How to Start a
Forex Brokerage

Turn your industry experience into a fully-licensed brokerage brand. This guide shows how to open a brokerage step-by-step: from choosing the right trading platform and CRM to setting up liquidity, KYC/AML and payments. You’ll learn how operations, tech, and compliance fit together to run a profitable brokerage, attract traders, and scale your business.

What you will need

Opening a brokerage requires planning, capital, and a strong understanding of the financial industry. Success is built on three foundations:

The right partners

Find the right CRM, bridge, liquidity, payment providers, and more tools to get started.

Trading platform

Attract the new generation of traders with the most intuitive all-in-one platform.

Licensing & regulation

Meet regional licensing & compliance requirements and set up KYC/AML the right way.

How to start a brokerage?

The brokerage model is heavily regulated and involves multiple moving parts. Here is a realistic breakdown of the process:

Step-by-step guide

1. Form a legal entity & secure capital. Register your business, create an operating agreement and a company bank account. Upfront capital must cover setup, operational costs, and regulatory requirements.

2. Meet licensing & compliance requirements. Secure the required licenses in your region and set up mandatory policies, including AML, business continuity, employee trading, education, and risk management.

3. Set up clearing & settlement. Clearing is required before going live. It can come through your liquidity/prime broker or a dedicated provider and ensures every trade is settled correctly.

4. Connect a liquidity provider via a brigde. Partner with a third-party liquidity source to access market data or get a data feed via TradeLocker.

5. Choose your trading platform. The platform shapes the entire client experience. Speed, stability, and great UX drive trader satisfaction & retention. Choose TradeLocker to fit it seamlessly into your tech stack.

6. Set up a CRM. Integrate a CRM to manage accounts, deposits and withdrawals, KYC, and support. Pick one that integrates directly with TradeLocker to avoid custom development.

7. Build your website & marketing channels. Your website should build trust and guide traders through onboarding. Combine content, socials, education and affiliates to drive traffic (with our templates at your disposal).

8. Launch and scale. Start onboarding clients, monitor their experience and refine based on real feedback. Growth comes from strong branding, great trader experience, and reliable ongoing support.

Find a partner in the TradeLocker Ecosystem

You bring the brand, the vision, and the challenge model that make your firm stand out.

We provide the trading platform and the full partner ecosystem needed to operate a prop firm.

Whether you're launching a new brokerage or expanding an existing operation, our team is here to help you choose the right tech and build a scalable solution.

The difference between a broker and a trading platform

You’re in good company

Trusted by leading brokers, prop firms, and partners

PrimeXM
OneZero
Centroid
FXCubic
Your Bourse
B2Broker
FX Back Office
Axcera
FunderPro
Brokeree
4xSolutions
TradeZella
FXDS
Oprafin

Why Brokers Choose TradeLocker

Built for the New Generation of Traders

Our platform is designed for a modern trader, with smart risk features that appeal to a younger, digitally native audience.

The Largest Forex Ecosystem

Tap into our rapidly expanding user base. List your brokerage or prop firm on TradeLocker Hub and reach over 150,000 traders each month.

Efficient Integration

Our streamlined onboarding and dedicated team ensure a smooth and efficient setup, getting you up and running faster with zero friction.

Partner Network

We connect you directly with leading CRMs, liquidity providers, payment processors & other tools. You get a complete setup that’s reliable from day one.

Dedicated B2B Support

Our partnership doesn't end with integration. We provide continuous, expert B2B support to ensure your success and address any needs that arise.

Get TradeLocker for your Brokerage

Attract the new generation of traders with the most intuitive all-in-one platform. Smooth onboarding, no hidden costs and full B2B support for your brokerage.

TradeLocker © 2023. All rights reserved.

*Neither this app or its contents should be regarded as professional, financial or investment advice. This app is a suite of trading tools, meant to be used in connection with an account held by a trader with their brokerage firm. If you intend on using this app for real trading, you should understand how various financial products work and the risks you will be undertaking on your own.

**By using this app you will have access to information of a general nature (i.e., that does not address the circumstances of any particular individual). If you require further information, or otherwise a more comprehensive or complete statement of the related matters and regulations, you should seek the advice of a lawyer, your brokerage firm, or from a licensed financial service provider before you start trading.