International Markets Live Targeting Belgium Investors in Pyramid Scheme
- Belgium's FSMA has warned the public against the fraudulent targeting of domestic clients by the company.

Belgium’s Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) has issued its latest regulatory warning to the public. The announcement involves the unauthorized activities of International Markets Live LTD, which has been attempting to solicit FX and contracts-for-difference (CFDs) services to domestic individuals.
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Belgium has been one of the more stringent countries regarding FX and CFDs offering – since 2016 the country has effectively curtailed this type of investment offering, which has not stopped brokers or companies from pursuing Belgian clients. Of note, the regulatory edict also forbids companies from giving clients a reward for bringing in new clients or for recommending these types of products.
However, these offerings have been mainly targeting younger individuals, many of whom are poorly educated about the risks concerning these types of instruments. Many brokers and regulators have routinely pointed to a lack of education as a paramount issue in the retail space. Their consequent handling of high Leverage Leverage In financial trading, leverage is a loan supplied by a broker, which facilitates a trader in being able to control a relatively large amount of money with a significantly lesser initial investment. Leverage therefore allows traders to make a much greater return on investment compared to trading without any leverage. Traders seek to make a profit from movements in financial markets, such as stocks and currencies.Trading without any leverage would greatly diminish the potential rewards, so traders need to rely on leverage to make financial trading viable. Generally, the higher the fluctuation of an instrument, the larger the potential leverage offered by brokers. The market which offers the most leverage is undoubtedly the foreign exchange market, since currency fluctuations are relatively tiny. Of course, traders can select their account leverage, which usually varies from 1:50 to 1:200 on most forex brokers, although many brokers now offer up to 1:500 leverage, meaning for every 1 unit of currency deposited by the trader, they can control up to 500 units of that same currency. For example, if a trader was to deposit $1000 into a forex broker offering 500:1 leverage, it would mean the trader could control up to five hundred times their initial outlay, i.e. half a million dollars. Likewise, if an investor using a 1:200 leveraged account, was trading with $2000, it means they would be actually controlling $400,000, i.e. borrowing an additional $398,000 from the broker. Assuming this investment rises to $402,000 and the trader closes their trade, it means they would have achieved a 100% ROI by pocketing $2000. With leverage, the potential for profit is clear to see. Likewise, it also gives rise to the possibility of losing a much greater amount of their capital, because, had the value of the asset turned against the trader, they could have lost their entire investment.FX Regulators Clamp Down on Leverage Offered by BrokersBack in multiple regulators including the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) took material measures to protect retail clients trading rolling spot forex and contracts for difference (CFDs). The measures followed after years of discussion and the result of a study which showed the vast majority of retail brokerage clients were losing money. The regulations stipulated a leverage cap of 1:50 with newer clients being limited to 1:25 leverage. In financial trading, leverage is a loan supplied by a broker, which facilitates a trader in being able to control a relatively large amount of money with a significantly lesser initial investment. Leverage therefore allows traders to make a much greater return on investment compared to trading without any leverage. Traders seek to make a profit from movements in financial markets, such as stocks and currencies.Trading without any leverage would greatly diminish the potential rewards, so traders need to rely on leverage to make financial trading viable. Generally, the higher the fluctuation of an instrument, the larger the potential leverage offered by brokers. The market which offers the most leverage is undoubtedly the foreign exchange market, since currency fluctuations are relatively tiny. Of course, traders can select their account leverage, which usually varies from 1:50 to 1:200 on most forex brokers, although many brokers now offer up to 1:500 leverage, meaning for every 1 unit of currency deposited by the trader, they can control up to 500 units of that same currency. For example, if a trader was to deposit $1000 into a forex broker offering 500:1 leverage, it would mean the trader could control up to five hundred times their initial outlay, i.e. half a million dollars. Likewise, if an investor using a 1:200 leveraged account, was trading with $2000, it means they would be actually controlling $400,000, i.e. borrowing an additional $398,000 from the broker. Assuming this investment rises to $402,000 and the trader closes their trade, it means they would have achieved a 100% ROI by pocketing $2000. With leverage, the potential for profit is clear to see. Likewise, it also gives rise to the possibility of losing a much greater amount of their capital, because, had the value of the asset turned against the trader, they could have lost their entire investment.FX Regulators Clamp Down on Leverage Offered by BrokersBack in multiple regulators including the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) took material measures to protect retail clients trading rolling spot forex and contracts for difference (CFDs). The measures followed after years of discussion and the result of a study which showed the vast majority of retail brokerage clients were losing money. The regulations stipulated a leverage cap of 1:50 with newer clients being limited to 1:25 leverage. Read this Term or risk products in recent years has underscored this trend.
In the case of International Markets Live however, the group had been enticing its members with a number of advantages and compensation, thereby soliciting new members to recruit. By and large this is indicative of a pyramid scheme, with more details of this type of fraud being explicitly outlined in full on the FSMA’s website.
Such scams are highly dangerous and should be avoided by any individuals, or would-be investors. International Markets Live is no stranger to Europe, having already drawn regulatory scrutiny in two other countries.
The group has been the subject of multiple warnings by the French supervisory authority (AMF) and by the Spanish supervisory authority (CNMV). With the company now shifting its focus to Belgium, the FSMA has taken action. Investors are urged to always consult the FSMA’s website for authorized service providers’ status.
It is also important to note the public can contact the FSMA in the case of any queries. Offers of unrealistic returns, or requests to transfer funds to a country with no connection with the financial group, should serve as red flags.
