Forex & CFD brokers with either a headquarter or a branch office located in Latvia are required to be regulated by the Latvian Financial and Capital Market Commission (FCMC), in addition to the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). Together, these two regulators ensure all forex brokers in Latvia follow the relevant national and EU regulations.
Perhaps sadly for some, the ESMA’s influence on forex brokers in Latvia means that all brokers there are required to limit trading leverage to only 1:30 on the most liquid trading pairs, as well as to offer negative balance protection to all non-professional traders. Because of this, Latvian and EU traders looking for more leverage could instead consider signing up with a forex broker registered outside of the EU.