Risk scorecard
Each area is scored 0 (clean) to 10 (worst). Higher means more risk.
Regulation
10/10 · CriticalNo verified licence while taking deposits; the New Zealand number belongs to another, deregistered firm and the site carries an FMA scam warning.
Identity & transparency
9/10 · CriticalOwnership hidden behind an unverifiable Cayman shell; the operation borrows a real New Zealand company's name and number and runs sales from Hong Kong.
Withdrawals & conduct
8/10 · CriticalA repeated fund-integrity pattern across platforms: profits not paid and accounts closed after withdrawal requests, with a regulator victim report behind it.
Reputation
9/10 · CriticalFlagged as a scam by independent reviewers since 2019 and by the New Zealand FMA; no credible positive client base was found.
Website claims
9/10 · CriticalCalls itself a 'Regulated Forex broker' with no regulator shown, repeats a borrowed FSP number, and uses guaranteed-profit lures.
Operational history
5/10 · ModerateThe domain dates to 2018, but the operating entity is an unverifiable Cayman shell that cannot be dated, so the age rests on the domain alone.
Who they are
A quick desk file on the company behind the brand.
- Brand: PBFX
- Legal entity: Prime Business Co., Ltd (claimed Cayman Islands company, registration 341014, which could not be verified)
- Registered: Genesis Building, 5th Floor, Genesis Close, PO Box 446, Cayman Islands, KY1-1106; sales office listed at 5/F Health Mansion, 243 Prince Edward Road, Mong Kok, Hong Kong
- Website: pribizco.com (sister site pbfx.asia)
- Only 'licence': a New Zealand FSP registration number (FSP551686) that belongs to a different, now deregistered company and is used without consent
- Offers: MetaTrader 4 forex, metals, indices, commodities, stock and crypto CFDs; leverage up to 1:1000; minimum deposit 100 USD
- Not accepted: residents of Hong Kong, the United States, Iran and Canada
- Age claim: none stated on the site; the domain was registered in July 2018
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
Financial Markets Authority (New Zealand) / Financial Service Providers Register
Found by our investigation (1) — the broker does not list these on its own site
Vanuatu Financial Services Commission (VFSC)
Found by us — not listed by the broker
Why we reached this verdict
How the evidence adds up.
We reached a verdict of confirmed scam because two independent, regulator-grade findings point the same way, and the live site confirms it still takes deposits.
- A regulator warning naming this exact website. New Zealand's Financial Markets Authority states that pribizco.com and pbfx.asia are involved in a scam, that representatives guarantee profits through WeChat, and that one of the sites falsely claims to be regulated by the FMA.
- Someone else's identity. The sites present registration FSP551686 as their authorisation. That number belongs to Prime Business Co., Limited of Wellington, New Zealand, a small company that was deregistered on 25 January 2023 and whose director has confirmed to the FMA that it has nothing to do with these websites.
- No real licence anywhere. The New Zealand number is a company-services registration, not a trading licence, and it is cancelled. The Vanuatu VFSC licensee list contains no entry for this operation. The homepage calls PBFX a 'Regulated Forex broker' but names no regulator.
- Clients are not getting their money back. Across several review platforms, users describe the same pattern: they make a profit, then the withdrawal is refused and the account is closed. One 2025 account from Hong Kong reports being unable to withdraw after profiting, with the account closed for no stated reason.
- Scam-style plumbing. The MetaTrader 4 download is a self-hosted custom installer rather than the official one, deposits start at 100 USD with 1:1000 leverage, and the operator markets heavily to Malaysia while hiding its ownership.
Note on operating history: the 8.2-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.
E1New Zealand's Financial Markets Authority warns that pribizco.com and pbfx.asia are involved in a scam, that representatives guarantee profits through WeChat, and that one site falsely claims FMA regulation.
E2Registration FSP551686 belongs to Prime Business Co., Limited of Wellington (incorporated 2017, deregistered 25 January 2023, now removed), a different company from the Cayman and Hong Kong operation behind pribizco.com.
Hard proofNew Zealand Companies RegisterE3The live site markets itself as a 'Regulated Forex broker' and opens live MetaTrader 4 accounts with 1:1000 leverage and a 100 USD minimum, yet names no regulator and shows no valid licence.
E4The Vanuatu VFSC Financial Dealers licensee list contains no entry for Prime Business, PBFX or Pribizco, so the Vanuatu licence on record cannot be substantiated.
E5Independent review platforms carry repeated complaints that profits are not paid and accounts are closed after withdrawal requests, including a 2025 report of being unable to withdraw after profiting.
E6The MetaTrader 4 download for Windows is a self-hosted custom installer (primebusiness4setup.exe) rather than the official MetaQuotes terminal.
ModeratePBFX website (pribizco.com)E7The operation claims a Cayman Islands company but runs from a Hong Kong office (+852), excludes Hong Kong residents, and markets to Malaysia through 'pribizco_malaysia' social accounts.
ModeratePBFX website (pribizco.com)E8Independent reviewers have described pribizco.com as a scam since 2019, citing a rigged demo, no fund segregation and anonymous operators.
ModerateValforexE9The domain pribizco.com was registered on 18 July 2018 and most recently renewed in 2026.
WeakVerisign RDAPE10The Cayman Islands General Registry provides no free public company search, so the claimed Cayman registration 341014 could not be independently confirmed.
The other side
The strongest case in this broker’s favour.
