Canadian Binary Options Laws and Regulations. October Special Offer: Get started with only €50 at HighLow #1 Ranked regulated broker: Get Started Here! There are quite a number of peculiarities about the Canadian binary options market. First of all, the country has one of the biggest binary options markets in the world. But what is baffling is that the country is yet to have laws in place that recognize and regulate the industry. That essentially means that whatever binary options brokers are operating in Canada are doing so outside of the law. Therefore, no Canadian citizens are supposed to be trading in binary options because that is clearly a violation of the laws of the local and national regulators have made regarding the industry. In short: No binary options broker has a license in Canada at this moment. As such, Canadians should not trade binary options at any broker whatsoever, as all brokers that accept Canadians are doing so illegally. If you see a binary broker that claims that it's allowed to operate in Canada, then stay away, as that's a lie. If you see a binary broker or a website that claims that you are allowed to trade binary options at brokers licensed in Europe, then stay away, as that's not true. You can only trade at binary brokers licensed in Canada. However, as explained, there are no such brokers at this moment, as such, you should not trade at any binary options broker at all if you are in Canada.
There are no ifs and buts or maybes. If you are located in Canada, you should not trade binary options. Australian Laws & Regulations. Canadian Trading Regulations. Cyprus Trading Rules and Brokers. European Binary Options Legislation. German Trading Rules & Regulations. Options Trading Laws in Spain. South African Regulations & Brokers. Trading Laws & Guidelines in France. UK Regulations & Laws. How Canada Regulates its Financial Industry. Canada happens to have provincial financial regulators.
That means that each of the provinces in the country gets to decide what financial industry operators to license and which operators to keep away. Still, as of yet, none of the provinces have given binary options trading a green light. If anything, a lot of regional regulators in the country have been extra vigilant about keeping the illegal binary options operators trying to offer their services in the country away from the residents. At some point, the provincial regulators even began to come together in their effort to keep unlicensed regulators out of the country. Obviously, unlicensed brokers with nothing to lose cannot take the hint. Which is why many come back using different domain names, while others throw in made up regulatory claims from reputable countries to make daring Canadians more confident about using their questionable services. This proves that, as always, it is safest to trade in binary options when your country allows it. This way, it is possible to use binary options brokers that have local licenses. Today, there are many well-regulated brokers that can be trusted to provide reliable trading services in countries that have made laws to regulate the industry. But as a Canadian resident, it is very unlikely that you will get a chance to use such a broker. Not now, and not in the foreseeable future. That is because any self-respecting broker will avoid offering their services illegally in a territory that does not offer them a license or even authorize the industry.
For this reason, any brokers willing to operate in Canada will mostly likely cause problems for you as a local binary options trader. That is because only unlicensed and shady brokers would so outrightly violate local laws in order to win your business. Legality of Binary Options in Canada. Although Canada has a strong financial industry, which is also very well regulated, it is yet to open its doors to binary options trading. The country is very keen on having a safe and credible financial industry and at the time, it does not think the binary options industry is worth regulating. Initially, the country, and its provinces, did not have an outright opposition to the industry. But over time, complaints linked to the binary options industry continued to pile up, and the country started to form a firmer, and negative stance, against binary options trading as a whole. There are even serious considerations from the country’s regional regulators to ban the industry entirely, and it seems more than likely that most local regulators will support the proposal if only to reduce the damage the industry is causing at the moment. In fact, several brokers have been blacklisted. These brokers have also been listed on many local regulator websites, where residents are clearly warned against using their services. That means that any broker that tries to offer its services in the country is likely to end up on the dreaded warning list. Is using Foreign Binary Options Industry Still an Option? The Canadian authorities seem set on a path to rid its financial industry of any risky binary options trading. At the same time, they fail to express a desire to authorize and regulate the industry, which means most reputable brokers no longer want to accept Canadian binary options traders.
