STUDY RECORD · last re-checked 2026-09
Interactive Brokers (institutional prime services) — institutional liquidity provider
Interactive Brokers LLC is a global self-directed broker-dealer regulated by multiple tier 1 authorities. It serves a wide range of institutional clients and offers diverse asset classes. However, it does not publish specific details on its venues or connectivity options.
Interactive Brokers LLC · Greenwich, Connecticut, USA · evidence score 79/100
Licence, read on the register
| Regulator | Licence number | Jurisdiction | Tier | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEC/FINRA | CRD 36418 (SEC 8-47257) | USA | tier-1 | open source ↗ |
| FCA | not verified | UK | tier-1 | open source ↗ |
| Central Bank of Ireland | C423427 | Ireland | tier-1 | open source ↗ |
| ASIC | 453554 | Australia | tier-1 | open source ↗ |
| SFC (HK) | not verified | Hong Kong | tier-1 | open source ↗ |
| MAS (Singapore) | CMS100917 | Singapore | tier-1 | open source ↗ |
| CIRO (Canada) | not verified | Canada | tier-1 | open source ↗ |
Tier classification follows the same scale as the retail register: tier-2 means real supervision and client-money segregation, without an investor compensation scheme — never misread it as tier-1 protection.
What this record teaches
Four reading skills, each anchored to something the firm actually published.
- 01 — Teaching pointInteractive Brokers operates under tier 1 licenses in multiple countries including the USA and UK.
- 02 — Teaching pointThe firm serves a diverse client perimeter including institutions, hedge funds, and financial advisors.
- 03 — Teaching pointAsset classes offered include Stocks, Options, Futures, Currencies, Bonds, and Funds.
Claims ledger
Claims specific enough to be falsified — and the ones that remain the venue's own measurement.
Testable claims
- Footer register statements: Interactive Brokers LLC is a member NYSE-FINRA-SIPC, regulated by the US SEC and the CFTC; Interactive Brokers Canada Inc. is a CIRO/CIPF member; Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited is authorised and regulated by the FCA
- Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI reference C423427, CRO 657406, ICS member); IB Australia AFSL 453554 (ABN 98 166 929 568); IB Hong Kong regulated by the SFC; IB Securities Japan regulated by Kanto Local Finance Bureau (Registration No. 187); IB Singapore licensed by MAS (Licence No. CMS100917)
- BrokerCheck register: Interactive Brokers LLC CRD 36418, SEC 8-47257, status ACTIVE
- Institutional account minimum and client billing are published fee items; introducing-broker programme offered on the main site
Claims we cannot verify from outside
- Financial-strength and execution-quality marketing statements on the homepage are the firm's own characterisations
Perimeter and coverage
| Asset classes | Venues | Connectivity | Clients accepted | Explicitly refused |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stocks, Options, Futures, Currencies (FX), Bonds, Funds | Institutions, Financial advisors, Proprietary trading groups, Hedge funds, Introducing brokers ('Launch and scale your brokerage business'), Family offices, Compliance traders |
A firm that publishes its own negative space — who it refuses, where it is not licensed — is materially easier to diligence than one that doesn't. The refusal list is treated here as a disclosure, not a defect.
Self-check
Answer these before you consider the record read. If you cannot, re-read the licence and the claims ledger — the answers are all in what the firm published.
- What types of clients does Interactive Brokers serve under its institutional liquidity layer?
- Which tier 1 licenses does Interactive Brokers hold in different countries?