Regulators named in full: a broker regulated by ASIC is regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission; by FCA, the Financial Conduct Authority; by DFSA, the Dubai Financial Services Authority.
New Zealand licence: ThinkMarkets
- Legal entity
- TF Global Markets (Aust) Ltd
- Licence category
- Derivatives issuers
- Licence status
- Active
- Financial service provider number
- FSP623289
- Date granted
- 17 December 2021
- Date we checked
- 2026-09-19
The Financial Markets Authority lists TF Global Markets (Aust) Ltd as a licensed derivatives issuer in New Zealand, and TF Global Markets (Aust) Ltd is registered on the Financial Service Providers Register as FSP623289. The registration is not the licence.
| Broker | External dispute scheme | Before it can be escalated, as the disclosure statement puts it |
|---|---|---|
| Axi | the external dispute resolution scheme is the Financial Dispute Resolution Service (FDRS), and it charges a complainant no fee | Axi seeks to resolve a complaint within 21 calendar days, and if it cannot resolve one within 2 months it must give reasons, updates and an expected decision date |
| BlackBull Markets | Financial Services Complaints Limited (FSCL), an approved scheme under the Financial Service Providers (Registration and Dispute Resolution) Act 2008 | 30 working days is the firm's own target before FSCL |
| CMC Markets | Financial Services Complaints Limited (FSCL), an independent scheme approved by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs | 20 business days to respond before the complaint may go to FSCL |
| IG Group | Financial Services Complaints Limited (FSCL), IG's New Zealand external scheme | 40 working days must elapse after the complaint is made before it may go to FSCL |
| Plus500 | Financial Services Complaints Limited (FSCL), approved under the Financial Service Providers (Registration and Dispute Resolution) Act 2008 | 20 working days before the complaint may go to FSCL |
| ThinkMarkets this review | the Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO), not FSCL | 21 days from the initial complaint is the firm's own target |
Visit ThinkMarketsWe may be paid if you open an account through this link. It does not change what this review says.
Is ThinkMarkets licensed in New Zealand?
Yes. Anyone offering retail forex contracts in New Zealand must hold a derivatives issuer licence from the Financial Markets Authority, and TF Global Markets (Aust) Ltd holds one. The Financial Markets Authority classes retail forex trading as derivatives trading, not currency dealing, which is why this licence category is the one that matters for a New Zealand client. The FMA also recommends New Zealanders avoid overseas forex services it has not licensed, even where an overseas regulator appears to cover them.
The other four licensed derivatives issuers this site rates are compared at licensed New Zealand forex brokers.
Retail forex trading in New Zealand is a form of contract for difference, and what a CFD is under New Zealand law is explained at CFD trading in New Zealand.
TF Global Markets (Aust) Ltd on the FMA register
The register entry names TF Global Markets (Aust) Ltd as the licence holder, with licence status active in the derivatives issuer category. Its registration on the Financial Service Providers Register is FSP623289; that number identifies who holds the licence and is not itself a licence.
Who a New Zealand client contracts with
The Product Disclosure Statement dated 11 April 2023 states on page 25 that ThinkMarkets is a trading name of TF Global Markets (Aust) Pty Ltd, an Australian-incorporated derivatives issuer. The same page states that the entity holds a derivatives issuer licence from the Financial Markets Authority and, separately, Australian Financial Services Licence 424700. Its stated New Zealand address is care of Baker Tilly Staples Rodway Auckland Ltd, 9th Floor, 45 Queen Street, Auckland 1010, which is an accountancy firm’s address rather than an office of its own. The stated phone number is +64 3 668 4583.
Where a New Zealand client’s money is held
The statement states on page 24 that client money is segregated from the firm’s own money and held on trust in one or more bank accounts. Client funds are pooled with the money of other clients in that trust account. The statement states on page 23 that the firm is entitled to retain any interest, calculated daily, on positive balances in the client funds trust account. The Financial Markets Authority names insolvency of the provider as a risk to read a product disclosure statement for, and says a client may be an unsecured creditor and have difficulty getting their money back.
What happens when a position moves against you
The statement states on page 14 that the stop out level is set at 50 per cent of initial margin or 0.5 per cent of the notional contract amount. It states on page 9 that the firm does not guarantee positions will close when the margin level reaches that stop out level. The same page states that the stop out level can be changed at any time, on three days’ notice. Initial margin is typically between 3.33 and 25 per cent of the notional contract amount, the statement states on page 8. There is no negative balance protection: the statement states on page 14 that a client remains liable for any negative position that closing out cannot cover. The broker advertises dynamic leverage up to 5000:1 on its New Zealand page. The Financial Markets Authority describes leveraged forex trading as borrowing money to place a bet, with the full borrowed amount repayable on a loss.
What ThinkMarkets charges a New Zealand account
The statement states on page 21 that commission is charged between 0 and 5 per cent of the executed opening and closing transaction value, depending on platform and account type. Where an introducing broker is involved, the statement states on page 21 that their commission is charged either as a fixed amount per side, for example USD 2.50 per side of 100,000 bought and sold, or as extra spread such as two basis points. The swap rate is tripled on Wednesday to cover the Friday to Monday value period, the statement states on page 22. A card payment fee, a percentage of the face value deducted immediately, is stated on page 23. The same page states that the firm does not charge a fee to process a withdrawal, though a bank or payment processor may deduct one. A posted hard-copy duplicate statement costs NZD 25 per statement. The firm does not charge a fee on an account that is already in negative balance, the statement states on page 23.
How to complain, and who hears it
The statement states on page 25 that the firm is a member of the independent dispute resolution scheme operated by the Insurance and Financial Services Ombudsman Scheme (IFSO), not the Financial Services Complaints scheme some brokers use. The IFSO Scheme is contactable at PO Box 10-845, Wellington 6143, or on 0800 888 202. The firm’s own target, stated on page 25, is to try to resolve a complaint within 21 days from the day of the initial complaint. There is no cost to a client to use IFSO services, the statement states on the same page.
The risk ThinkMarkets ranks first in its own disclosure
The first risk the statement lists, on page 14, is that a client can lose more funds than they deposit in the margin account due to adverse price movements, and may have to deposit more. The statement also sets a suitability gate: it states on page 26 that if the firm is not satisfied that a client can understand these types of derivatives and the risks involved, it cannot accept that person as a client. A client who will not supply information about their derivatives knowledge and experience cannot be accepted. The Financial Markets Authority’s own opening line on the subject is that forex trading for profit is very risky, and that it regularly receives complaints from consumers who have lost money.
How ThinkMarkets scores against every broker we rate
ThinkMarkets has a global published score of 70, scored on the broker’s global offering against every broker we rate. There is no New Zealand score, because there is no New Zealand test. ThinkMarkets is an ECN broker, with regulators including ASIC, the FCA in the United Kingdom, CySEC, the JFSA, the DFSA in Dubai, the FSCA in South Africa, CIMA, the FSA in Seychelles, the FSC-M and the FMA in New Zealand.
ThinkMarkets in New Zealand, in one line
A New Zealand client of ThinkMarkets contracts with TF Global Markets (Aust) Ltd, an Australian-incorporated derivatives issuer holding an active FMA licence, whose own disclosure states it pools client money on trust and keeps the interest on positive balances. The broker’s full offering is covered in the global review at /reviews/thinkmarkets-review/, and other licensed New Zealand brokers are compared at /nz/.
Visit ThinkMarketsWe may be paid if you open an account through this link. It does not change what this review says.
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About the author
Justin Grossbard is the CEO & Co-Founder of CompareForexBrokers established in 2014, along with Noam Korbl and works as Strategic Head Of Research.
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