This has made the industry even more riskier than it has ever been because the legal gray areas that made such brokers willing to serve Canadians is now gone. The only brokers bold enough to solicit Canadians are scam brokers who don’t mind getting blacklisted and banned by the local authorities. And even those that claim to have regulation from other countries tend to be lying. These days, there are even brokers that clone the sites of reputable regulated brokers in order to win the confidence of unsuspecting Canadian binary options traders. The thing is, even Canadians who are bold enough to want to trade in binary options have a lot of risks lying in wait for them. Finding a reputable broker is pretty much not a viable option for them at the moment. In the past, only US brokers were a slight problem because US regulations are quite protectionist. The country’s laws also specify exactly how this form of trading should take place, which is very different from the way the rest of the world does it in binary options trading. What Now for Canadian Traders? Is this the end of the road for aspiring Canadian binary options traders? Clearly, it is not safe to trade in binary options if you are a Canadian citizen. And from the look of things, the regulators in the country have no intention of letting this industry have a presence within its borders. Even brokers that were initially hopeful that the country would at one time open up its market to them have had their hopes dashed.
Rather than discuss ways to regulate the industry, the country is seeking ways to put a legal end to it once and for all – which is bad news for both brokers and traders. So, as things stand right now, it is not safe to trade in binary options within Canada anymore. It is illegal for any company at this moment to offer binary options trading services to Canadian citizens. If you trade binary options as a Canadian, essentially you are doing this at companies that are operating illegally in Canada. So to resume things: If you are a Canadian citizen and are located in Canada, you should not trade binary options at any binary options broker whatsoever. All these binary brokers are illegal in Canada. Latest Binary Options Articles & Guides. Comprehensive guide to the laws and regulations of binary options in South Africa. Find out which are the brokers that accept South African traders and offer the best services for traders from this country. Full guide on the binary options laws of France. Find out which binary options brokers are legally allowed to offer their services to French citizens. Many binary options brokers are regulated and licensed in Cyprus. Find out why this is so and learn wether or not Cyprus binary options brokers are safe. Binary Options Canada.
Canada's Binary Options Guide. Are Binary Options Legal in Alberta. Note: This article may be out of date, please refer to our updated page about the legality of binary options in Canada. Binary Options are not currently regulated by Alberta, and therefore the legality of brokers offering binary options in Alberta is a “grey area”. Binary options trading is one of the fastest growing markets in the financial industry. This type of trading has opened doors to investors of all budgets and is an attractive alternative to traditional forms of investment where larger sums of money are required and months and even years may pass before profits are made. Binary options are short-term investments that can generate profits on a day to day basis. These terms are appealing to many traders around the world and Canada is no exception. In particular, binary options interest has grown significantly in Alberta. The reasons for this growth are two-fold: first, Albertans enjoy how easily accessible binary options are, and second, they also enjoy the quickness with which they can generate profit. Binary options are available from non-Canadian brokers to Alberta. With all of the attention options have garnered, it may come to a surprise for many to learn that no regulations are currently in place to manage this growing industry. BINARY OPTIONS TRADING IN ALBERTA. For consumers of financial products and services within the province, including binary options, the Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) is an excellent resource.
While it does not specifically regulate the binary options industry, the ASC is the agency responsible for the administration of securities laws. Its mission is to protect investors and ensure that a fair and efficient market is in operation in the province. The ASC is also a member of the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) as it strives to streamline capital markets across Canada. Very few securities commissions and other financial regulatory bodies across Canada have managed to publish information in regards to binary option. However, the ASC has addressed this type of investment, as requested by residents of the province, in an attempt to brief traders on the practice and offer safe trading advice. The ASC reminds traders that while binary options are legal, they are not registered with any Canadian agency and therefore, are not subject to the strict rules and regulations of the country. The information provided by the ASC could very well indicate that the administration is listening to consumers and working on eventually regulating binary options. Until then, traders may still turn to the agency for guidance and tips on safe trading. DELAY WITH WITHDRAWALS EXPLAINED. Binary options offer the ultimate pay off when traders are able to withdraw some of their profits. While depositing money into an account to start trading happens almost instantly, withdrawals are typically associated with delays. Understanding the withdrawal process can help traders know what happens to the transferred money during the delay. Typically, there are three steps to take into consideration: verification of documents, chosen method of withdrawal, and the broker and financial institution wait times. Most brokers will usually request proof of identification in order to issue a withdrawal.
Some brokers may allow traders to clear this step ahead of time while others will request documentation upon a withdrawal request. Once I. D. is verified, traders must choose a method of withdrawal, such as debit card, credit card, or wire transfer. Then, depending on the chosen method and the delays associated with it outside of the broker’s jurisdiction (such as credit card company clearance and bank authorization), traders may have to wait up to seven days prior to receiving the money. Waiting to receive hard-earned profits may be frustrating but all these steps are in place to protect traders and to ensure money is going to the right recipient via the right route. For traders who prefer quick withdrawals, the best way to avoid disappointment is by asking brokers about their policies before signing up with them. Of course we’ve done the research for you on our list of recommended brokers. There’s no need to risk an unknown broker to trade with in Alberta. Guide By Province. Search. Join our Mailing List.
