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Home · Transparency · Broker Comparison Methodology

Broker Comparison Methodology

How ShaFX scores, ranks, and disclaims broker information.

1. Data sources

Broker information on ShaFX is compiled from:

  • The broker's official website, terms documents, and public legal entity pages
  • Regulator registers (e.g., FCA, ASIC, CySEC, FSCA, SCA, DFSA)
  • Broker partner-portal feeds where ShaFX has an IB/affiliate relationship
  • Direct correspondence with broker representatives
  • ShaFX research-desk testing of platforms and account-opening flows

2. Last-updated discipline

Every broker page shows a "last updated" timestamp. Broker conditions change. Our review cycle is approximately quarterly for established partners, faster for actively monitored brokers, and on demand when a broker publishes a material change. Where automated public APIs exist and are reliable, we may sync data continuously.

3. Scoring dimensions

The ShaFX expert score (0–10) is composed of weighted factors:

  • Regulation & entity quality — number of recognised regulators, retail-protection rules, segregation, compensation schemes
  • Platform coverage — MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView, web platform, mobile
  • Cost transparency — clarity of spread, commission, swap, and inactivity fees
  • Instrument range — forex, metals, indices, energies, stocks, crypto CFDs
  • Funding methods — diversity, speed, minimums
  • Country availability & restrictions — published clearly or buried in T&Cs
  • Customer-service signals — response time, language coverage, complaint handling reputation
  • Reputation history — regulator actions, public dispute records

Sub-scores are not published in detail because some inputs are continuously updated and would require constant changelogs. The aggregate score is.

4. What does NOT influence the score

  • The size of the broker's IB / affiliate commission to ShaFX
  • Sponsorship spend
  • Broker requests to remove negative content
  • Personal preferences of any single research-desk member

5. "Featured" vs "Partner" badges

  • Featured — paid promotional placement. Position is influenced by commercial agreement. We mark these visibly.
  • Partner — ShaFX has an active IB / affiliate relationship with the broker. Cashback may be paid on accounts opened through tracked links.
  • Recommended — meets ShaFX research-desk standards regardless of partner status. Independent of commercial relationship.

6. Pros / Cons / Expert review

Pros and Cons reflect the research desk's view as of the last update. Expert reviews are written by human editors. Where applicable, broker disclaimers (entity variation, country availability, CFD risk) are appended automatically.

7. Removal of brokers

A broker is removed from ShaFX if:

  • The broker withdraws or is no longer operational
  • A regulator takes enforcement action that materially affects the broker's status
  • ShaFX determines that listing the broker is no longer aligned with our standards

8. Corrections

Spotted a stale spread, outdated regulation, or wrong country availability? Submit a correction. We acknowledge the report, verify against the source, and update the page with a new timestamp.