified 2015 incorporation, but the ABC 123 brand churned: both sites were abandoned and later recycled, and the entity rebranded to SM Capital Markets.
Who they are
A quick desk file on the company behind the brand.
A short desk file on the operation behind ABC 123.
- Brand: ABC 123, also shown as ABC123 Group and ABC 123 Prime.
- Legal entity: ABC 123 (CY) Limited, Cyprus registration HE 346068, since renamed SM Capital Markets Ltd.
- Registered: Cyprus, for the licensed entity. The retail site listed a Hong Kong address in Tsim Sha Tsui and referenced a UK office.
- Website: abc123prime.com and abc-123.co. Both are offline and no longer registered.
- Only genuine licence: CySEC (Cyprus) CIF 339/17, issued 2 November 2017. The New Zealand registration the retail site advertised did not exist.
- Offers: FX, CFDs and metals. The boutique site targeted API and institutional traders; the retail site ran MetaTrader 4 in dozens of languages.
- Deposits: the retail site used a single account type and required bank wire for larger deposits, per an independent review.
- Age claim: promoted as a new boutique brokerage in 2017; the underlying company was incorporated in 2015.
Regulation
Who really oversees this broker, and what each licence is worth to you.
Proof of regulation on an official register: No
We could not confirm this broker on any genuine regulator’s register.
Licences the broker publishes
Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC)
Financial Markets Authority / Financial Service Providers Register (New Zealand)
Why we reached this verdict
How the evidence adds up.
We rate ABC 123 a likely scam because a national regulator publicly warned about it, even though one arm held a real licence.
- A regulator warning names the exact site. The FMA listed www.abc-123.co and said the operation falsely held out that it was registered in New Zealand and might offer derivatives there without a licence. A regulator warning naming the exact domain is the strongest single signal in this kind of review.
- Two faces, one brand. The Cyprus arm (abc123prime.com) stated an accurate CySEC licence, while the retail arm (abc-123.co) misrepresented its regulation to reach clients worldwide in dozens of languages.
- The licence was real, so this is not a clone. CySEC 339/17 genuinely belonged to the group's Cyprus company, which weighs against a fabricated-licence verdict and keeps our confidence at medium.
- The operation is defunct. Both domains stopped serving the broker and were later reused by unrelated Chinese-language sites. There is no live site taking deposits today.
- No proven theft. We found no credible pattern of unpaid withdrawals, so we stop short of a confirmed-scam rating. The score reflects the strength of the regulator warning against the mitigating real licence.
Evidence ledger
Every finding, with its source and how strongly it points.
E1New Zealand's Financial Markets Authority listed ABC123 Group on its unregistered-businesses warning on 8 February 2018, naming the website www.abc-123.co and a Hong Kong address. The FMA warned the operation held out that it was registered on New Zealand's Financial Service Providers Register when it was not, that it might be offering derivatives to New Zealand retail clients without a licence, and that its website made other incorrect statements about New Zealand regulation.
E2The Cyprus Registrar of Companies shows registration HE 346068 under two names: ABC 123 (CY) Limited as a previous name and SM Capital Markets Ltd as the current name, organisation status Registered. This confirms the ABC 123 Cyprus entity still exists and has been renamed.
E3Finance Magnates reported in the final weeks of 2017 that ABC 123 Prime obtained a CySEC licence and was preparing a boutique brokerage offering FX, CFDs and metals via FIX API. This corroborates that the Cyprus arm held a genuine CySEC authorisation.
ModerateFinance MagnatesE4The archived abc123prime.com homepage from January 2018 stated that ABC 123 (CY) Ltd is a Cyprus Investment Firm licensed by CySEC under number 339/17 under MiFID, and positioned itself as a boutique brokerage for API and institutional traders with a full set of CySEC compliance documents. The CySEC claim on this site matches the genuine licence 339/17.
Moderateabc123prime.com (archived)E5Both official domains no longer resolve. Archived snapshots show abc-123.co was reused as an unrelated digital-asset exchange branded OK Partner by August 2018, and abc123prime.com was reused as a Chinese lottery site by late 2019. The ABC 123 broker is defunct and its domains were recycled.
ModerateInternet Archive and DNS recordsE6An independent broker-review site profiles abc-123.co as a MetaTrader 4 retail broker in 42 languages with UK and Hong Kong offices, bank-wire deposits from 2000 USD and a single account type, and rates it 2.0 out of 5 as not recommended. This retail profile matches the operation the FMA warned about.
ModerateTopRatedForexBrokers
The other side
The strongest case in this broker’s favour.
The fair case in the operation's favour.
- A genuine EU licence existed. The Cyprus entity really was authorised by CySEC under MiFID, with investor-compensation cover, and its boutique site described that licence accurately.
- The company did not vanish. The same legal entity (HE 346068) still exists and simply changed its name to SM Capital Markets Ltd, which is a separate current brand and is not judged here.
- No withdrawal-theft record. We did not find a body of specific complaints about blocked withdrawals or stolen deposits.
