AMF broker: what does it actually mean? To trade safely in France, you must choose a broker that is authorized by the AMF to operate in the country, which means it has to be regulated by a European regulatory authority. But among all these brokers, which is the best AMF broker? Discover our top 5 AMF brokers for trading the markets safely. Which broker should you choose?
What Is an AMF Broker?
The AMF (Autorité des Marchés Financiers) is France’s capital markets regulator. The AMF is one of the best regulators in Europe, and French savers place a great deal of trust in it. That is why you should always choose an AMF broker if you want to trade safely.
What is an AMF broker? Definition. In reality, an “AMF broker” doesn’t exist! The French regulator does not offer brokers and does not publish an AMF whitelist of brokers. However, the AMF does warn investors against scams by maintaining an AMF blacklist.
Checking the AMF broker blacklist helps you make sure you are not trading with an entity that is neither regulated nor authorized to operate in France, which generally reduces the risk of trading scams.
Brokers regulated in Europe can offer their services in France through the European passport. That is why the brokers presented below are referred to as AMF brokers: even if they are based in other European countries, they are entitled to offer their services to French residents.
Trader Francophone only covers regulated, trustworthy brokers. We will never recommend scammers or brokers on the AMF blacklist.
Best AMF Broker: Our Top 5
To choose your AMF-authorized broker and avoid trading scams, it is best to check the list of AMF-authorized brokers. Here is our top 5 of the best brokers recognized and recommended by the AMF.
Vantage
An Australian broker specializing in Forex and regulated in Europe by the FCA, Vantage can offer its services to French clients through its FCA license obtained in the United Kingdom. Ideally suited to Forex traders, Vantage is an ECN / STP no-dealing-desk broker offering leverage of up to 1:500 and competitive spreads on currency pairs, making it a great fit for active FX traders. The broker also offers the world’s best technical Forex trading platform: MetaTrader.
AvaTrade
Another broker ranked among the best in France, AvaTrade is regulated in Europe by the CBI (Central Bank of Ireland), Ireland’s central bank, and in several other regions such as Australia and Japan. In total, the broker is regulated in 6 jurisdictions. A Forex and CFD broker, AvaTrade stands out for its wide range of trading platforms tailored to the market traded and to traders’ needs, its educational content, and its competitive trading fees on certain asset classes.
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Of course, beyond our top 5 above, other regulated brokers can be good choices depending on your needs. These include FXCM, Interactive Brokers, XM, CMC Markets, ActivTrades, Oanda, IG Markets, Saxo Bank, JFD Broker and Lynx Broker.
All of these brokers are regulated by a European regulatory authority and are therefore AMF-authorized, so traders in France can invest safely.
To learn more about these reputable brokers, we encourage you to read the full reviews we have prepared:
- ActivTrades
- CMC Markets
- FXCM
- FxPro
- Interactive Brokers
- IG Markets
- JFD Broker
- Lynx Broker
- Oanda
- Saxo Bank
- SwissQuote
- XM
Regulated Brokers vs Banned Brokers
The ranking above of brokers certified by France’s Autorité des Marchés Financiers not only guarantees that you trade with a broker regulated in Europe and authorized in France, but also lets you choose from among the best online brokers.
They stand in contrast to the brokers on the AMF blacklist of fraudulent Forex or binary options brokers.
Be aware, however, that a broker not being regulated in Europe does not mean it is fraudulent or a scam. A broker that is not authorized in France may be regulated in another part of the world by an equally competent regulatory authority.
It is also worth noting that certain assets are not permitted everywhere in the world, particularly those aimed at retail investors. This is the case, for example, with binary options, which have been banned in France since 2018. It has therefore been impossible to find an AMF-regulated binary options broker since 2018.
What Is the Role of the AMF?
The AMF, short for Autorité des Marchés Financiers, is the French regulator. It consists of two collegial bodies: the Board (Collège) and the Enforcement Committee (Commission des sanctions). The French institution’s missions are to:
- Regulate the participants and savings products of the French financial market,
- Ensure that investors are properly informed,
- Work at the European and international level to improve regulation.
In this context, the French market watchdog regularly runs information campaigns aimed at retail investors. In addition to publishing and regularly updating the blacklists mentioned above, it provides a broker search page on the AMF website that lets you check whether a broker is regulated in Europe.
This does not only apply to Forex or CFD brokers. It covers every type of broker: stockbrokers, securities brokers, broker-dealers, mortgage brokers, insurance brokers — any broker that must hold an AMF license.
10 Criteria for Choosing the Right Broker
In general, it is important to compare a number of criteria to choose the right stockbroker if you want to maximize your chances of success. Here are the ten most important points to consider when choosing your broker:
- Regulation: choosing a regulated broker is essential. Ideally, pick one regulated in several jurisdictions, as this means it has to comply with more rules.
- Safety of funds: your funds must be held in segregated accounts with top-tier banks.
- Markets and instruments: the market you want to invest in must be offered by the broker you plan to use. In addition, a regulated multi-asset broker can help with your diversification strategy.
- Trading platforms: depending on how you analyze the markets and on your trading strategy, you will need certain trading platforms and tools. MetaTrader, for example, is one of the most popular platforms on the market for technical analysts, as is ProRealTime.
- Spreads and brokerage fees: carefully comparing your broker’s fee structure is essential to choose the one best suited to your trading style.
- Order execution quality: especially important for active traders, order execution speed and slippage are features you should not overlook.
- The ability to choose and adjust your leverage: while leverage can be a powerful tool for a trader, it can also lead to heavy losses if poorly managed. Being able to adjust your leverage is a major advantage.
- Permitted trading styles: some brokers do not allow, for example, scalping or hedging.
- Customer service quality: customer support should be responsive, professional and available in your language and time zone.
- Quality of the training offer: educating traders to improve their knowledge and results should be the number one goal of every reputable broker. AvaTrade and IG Markets are two AMF brokers offering a comprehensive free education section and high-quality trading courses on their websites.
Our ranking of the 5 best AMF brokers above takes these 10 criteria into account, along with other factors. For more options, you can also check our full CFD broker comparison.
Conclusion: Which Is the Best AMF Broker?
If you are still wondering which is the best AMF broker, we invite you to consider our top 5 in light of your trading strategy and financial goals. Each broker has its own strengths, and what suits one trader may not suit another.
That is why the first step is to think carefully about your trading needs based on your investment style. How will you analyze the markets? What trading tools do you need? Which assets will you trade? How will you enter and exit the market? Define your trading plan first, before choosing the regulated trading platform you want to use.
In any case, you can rely on our top 5. On this page we have gathered the best brokers you can count on to trade safely. They are all AMF-authorized, reputable, professional and responsive. Most of these financial intermediaries offer competitive fees, a robust and popular trading platform, and high-quality training, especially Vantage.
Which AMF broker do you think is the best? Share your experience and leave us a comment!