Risk scorecard
Each area is scored 0 (clean) to 10 (worst). Higher means more risk.
Regulation
7/10 · HighSister companies hold real licences (FCA for professional clients only, FSCA, FSC Mauritius, FSA Seychelles, UAE promotion), but the Saint Lucia company behind monetamarkets.com is unlicensed, and regulators in Malaysia and Italy list the site for unlicensed activity.
Identity & transparency
3/10 · LowGroup companies, numbers and addresses are disclosed and match five registers; the South African licence holder appears under two names and two addresses.
Withdrawals & conduct
6/10 · HighAbout 30 specific fund-access complaints since 2023 describe cancelled profits and closed accounts on several platforms; the broker replies and some are resolved.
Reputation
7/10 · HighTrustpilot 4.3 from 660 reviews, mostly invited five-star praise, set against a persistent one-star pattern, critical press and two regulator listings.
Website claims
7/10 · HighLists a Saint Lucia company number under 'We're regulated' and calls itself an FSCA and SLIBC licensed broker; markets in German and Malay without local authorisation.
Operational history
3/10 · LowDomain registered July 2018 and site live since August 2020; the operating companies have changed several times, and the UK firm was acquired in 2025.
Who they are
A quick desk file on the company behind the brand.
- Brand: Moneta Markets, a forex and CFD broker offering MT4, MT5, ProTrader, AppTrader and copy trading. It also promotes a prop-trading brand, Moneta Funded.
- Legal entity: Moneta Markets Ltd, named in the footer of monetamarkets.com and on all of its client legal documents.
- Registered: Saint Lucia, international business company No. 2023-00068 (a company registration, not a licence). Sister companies: Moneta Markets (Pty) Ltd, South Africa (2016/063801/07); Moneta Markets Ltd, Seychelles; Moneta Markets Trading Limited, Mauritius (211285 GBC); Moneta Markets Capital Ltd, England and Wales (08279988); Moneta Global Financial Services L.L.C, Dubai; and Mmonexia Ltd, Cyprus (HE436544). Parent named on the site: Moneta Markets Excellence Holding Limited.
- Website: www.monetamarkets.com (domain registered July 2018, public site since August 2020). Regional sites: moneta-id.com and monetamarketsvn.com. Separate Seychelles site: monetamarkets.sc.
- Only licence: none for the Saint Lucia company. The licences belong to sister companies: FSCA FSP 47490, FSC Mauritius GB24203391, FSA Seychelles SD144, UAE CMA Category 5 (introduction and promotion only) and FCA FRN 613381 (professional clients only).
- Offers: CFDs on forex, indices, commodities, shares, ETFs and bonds, leverage up to 1000:1 on gold, and 50% deposit and cashback bonuses.
- Not accepted: residents of Canada, Cyprus, France, Spain, Russia, Ukraine, Italy and the United States. UK residents are served only by the UK firm.
- Age claim: '10+ years in the industry' and 70,000+ client accounts. The brand's own site dates from 2020. In early 2021 the site described Moneta Markets as a trademark of Vantage Global Limited of Vanuatu.
Regulation
Who really oversees this broker, and what each licence is worth to you.
Proof of regulation on an official register: Yes
We confirmed this broker on a genuine regulator’s register.
Licences the broker publishes
Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), South Africa
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), United Kingdom
Financial Services Commission (FSC), Mauritius
Financial Services Authority (FSA), Seychelles
Capital Market Authority (CMA), United Arab Emirates (formerly SCA)
SLIBC (Saint Lucia Registry of International Business Companies)
Why we reached this verdict
How the evidence adds up.
We rate Moneta Markets high risk, not a scam. The group is real and holds several genuine licences. But the company behind its main website has none, two regulators list that website for unlicensed activity, and clients keep reporting cancelled profits.
- No licence where clients sign up. The client legal documents on monetamarkets.com are issued by Moneta Markets Ltd. The footer says it is registered with Saint Lucia's register of international business companies (No. 2023-00068). That register records companies. It does not license or supervise brokers.
- Malaysia lists the website. The Securities Commission Malaysia added Moneta Markets, with the address www.monetamarkets.com, to its Investor Alert List as at 17 November 2024. The stated reason is carrying on unlicensed capital market activities of dealing in securities. The site still offers a Malay-language version and does not exclude Malaysia.
- Italy blocked it in 2021. CONSOB's release of 23 December 2021 lists Vantage Global Limited (www.monetamarkets.com) among 28 sites that Italian internet providers had to block for offering financial services without authorisation. Spain's CNMV relayed the order on 12 January 2022. Vantage Global Limited of Vanuatu ran the brand at the time. A change of operating company does not clear the website's history, although Italy is now on the excluded list.
