Risk scorecard
Each area is scored 0 (clean) to 10 (worst). Higher means more risk.
Regulation
10/10 · CriticalNo licence from any regulator while taking client deposits, plus a CFTC RED List hit naming the exact domain.
Identity & transparency
7/10 · HighEntity named but jurisdictions conflict (Belize, Seychelles, St Vincent), no public registration number, offshore mass-registration address, Dubai office is marketing only.
Withdrawals & conduct
8/10 · CriticalConsistent fund-integrity pattern across platforms: withdrawals stalled past 30 days, profits erased, profitable trades deleted; not backed by a regulator or chargeback record.
Reputation
7/10 · HighHigh star rating undercut by credible reports of deleted negatives and planted positives, alongside the RED List flag.
Website claims
5/10 · ModerateNo fabricated licence or founding-year claims, but solicits globally and US clients despite the RED List, with bonus terms that can restrict withdrawals.
Operational history
3/10 · LowDomain verified to 2019 (about seven years); company age could not be dated, so the figure is an upper bound.
Who they are
A quick desk file on the company behind the brand.
- Brand: Hankotrade
- Legal entity: Hankotrade Global Markets Limited (a St Vincent variant, Hankotrade LLC, also appears in third-party records)
- Registered: Blake Building, Corner Houston and Eyre Street, Belize City, Belize (a common offshore mass-registration address); a Dubai address is a marketing office only, not a regulated entity
- Website: hankotrade.com
- Only licence: None. No financial licence from any regulator
- Offers: Forex, CFDs, indices, commodities, crypto, copy trading on MT4/MT5
- Not accepted: The firm claims to serve 190+ countries and does not publish a clear restricted list, yet it appears on the US CFTC RED List for soliciting US persons
- Age claim: The site states no founding year. The domain was registered in April 2019, so the operation is about seven years old
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.
No licence claims on record.
Why we reached this verdict
How the evidence adds up.
We reached a likely scam verdict on the balance of one regulator finding plus a consistent pattern of harmful conduct.
- Regulator flag on the exact site. The CFTC RED List entry names hankotrade.com directly, lists Seychelles as origin, and states the firm solicits US customers while not registered as required.
- No regulation, real deposits. The broker takes client money to trade live markets but holds no licence from any financial supervisor. A Belize company registration does not protect deposits.
- Crypto-only money rails. Funding only in cryptocurrency removes the chargeback and banking protections that make it possible to claw money back.
- Fund-integrity complaints. Across Trustpilot, ForexPeaceArmy and forum posts, clients describe the same failures: withdrawals stalled past a month, profits erased, and winning trades deleted from MT4 while losing trades are kept.
- Reputation signals point the same way. A high star rating is undercut by credible reports that negative reviews are removed and positive ones planted.
Note on operating history: the 7.4-year track record rests on domain registration alone. No company incorporation date could be established, so this is an upper bound rather than a confirmed age.
Evidence ledger
Every finding, with its source and how strongly it points.
E1The CFTC RED List entry names hankotrade.com exactly, lists Seychelles origin, forex and CFD offerings, and a RED List date of 06 July 2022, stating the firm solicits US customers without required registration.
Hard proofUS CFTC RED ListE2The broker holds no financial licence from any regulator; independent reviews confirm it is unregulated and that Belize company registration is not financial-services regulation.
E3Deposits and withdrawals are available in cryptocurrency only, removing chargeback and banking protections, at an entity with no verified licence.
E4Multiple independent reviews describe the same failure: withdrawals stalled for weeks or a month, and disappearing funds, a recurring fund-integrity theme.
E5Reviewers allege the broker removes profitable trades after they close and wipes the MT4 record while keeping losing trades, a trade-manipulation pattern.
ModerateCompareForexBrokers reviewE6The domain hankotrade.com was registered on 02 April 2019, giving an operating history of about seven years for the website leg.
ModerateVerisign RDAP registry recordE7The broker's own website discloses no regulator, licence number or founding year, and states it is not directed where distribution would be contrary to local law.
ModerateHankotrade websiteE8Reviewers report that negative Trustpilot reviews are removed within days and fake positive reviews added, which inflates the public rating.
ModerateInvesting in the Web review
The other side
The strongest case in this broker’s favour.
