Is CFI legit and safe?

By Gerald Louw · Last verified: July 2026 · How we verify

Licensed — but a real enforcement trail

CFI is a large, genuinely multi-licensed group, and its South African entity — CFI Financial (Pty) Ltd, FSP 53711 — is Authorized on the FSCA register (verified 12 July 2026). Two things temper the verdict: the SA licence is a Category I intermediary licence (you ultimately trade with CFI International offshore), and the group has a documented enforcement trail — a €150,000 CySEC AML settlement (2022) and Oman’s FSA revoking CFI Financial LLC’s licence (September 2025) over anti-money-laundering non-compliance.

Who you actually contract with

▸South Africa: CFI Financial (Pty) Ltd — FSCA FSP 53711, status Authorized (verified on the register 12 July 2026; screenshot below). Per CFI’s own FAIS disclosure this is a Category I licence for marketing/intermediary services — client accounts sit with CFI International offshore.
▸UK: Credit Financier Invest Limited — FCA FRN 828955, verified Authorised on the FCA register 12 July 2026. Cyprus: Credit Financier Invest (CFI) Ltd — CySEC CIF 179/12 — verified on the CySEC register 12 July 2026. The wider group also holds authorisations in the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain and elsewhere.

The register, not our word for it

FSCA register result showing CFI Financial (Pty) Ltd, FSP 53711, status Authorized — FSCA register result for FSP 53711, captured 12 July 2026: CFI Financial (Pty) Ltd — Authorized (Category I intermediary licence).

FCA Financial Services Register search for reference number 828955, showing Credit Financier Invest Limited — FCA Financial Services Register, captured 12 July 2026: searching FRN 828955 returns Credit Financier Invest Limited. We separately verified the firm’s status as Authorised on its register record.

Verified findings — with sources

Oman FSA licence revocation, September 2025: Oman’s Financial Services Authority revoked CFI Financial LLC’s licence citing non-compliance with anti-money-laundering requirements and exceeding its licence scope (Oman Observer / CNBC Arabia).
CySEC settlement, May 2022: CFI’s Cyprus entity paid €150,000 for possible non-compliance with anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist-financing rules (Finance Magnates; CySEC announcement).
CONSOB warning, October 2016: Italy’s regulator warned CFI was providing investment services to Italian residents without the required licence (CONSOB notice).

We publish only findings we verified against regulators' own releases, registers, or the broker's own disclosures — and we name the source. Unverified claims circulating online are excluded.

What's genuinely good

FSCA registration verified on the register
Genuinely large licence portfolio across MENA and beyond

Before any money moves

The SA licence is an intermediary arrangement — your account sits with CFI International offshore, so FSCA recourse is limited; ask in writing which entity holds your funds
Two AML-related regulator actions in four years (CySEC 2022, Oman 2025) is a pattern worth weighing

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Frequently asked questions

Is CFI regulated in South Africa?

CFI Financial (Pty) Ltd holds FSP 53711, status Authorized (verified on the register 12 July 2026) — but per CFI’s own disclosure it is a Category I intermediary licence: the SA company markets and intermediates, while accounts sit with CFI International offshore. Ask which entity holds your money before funding.

Has CFI been in trouble with regulators?

Yes — documented: a €150,000 CySEC settlement in 2022 over AML/CFT compliance, Oman’s FSA revoking CFI Financial LLC’s licence in September 2025 over AML non-compliance, and a 2016 CONSOB warning in Italy. None involve the South African entity specifically; all are group-level history you should know.

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