In fairness, we looked hard for an innocent explanation. Here is the strongest case that could be made for PBFX, and why it does not hold.
- The domain is genuinely old. pribizco.com has existed since 2018, so this is not a website thrown up last month. But a long life does not help when independent reviewers have called it a scam since 2019 and a regulator has warned against it.
- It could have been a real New Zealand firm. There is a real Prime Business Co., Limited in New Zealand. The difficulty is that the real company disavows these sites, was only ever a consumer-credit provider, and is now removed. The operator borrowed its name and number.
- Maybe the licence just lapsed. The New Zealand registration was never a trading licence and it was cancelled in 2023, yet the sites kept trading and kept showing the number. A lapsed permission that was never a trading licence cannot make an unlicensed broker safe.
- The complaints could be competitors. We weighed that. The reports appear on more than one platform, from different users, describe the same concrete failure, and a regulator received its own victim report. That is not the signature of a planted smear.
What would change this
What we would need to see to revise the verdict.
Our view would change if the facts below changed.
- The New Zealand FMA withdrawing its warning about pribizco.com and pbfx.asia.
- A current, genuine trading licence appearing on a recognised regulator's own register in the name of the company that actually holds client money.
- Registration FSP551686 being shown to belong to this operation with the real owner's consent, rather than to the unrelated Wellington company.
- A consistent, verifiable record of clients withdrawing profits without their accounts being closed.
Check it yourself
Official registers and warning lists. Verify every claim first-hand.
FMA New Zealand scam warning for pribizco.com
The regulator's own warning naming this website.
New Zealand Financial Service Providers Register
Search FSP551686: it is a deregistered Wellington company, not this broker.
New Zealand Companies Register: the genuine Prime Business Co., Limited
The real company whose identity was borrowed, now removed.
Vanuatu VFSC licensee list
No Prime Business or PBFX entry appears here.
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about this broker’s safety.
Is PBFX a scam?
Yes. New Zealand's Financial Markets Authority has published a warning that pribizco.com and its sister site pbfx.asia are involved in a scam. The operation holds no licence we could verify, and clients report that profits are not paid out. We rate it a confirmed scam.
Is PBFX a fraud?
The New Zealand FMA warns that the sites are involved in a scam, and clients describe deposits taken and withdrawals then refused. On that record we assess the risk of fraud as high. We are not a court, so we describe the conduct and point to the regulator's own warning.
Is PBFX regulated by the FMA or any authority?
No. The New Zealand number it shows (FSP551686) is a deregistered company-services registration that belongs to a different firm, not a trading licence. There is no Vanuatu VFSC licence on the register, and the homepage names no regulator while calling itself 'Regulated'.
Can I withdraw my money from PBFX?
Many users say they cannot. The repeated story is that a profit is made, a withdrawal is requested, and then the account is closed or support stops replying. Treat any deposit as money you may not get back.
Is my money safe with PBFX?
No. It is unlicensed, client funds are not held under any supervisor, and there is no compensation scheme. If the operator stops paying, there is no regulator standing behind your balance.
Who owns PBFX and where is it based?
The site names Prime Business Co., Ltd, a claimed Cayman Islands company (registration 341014) that cannot be checked on any public register. Day-to-day sales run from a Hong Kong office and the marketing targets Malaysia. No individual owners are named.
What is the FSP551686 registration actually worth?
Nothing for this broker. FSP551686 belongs to Prime Business Co., Limited of Wellington, New Zealand, a consumer-credit company that was deregistered in January 2023. Its director told the FMA it has no link to these websites, which are using the number without consent.
Does PBFX have a Vanuatu VFSC licence?
We found none. The VFSC Financial Dealers licensee list does not contain Prime Business, PBFX or Pribizco, and no VFSC licence number is on record. A Vanuatu licence is weak protection even when real, but here there is no sign one exists.
Is PBFX a clone?
In effect, yes. It borrows the name and registration number of a genuine New Zealand company to look authorised. That company has disavowed any connection, so PBFX is wearing an identity that is not its own.
How old is PBFX and pribizco.com?
The domain was registered in July 2018, so the website has existed for several years. Age is not safety here: independent reviewers have called it a scam since 2019 and a regulator has warned against it.
What should I check before depositing with any broker?
Look up the licence on the regulator's own register, not on the broker's site. Confirm the register lists the broker's exact web address. Read recent withdrawal reviews. If a broker guarantees profits or pushes you through WeChat or Telegram 'managers', walk away.
I think I was scammed by PBFX. What should I do?
Stop depositing and request a withdrawal in writing. Save screenshots of your balance, chats and transfers. Report it to your local financial regulator and, if you paid by card or bank, ask about a chargeback or recall. Ignore anyone who later promises to recover your funds for an upfront fee.
What we recommend
The practical takeaway from everything above.
Treat PBFX as unsafe for deposits.
- Do not send money, and do not share your trading account password or card details with anyone who contacts you about PBFX.
- If you have already deposited, stop adding funds, request a withdrawal in writing, and keep screenshots of balances, chats and transfers.
- Be very wary of anyone who later offers to 'recover' your money for an upfront fee. That is a common second scam aimed at the same victims.
- Report your case to your local financial regulator and, if you paid by card or bank transfer, ask your bank about a chargeback or recall.
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 October 9, 2026. If any detail here is out of date or incorrect, or you represent this broker, please contact us.
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