How are my funds protected?
The protection of customer assets is our highest priority.
Customer funds are held separately from firm operating funds in accordance with U.S. futures regulatory requirements.
How Fund Segregation Works
Customer funds are:
- Held in designated customer accounts
- Kept separate from firm capital
- Monitored under regulatory requirements
This structure is designed to help protect customer funds and maintain financial integrity within regulated futures markets.
Regulatory Requirements
Fund segregation practices are governed by rules established by:
These regulations require clearing firms to maintain strict controls over customer funds and financial reporting.
US Futures Commission Merchants are required to hold customer funds for trading on US futures markets in a customer-segregated account. The funds held in a customer-segregated account may not be used to meet the obligations of the FCM or any other person, including a customer.
When FCMs deposit a portion of their funds in the customer-segregated account as a buffer to ensure the liquidity of the segregated account, it is called residual interest.
Unlike equity markets, futures customers do not receive the benefit of SIPC protection of their assets. However, the distributed nature of the futures business - with a separate FCM, exchange, and clearing house, with each having its own risk management and collateral policies and procedures - helps protect the assets of all customers.
CFTC Commodity Exchange Act Chapter 1, Part 1 - Customers' Money, Securities, & Property.
CME Clearing Financial Safeguards.