- A consistent pattern of complaints. About 30 specific complaints from 2023 to 2026 describe the same thing. Profits were cancelled or accounts closed after the broker alleged hedging, news trading or suspicious activity, and withdrawals were held under review for days or months. The complaints appear on more than one platform and often give account numbers and amounts. The broker answers publicly and some disputes end resolved, so we treat this as a strong warning sign, not proof of systematic theft.
- Real licences with narrow cover. The FCA firm, Moneta Markets Capital Ltd, was called VIBHS Financial Ltd until October 2025 and is now owned by the group's holding company. It may deal only with professional clients and eligible counterparties, and it cannot hold client money. The UAE licence covers introduction and promotion only. The FSC Mauritius, FSA Seychelles and FSCA licences each cover their own company. The FSCA's online FSP search was out of service at the time of writing, so FSP 47490 is confirmed on record but its category is not.
- Marketing that overstates protection. The homepage lists the Saint Lucia company number under 'We're regulated'. The regulation page calls Moneta an FSCA and SLIBC licensed broker. A German-language version offers a 50% bonus and 1000:1 leverage on gold, although no group company is authorised in the EU.
- How the score is built. 57% is the weighted average of the six scores below, with regulation, identity and fund-access complaints counted double. We found no cloned licences, no fake licence numbers and no demands for payment to release funds.
Evidence ledger
Every finding, with its source and how strongly it points.
E1FCA register: Moneta Markets Capital Ltd, FRN 613381, authorised since 17 Nov 2014 and registered under this name since 2 Oct 2025 (previously VIBHS Financial Ltd). Its permissions cover professional clients and eligible counterparties only, as a matched-principal broker, and it cannot hold client money. Listed website: monetamarkets.co.uk. Clone notices on the record (Yinforex Capital Ltd, 2017; Trade Korea, 2018) predate the Moneta name.
E2Companies House: MONETA MARKETS CAPITAL LTD, company 08279988, active, incorporated 5 Nov 2012, called VIBHS FINANCIAL LTD until 1 Oct 2025. Registered office at Amlbenson The Long Lodge, Wimbledon, as stated in the broker's footer.
ModerateUK Companies HouseE3FSC Mauritius public register, searched by the name Moneta: Moneta Markets Trading Limited holds an SEC-2.1B Investment Dealer (Full Service Dealer excluding Underwriting) licence dated 29 Jul 2024. Management company Legacy Capital Co Ltd; address Suite 201, Level 2, The Catalyst, Ebene, matching the broker's footer. No website is listed.
E4FSA Seychelles register: Moneta Markets Ltd is a Securities Dealer with website www.monetamarkets.sc, email support@monetamarkets.sc and address Office 2, Room B11, Providence Complex, Mahe. This matches the SD144 licence statement on monetamarkets.sc. This Seychelles company is separate from the Saint Lucia Moneta Markets Ltd behind monetamarkets.com.
StrongFSA Seychelles registerE5UAE Capital Market Authority: Moneta Global Financial Services L.L.C is Active with two licences, Introduction and Promotion. The authority's notice on the record says the company is not licensed to broker derivatives, unregulated commodity contracts or spot FX, which matches the broker's own disclosure.
E6Securities Commission Malaysia Investor Alert List: entry Moneta Markets, website https://www.monetamarkets.com/, year 2024, remark: carrying on unlicensed capital market activities of dealing in securities. The SC's update dated 17 Nov 2024 lists Moneta Markets among the entities added as at that date.
E7Spain's CNMV list of public warnings from foreign regulators shows WWW.MONETAMARKETS.COM on 12 Jan 2022 under CONSOB (Italy): CONSOB ordered internet providers to block access from Italy to websites offering investment services without authorisation. CONSOB's own release of 23 Dec 2021 names the operator as Vantage Global Limited. Italy is now on the site's excluded list.
E8Archived monetamarkets.com homepage of 13 Jan 2021: Moneta Markets is described as a trademark of Vantage Global Limited, authorised by the VFSC (Reg. No. 700271) and registered in Port Vila, Vanuatu. The brand later moved to its own companies.
E9The homepage section on regulation says Moneta Markets follows the financial regulations and compliance standards of the SLIBC (Reg. No. 2023-00068) and the FSCA, and the regulation page is titled as an FSCA and SLIBC licensed broker. SLIBC is Saint Lucia's company register, not a financial regulator, and the footer itself describes 2023-00068 as a company registration.
E10The site runs German- and Malay-language versions. The German homepage offers a 50% deposit bonus, a 50% cashback bonus and leverage up to 1000:1 on gold. Neither Germany nor Malaysia is on the list of excluded countries, and no group company holds an EU or Malaysian licence.
