HTFX is moving to dismantle its regulated European footprint, having applied to cancel its Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) license on January 7, 2026. The move follows the official renouncement of its CySEC license earlier this month.
The broker's ownership structure also appears to have significantly changed in recent years.
Corporate records indicate that before October 2023, the firm was controlled by Lijun Li, alongside an offshore company, both holding authority from August 2022 until the most recent change in governance.
Control now rests with Stephen Williams and Levy Benarroch, who serve as director and CEO, respectively, at the UK entity.
The dual exit from two of the world’s most prominent regulatory hubs marks a definitive retreat for the broker.
In a further sign of the wind-down, the company’s HFTX.eu domain (it belonged to the Cyprus entity) is parked free on GoDaddy, usually a placeholder for something soon to be on sale.
It remains unclear what prompted the withdrawal from both jurisdictions; it had been operating in Cyprus and the UK for 7 and 9 years, respectively.
- CFD Broker HTFX Relinquishes CySEC License, Regulator Confirms
- VM Vita and HTFX EU Lose Investor Fund Protection: CySEC Proposes Higher Fees for CIFs
- CySEC Plans Raids on CFD Broker Offices in EU-Wide Conflict of Interest Sweep
Under the terms of its license cancellations, the broker must now fulfill all remaining legal obligations, including the orderly notification of clients and the completion of wind-down procedures for its regulated activities.
Cyprus' Rising Costs of Doing Business
HTFX’s departure from Cyprus comes amid a broader regulatory overhaul on the Mediterranean island, joining a growing list of brokers that have relinquished their CySEC licenses over the past year
CySEC has recently moved to adjust the cost of doing regulated investment business, proposing a new fee structure in early 2026 that significantly increases application and annual levies for Cyprus Investment Firms (CIFs).