Belgium’s Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) has issued its latest regulatory warning to the public. The announcement involves the unauthorized activities of International Markets Live LTD, which has been attempting to solicit FX and contracts-for-difference (CFDs) services to domestic individuals.
Discover credible partners and premium clients at China’s leading finance event!
[gptAdvertisement]
Belgium has been one of the more stringent countries regarding FX and CFDs offering – since 2016 the country has effectively curtailed this type of investment offering, which has not stopped brokers or companies from pursuing Belgian clients. Of note, the regulatory edict also forbids companies from giving clients a reward for bringing in new clients or for recommending these types of products.
However, these offerings have been mainly targeting younger individuals, many of whom are poorly educated about the risks concerning these types of instruments. Many brokers and regulators have routinely pointed to a lack of education as a paramount issue in the retail space. Their consequent handling of high Leverage Leverage In financial trading, leverage is a loan supplied by a broker, which facilitates a trader in being able to control a relatively large amount of money with a significantly lesser initial investment. Leverage therefore allows traders to make a much greater return on investment compared to trading without any leverage. Traders seek to make a profit from movements in financial markets, such as stocks and currencies.Trading without any leverage would greatly diminish the potential rewards, so traders need to rely on leverage to make financial trading viable. Generally, the higher the fluctuation of an instrument, the larger the potential leverage offered by brokers. The market which offers the most leverage is undoubtedly the foreign exchange market, since currency fluctuations are relatively tiny. Of course, traders can select their account leverage, which usually varies from 1:50 to 1:200 on most forex brokers, although many brokers now offer up to 1:500 leverage, meaning for every 1 unit of currency deposited by the trader, they can control up to 500 units of that same currency. For example, if a trader was to deposit $1000 into a forex broker offering 500:1 leverage, it would mean the trader could control up to five hundred times their initial outlay, i.e. half a million dollars. Likewise, if an investor using a 1:200 leveraged account, was trading with $2000, it means they would be actually controlling $400,000, i.e. borrowing an additional $398,000 from the broker. Assuming this investment rises to $402,000 and the trader closes their trade, it means they would have achieved a 100% ROI by pocketing $2000. With leverage, the potential for profit is clear to see. Likewise, it also gives rise to the possibility of losing a much greater amount of their capital, because, had the value of the asset turned against the trader, they could have lost their entire investment.FX Regulators Clamp Down on Leverage Offered by BrokersBack in multiple regulators including the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) took material measures to protect retail clients trading rolling spot forex and contracts for difference (CFDs). The measures followed after years of discussion and the result of a study which showed the vast majority of retail brokerage clients were losing money. The regulations stipulated a leverage cap of 1:50 with newer clients being limited to 1:25 leverage. In financial trading, leverage is a loan supplied by a broker, which facilitates a trader in being able to control a relatively large amount of money with a significantly lesser initial investment. Leverage therefore allows traders to make a much greater return on investment compared to trading without any leverage. Traders seek to make a profit from movements in financial markets, such as stocks and currencies.Trading without any leverage would greatly diminish the potential rewards, so traders need to rely on leverage to make financial trading viable. Generally, the higher the fluctuation of an instrument, the larger the potential leverage offered by brokers. The market which offers the most leverage is undoubtedly the foreign exchange market, since currency fluctuations are relatively tiny. Of course, traders can select their account leverage, which usually varies from 1:50 to 1:200 on most forex brokers, although many brokers now offer up to 1:500 leverage, meaning for every 1 unit of currency deposited by the trader, they can control up to 500 units of that same currency. For example, if a trader was to deposit $1000 into a forex broker offering 500:1 leverage, it would mean the trader could control up to five hundred times their initial outlay, i.e. half a million dollars. Likewise, if an investor using a 1:200 leveraged account, was trading with $2000, it means they would be actually controlling $400,000, i.e. borrowing an additional $398,000 from the broker. Assuming this investment rises to $402,000 and the trader closes their trade, it means they would have achieved a 100% ROI by pocketing $2000. With leverage, the potential for profit is clear to see. Likewise, it also gives rise to the possibility of losing a much greater amount of their capital, because, had the value of the asset turned against the trader, they could have lost their entire investment.FX Regulators Clamp Down on Leverage Offered by BrokersBack in multiple regulators including the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) took material measures to protect retail clients trading rolling spot forex and contracts for difference (CFDs). The measures followed after years of discussion and the result of a study which showed the vast majority of retail brokerage clients were losing money. The regulations stipulated a leverage cap of 1:50 with newer clients being limited to 1:25 leverage. Read this Term or risk products in recent years has underscored this trend.
In the case of International Markets Live however, the group had been enticing its members with a number of advantages and compensation, thereby soliciting new members to recruit. By and large this is indicative of a pyramid scheme, with more details of this type of fraud being explicitly outlined in full on the FSMA’s website.
Such scams are highly dangerous and should be avoided by any individuals, or would-be investors. International Markets Live is no stranger to Europe, having already drawn regulatory scrutiny in two other countries.
The group has been the subject of multiple warnings by the French supervisory authority (AMF) and by the Spanish supervisory authority (CNMV). With the company now shifting its focus to Belgium, the FSMA has taken action. Investors are urged to always consult the FSMA’s website for authorized service providers’ status.
It is also important to note the public can contact the FSMA in the case of any queries. Offers of unrealistic returns, or requests to transfer funds to a country with no connection with the financial group, should serve as red flags.