E11Trustpilot page for monetamarkets.com: 660 reviews, TrustScore 4.3, 78% five-star and 14% one-star. One-star reviews from May 2023 to Oct 2026 repeatedly describe profits cancelled or accounts closed after alleged hedging, news trading or suspicious activity, and withdrawals held under review. Many cite account numbers (for example 23787116, 27142961, 34184580) and amounts. The company replies to almost all of them.
StrongTrustpilotE12BrokersView complaint dated 1 Apr 2025: a client reports that a 3,000 dollar deposit grew to 6,800, then the profit was deducted and the account blocked for alleged market manipulation. Status still processing. Matched on brand and licence details, not on the website address.
WeakBrokersViewE13Most recent five-star Trustpilot reviews were invited by the company and are generic (very fast, good broker), so they do not offset the specific complaints.
WeakTrustpilotE14The regulation page names the FSCA licence holder as Moneta Markets South Africa (Pty) Ltd at 1 Hood Avenue, Rosebank. The footer of the same page says Moneta Markets (Pty) Ltd at the 9th Floor, Atrium on 5th, Sandton.
E15RDAP: monetamarkets.com was registered on 18 Jul 2018 with Gandi SAS. The earliest archived live homepage is from 5 Aug 2020, giving the brand about six years of public history.
ModerateVerisign RDAPE16Quebec's AMF warned on 21 Feb 2023 that Moneta Market Ltd at monetamarket.ca is not registered and imitates the identities of legitimate businesses. That site is a separate impersonator, not this broker.
E17The About page claims 10+ years in the industry, 70,000+ client accounts and over 200 billion dollars of monthly volume. The brand's own site dates from 2020, and the volume figures cannot be checked independently.
The other side
The strongest case in this broker’s favour.
There is a fair case that Moneta Markets is a working offshore broker rather than a scam.
- Its companies in the UK, Mauritius, Seychelles and Dubai appear on their regulators' registers under the Moneta name, with addresses that match its websites.
- Its small print is largely candid. The footer says only the UK firm is FCA-regulated and that the Dubai company may not provide brokerage, which is what the regulators' records show.
- It has a large client base: 660 Trustpilot reviews averaging 4.3, many praising fast deposits and withdrawals. It replies to complaints, and several forum disputes are marked resolved.
- Both regulator listings are about operating without a local licence, and neither alleges fraud. The same Malaysian update listed other offshore brokers, such as Ultima Markets, for the same reason.
- Offshore brokers commonly ban hedging across accounts, news-spike scalping and bonus abuse in their terms. Some cancelled profits may follow genuine rule breaches.
What would change this
What we would need to see to revise the verdict.
These developments would change our assessment.
- Lower risk: moving clients of monetamarkets.com to a licensed company and naming that licence in the client agreement.
- Lower risk: the FSCA register showing FSP 47490 with a category, or an over-the-counter derivatives approval, that allows it to issue CFDs.
- Lower risk: clear, evidence-backed reasons for each profit cancellation, and a falling share of complaints about access to funds.
- Lower risk: removal from the Malaysian alert list, or an end to marketing in countries where the group holds no licence.
- Higher risk: another regulator warning or blocking order naming monetamarkets.com or Moneta Markets Ltd.
- Higher risk: a sudden cluster of withdrawal refusals, or any demand for a fee, tax or extra deposit before funds are released.
Check it yourself
Official registers and warning lists. Verify every claim first-hand.
FCA register: Moneta Markets Capital Ltd (FRN 613381)
UK firm limited to professional clients; cannot hold client money
FSA Seychelles register: Moneta Markets Ltd
Securities Dealer for the separate site monetamarkets.sc
FSC Mauritius public register
Search the name Moneta to see Moneta Markets Trading Limited, Investment Dealer
UAE Capital Market Authority: Moneta Global Financial Services L.L.C
Introduction and promotion only; no brokerage
Securities Commission Malaysia Investor Alert List
Lists www.monetamarkets.com for unlicensed dealing in securities (2024)
CNMV list of foreign regulators' warnings
Shows CONSOB's order against www.monetamarkets.com, relayed 12 Jan 2022
Companies House: Moneta Markets Capital Ltd
UK company 08279988, formerly VIBHS Financial Ltd
Moneta Markets regulation page
The broker's own list of companies and licences (German edition)
Trustpilot reviews of monetamarkets.com
660 reviews; read the one-star reviews before depositing
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about this broker’s safety.
Is Moneta Markets a scam?
No regulator or court has found Moneta Markets to be a scam, and it runs real trading platforms for a large client base. It is high risk, though. The company behind monetamarkets.com holds no financial licence, regulators in Malaysia and Italy list the website for unlicensed activity, and clients regularly report cancelled profits and closed accounts.