- The warning is about false statements, not a court finding. The FMA recorded misrepresentation of regulatory status, which is serious, but it is not a criminal judgment of fraud.
What would change this
What we would need to see to revise the verdict.
What would move this rating up or down.
- Toward lower risk: evidence that abc-123.co was an impostor run by someone other than the CySEC entity, or the FMA withdrawing its warning, would push this toward a milder verdict.
- Toward higher risk: a second regulator warning, or credible, specific reports of unpaid withdrawals or deposits taken and not returned, would support a confirmed-scam rating.
- New activity: either domain coming back online as a broker, or the brand reappearing under a new website, should trigger a fresh review.
Check it yourself
Official registers and warning lists. Verify every claim first-hand.
FMA New Zealand warning (ABC123 Group)
New Zealand regulator's public warning naming abc-123.co, 8 February 2018.
Cyprus Registrar of Companies (HE 346068)
Confirms ABC 123 (CY) Limited, now named SM Capital Markets Ltd, status Registered.
Finance Magnates: ABC 123 gains a CySEC licence (2017)
Contemporary news of the CySEC boutique licence.
ABC 123 broker review
Independent review rating the broker 2.0 out of 5 and not recommended.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about this broker’s safety.
Is ABC 123 a scam?
We rate it a likely scam. New Zealand's FMA warned that its website falsely claimed to be registered there, and the operation is now defunct. Its Cyprus arm did hold a real CySEC licence, which is why we say likely rather than confirmed.
Is ABC 123 a fraud?
We did not find any court judgment or fraud conviction naming ABC 123. The strongest official finding is the FMA warning that the firm misrepresented its New Zealand registration. We assess the risk of fraud as elevated, but no regulator or court has recorded a fraud finding against it.
Is ABC 123 regulated?
One arm was. The Cyprus company, ABC 123 (CY) Limited, held CySEC licence 339/17. But the retail website abc-123.co falsely claimed New Zealand regulation, which the FMA confirmed did not exist.
What is CySEC licence 339/17 and does ABC 123 still hold it?
It is a genuine EU tier-2 licence issued in November 2017 to the Cyprus entity. That entity has since been renamed SM Capital Markets Ltd, and the ABC 123 websites that displayed the licence are offline, so it no longer backs the ABC 123 brand.
Can I still open an account or trade with ABC 123?
No. Both official domains no longer resolve and were later reused by unrelated sites. Any site using the ABC 123 name today should be treated as an impostor.
Was ABC 123 registered in New Zealand?
No. The FMA stated the firm held out that it was registered on the Financial Service Providers Register when it was not, and warned New Zealand consumers on 8 February 2018.
Is my money safe with ABC 123 and can I withdraw it?
There is no live platform to deposit to or withdraw from today. During its life, the retail arm operated outside the scope of the Cyprus licence, so protection there was weak. We found no confirmed reports of returned or stolen funds either way.
Who owns ABC 123 and where is it based?
The licensed entity is a Cyprus company, registration HE 346068. The retail site listed a Hong Kong address and a UK office. The Cyprus entity is now named SM Capital Markets Ltd.
Is ABC 123 the same as SM Capital Markets?
They share the same Cyprus registration number, HE 346068. ABC 123 (CY) Limited was renamed SM Capital Markets Ltd. This report covers the defunct ABC 123 brand and does not assess SM Capital Markets.
Is abc-123.co safe to visit now?
The domain no longer resolves. In the past it was reused by an unrelated digital-asset site. Treat any revival of the address with caution.
What should I check before depositing with any broker like this?
Confirm the licence number on the regulator's own register, check that the website is listed by that regulator, look for warning-list entries, and be wary of high minimum deposits, wire-only funding and claims of regulation the regulator does not confirm.
What do I do if I was scammed by a broker using this name?
Stop sending money, keep all transfer and chat records, ask your bank about a recovery or chargeback, and report to your national financial regulator. Ignore anyone who offers to recover your funds for an upfront fee, as that is a common follow-up scam.
Scan history
How this broker’s safety assessment has changed across scans.
What changed since September 5, 2026
- September 5, 2026CurrentLikely scam70% risk
- September 5, 2026Likely scam72% risk
Past scans are archived snapshots kept for transparency and are not indexed by search engines.
What we recommend
The practical takeaway from everything above.
What this means for a reader today.
- Do not try to trade with ABC 123. The websites are gone, so anything using this brand now should be treated as an impostor.
- Check the primary sources. Read the FMA warning and the Cyprus company record linked here before trusting any claim tied to this name.
- Do not confuse it with SM Capital Markets. That is the renamed entity and a different, current brand; verify it on its own merits if you meet it.
- If you were affected, gather your transfer records and account emails and report to your bank and your local financial regulator.
This is an independent assessment of risk, not a legal ruling. Scores and verdicts follow the Wikilix broker-safety methodology and can change as new evidence appears. Review scores are treated with caution when a broker’s reviews look manipulated. Last reviewed September 5, 2026. If any detail here is out of date or incorrect, or you represent this broker, please contact us.
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