In fairness, several points argue for caution rather than certainty, and we weighed them.
- The broker does not falsely claim a top-tier licence. It makes no fake FCA or ASIC claim and advertises no fabricated founding year, which is less deceptive than many scams.
- The CFTC RED List is a registration-deficiency list, not a court fraud finding. Many offshore brokers appear on it simply for serving US clients without US registration.
- The domain is a genuine seven-year-old site, not a fresh throwaway, and some users do report successful withdrawals.
- An offshore, crypto-only model can be a high-risk but real business rather than outright theft.
What tips it past mere high risk is the conduct: a repeated, same-mechanism pattern of blocked withdrawals and deleted profitable trades, on top of the regulator flag and the absence of any oversight.
What would change this
What we would need to see to revise the verdict.
Our view would move if the facts changed.
- Toward safer: a genuine, verifiable licence from a real financial regulator that supervises client funds; removal from the CFTC RED List; a sustained record of paid withdrawals with no profit-erasure or trade-deletion reports.
- Toward worse: a named regulator warning describing fraud, a court or enforcement action, or clustered advance-fee demands (paying a tax or fee to release funds), any of which would push this to a confirmed scam.
Check it yourself
Official registers and warning lists. Verify every claim first-hand.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about this broker’s safety.
Is Hankotrade a scam?
We rate Hankotrade a likely scam. It holds no financial licence, takes deposits only in crypto, sits on the US CFTC RED List, and clients report blocked withdrawals and deleted profitable trades.
Is Hankotrade regulated?
No. No financial regulator supervises Hankotrade. Its Belize company registration is not a financial licence, and its Dubai address is a marketing office, not a regulated entity.
Can I withdraw my money from Hankotrade?
Some users report withdrawals working, but many report the opposite: requests stalled for weeks or a month, profits erased, and winning trades removed. Withdrawals are crypto only, which is hard to reverse.
Is my money safe with Hankotrade?
There is no regulator overseeing client-fund handling, no compensation scheme, and no segregated-account protection you can verify. If the firm fails or refuses to pay, you have little legal recourse.
Why is Hankotrade on the CFTC RED List?
The CFTC added hankotrade.com to its RED List on 06 July 2022 because the firm appears to solicit or accept funds from US customers without the registration US law requires.
Who owns Hankotrade and where is it based?
The operating entity is Hankotrade Global Markets Limited, registered in Belize. Third-party records also cite a St Vincent entity and a Seychelles origin. It advertises a Dubai marketing office.
How old is Hankotrade?
The website was registered in April 2019, so the operation is about seven years old. The site itself states no founding year, and we could not date the company in the Belize registry.
Is Hankotrade a clone of a regulated broker?
No. It trades under its own brand and does not appear to impersonate a specific regulated firm. The risk here is being unlicensed and the reported conduct, not brand impersonation.
Does Hankotrade really delete profitable trades?
Multiple independent reviewers allege exactly that: profitable trades removed from MT4 after they close, with the record wiped, while losing trades are kept. We could not audit accounts, but the reports are consistent and repeated.
Are Hankotrade's positive reviews real?
Treat them with caution. Its high star rating is paired with credible claims that negative reviews are deleted within days and fake positive reviews are added, which inflates the score.
What should I check before depositing with any broker?
Confirm a real licence on the regulator's own register, check the entity name and website match, prefer bank or card funding over crypto only, and search for withdrawal complaints on independent platforms.
I was scammed by Hankotrade. What do I do?
Stop depositing, request a full withdrawal, and save all records. Report to your national financial regulator, and for US persons to the CFTC. Avoid recovery firms that demand an upfront fee, as they are frequently follow-up scams.
What we recommend
The practical takeaway from everything above.
Treat Hankotrade as unsafe for depositing money.
- Do not send new funds, and be very cautious with any bonus that locks withdrawals.
- If you hold a balance, request a full withdrawal now and keep dated records, ticket numbers and screenshots.
- US residents should not use this broker at all; it is on the CFTC RED List.
- If money is stuck, report it to your local financial regulator and, for US persons, to the CFTC. Be wary of recovery agents who ask for an upfront fee, as these are often follow-up scams.
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 August 26, 2026. If any detail here is out of date or incorrect, or you represent this broker, please contact us.