Is Moneta Markets a fraud?
No regulator or court has made a fraud finding against Moneta Markets or its companies, and we found no fraud enforcement action. The regulator actions on record are Malaysia's 2024 alert listing and CONSOB's 2021 Italian blocking order. Both concern offering investment services without a local licence, which is a licensing breach rather than a fraud finding.
Is Moneta Markets regulated?
Parts of the group are. Sister companies hold an FSCA licence in South Africa, an FSC Mauritius investment dealer licence, an FSA Seychelles securities dealer licence and a UAE introduction-only licence, and a UK firm is FCA-authorised for professional clients. Moneta Markets Ltd, the Saint Lucia company behind monetamarkets.com, holds only a company registration.
What is the SLIBC number 2023-00068 on the Moneta Markets website?
It is the registration number of Moneta Markets Ltd in Saint Lucia's register of international business companies, and it shows the company exists. It is not a licence to offer forex or CFDs, even though the homepage lists it under 'We're regulated'.
Is Moneta Markets regulated by the FCA?
Only its UK firm, Moneta Markets Capital Ltd (FRN 613381), which was called VIBHS Financial Ltd until October 2025. The FCA register limits it to professional clients and eligible counterparties and says it cannot hold client money. It does not cover accounts opened on monetamarkets.com.
Can I withdraw my money from Moneta Markets?
Many clients report quick withdrawals. Since 2023, however, there has been a steady flow of complaints that profits were removed or accounts closed after the broker alleged hedging, news trading or abusive trading, and that withdrawals sat under review for weeks. Make a small test withdrawal first and avoid bonuses.
Is my money safe with Moneta Markets?
If your contract is with the Saint Lucia company, no regulator oversees your account and no compensation scheme applies. The site's statements about segregated accounts and insurance cannot be checked independently. Clients of the FSCA, FSC Mauritius or FSA Seychelles licensed companies get some oversight, but nothing comparable to the UK's FSCS.
Who owns Moneta Markets?
The site names Moneta Markets Excellence Holding Limited as the parent of its UK firm; the ultimate owners are not disclosed. In early 2021 the site described Moneta Markets as a trademark of Vantage Global Limited, a Vanuatu company. The brand now runs through its own companies in Saint Lucia, Seychelles, South Africa, Mauritius, the UK, the UAE and Cyprus.
How long has Moneta Markets been operating?
The domain monetamarkets.com was registered in July 2018 and the public site has been live since at least August 2020, so the brand is about six years old. The '10+ years in the industry' line on its About page refers to experience, not to the brand's own history.
Is Moneta Markets a clone?
No. The registers for its UK, Mauritius, Seychelles and UAE companies match the names and addresses on its websites. Impersonators do exist: Quebec's AMF warned in February 2023 about a Moneta Market Ltd at monetamarket.ca, which is a different operation.
Is Moneta Markets on a regulator warning list?
Yes. The Securities Commission Malaysia added www.monetamarkets.com to its Investor Alert List in November 2024 for carrying on unlicensed capital market activities. In December 2021 Italy's CONSOB ordered the site blocked, naming Vantage Global Limited as the operator. Both listings concern operating without a local licence.
What should I do if Moneta Markets cancelled my profits?
Ask in writing for the exact rule you are said to have broken and the trades involved, and keep all records. Escalate to the regulator of the company named in your client agreement. Ignore anyone offering to recover your money for an upfront fee.
What should I check before opening an account with Moneta Markets?
Check which company your client agreement names and whether it appears on a financial regulator's register. Read the bonus and trading-rules terms, and make a small deposit and a test withdrawal before trading larger amounts.
What we recommend
The practical takeaway from everything above.
Before you deposit, find out exactly which company you would be dealing with.
- Read the client agreement offered at sign-up. If it names Moneta Markets Ltd of Saint Lucia, no financial regulator supervises your account and no compensation scheme applies.
- Check any licence you are shown on the regulator's own register. Moneta's regulation page links to none, so use the register links listed with this report.
- Skip the bonuses, and do not hedge across accounts or trade around news spikes. These are the reasons most often given for cancelled profits, so read the bonus and trading-rules terms first.
- Start small and make a test withdrawal before adding more money.
- Keep copies of trades, balances, emails and ticket numbers. If funds are held, complain in writing first, then to the regulator of the company named in your agreement.
- Never pay a recovery firm an upfront fee to get money back.
- If you live in Malaysia, Italy, Spain, France, Cyprus or another country where the broker is not licensed, do not open an account.
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 November 7, 2026. If any detail here is out of date or incorrect, or you represent this broker, please contact us.
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