Binary Options with expiry of less than 30 days are now a BANNED financial product in Canada. DO NOT TRADE BINARY OPTIONS IN CANADA. Binary Options Regulation and Compliance. You will never want to make any mistakes when choosing a Binary Options site at which to trade, and as we are always advising our website visitors there are several different aspects of any such site they should fully check out and research before they even sign up to such a site online or via a mobile device. One part of any Binary option Brokers or Trading site that you need to guarantee they have is a license to operate and they comply with the terms and conditions of that license in regards to their day to day operation. As there are more and more Binary Option trading sites appearing on an almost weekly basis finding one or more of them to sign up to and become a customer of is quite easy, however whatever you do always make sure they hold a full license to operate, for we have heard of many horror stories from some Binary Option traders who have lost out financially when some such sites have closed down and left their clients out of pocket. With this in mind we ensure that every single Binary Option trading site we showcase to our website visitors are fully licensed and regulated whilst at the same time we insist on only presenting to you sites which have a solid track record and can be relied on to provide you with an unsurpassed Binary option trading experience and one you can always rely on time and time again. Unlike other sites we do not just list dozens and dozens of Binary Options brokers and trading site, and as such we have opted for quality over quantity and as such we will only present to you Options Brokers that we know can deliver to Canadian residents and citizens the ultimate trading experience. But due to visitors request we have listed the top 30+ brokers in the world, to give you a scope of whats out there. Feel free to checkout any of the listed below Binary Option trading sites for we can guarantee they ill offer you everything you will need to start and progress through your Binary Options online or mobile trading career, and each site listed is currently giving away a new customer sing up bonus to enhance your initial trading sessions!
News & Events. For Immediate Release. CSA Investor Alert: Unregistered binary option platforms target Canadians. Winnipeg – The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) are warning investors to exercise caution when considering an investment in binary options. The CSA has become aware of multiple websites promoting binary options trading platforms that are soliciting Canadians. Many of these websites are trying to lure investors by making untrue andor misleading statements about Canadian securities regulators’ oversight of binary options. Binary options are essentially “bets” on how a particular underlying asset will perform in a limited amount of time. Despite listing Canadian contact information, many binary options trading platforms are based overseas purportedly in countries like Cyprus, Belize and the Seychelles, and the companies managing these platforms are often not registered to conduct business in Canada. Offering investment services or products, whether online or in person, is a regulated activity. Investing with offshore companies operating outside of Canada can be risky and is a common red flag of investment fraud. Once offshore, it can be nearly impossible for an investor to recover their money. Unregistered trading platforms currently soliciting Canadians: This is not an exhaustive list. The CSA encourages all investors to visit aretheyregistered.
ca to check the registration of any person or company offering binary options to Canadians. Anyone who has invested with these or other offshore binary options trading platforms should contact their local securities regulator. March is Fraud Prevention Month. Throughout the month, investors can follow tweets from @CSA_News for additional helpful tips and information on being a smart investor and fraud prevention. The CSA, the council of the securities regulators of Canada’s provinces and territories, co-ordinates and harmonizes regulation for the Canadian capital markets. Alberta Securities Commission. Ontario Securities Commission. Autorité des marchés financiers. British Columbia Securities Commission. Manitoba Securities Commission.
Financial and Consumer Services. Commission, New Brunswick. Nova Scotia Securities Commission. PEI Securities Office. Office of the Attorney General. Office of the Superintendent of Securities. Newfoundland and Labrador. Office of the Yukon Superintendent. Nunavut Securities Office. Financial and Consumer Affairs. Authority of Saskatchewan. Backgrounder: Binary Options. Binary options are like an “all or nothing” wager on how an underlying asset will perform in a limited amount of time. Investors can have as little as 60 seconds to predict the market’s minute-by-minute fluctuations, which make investing in binary options extremely risky, even for seasoned investors.
Binary options are highly volatile and can produce wins or losses quickly, and because they are often traded in currency markets, they can present a high level of risk for many investors. There are several websites that allow users to trade binary options. Some may claim that these investments are risk-free or that the site will reimburse investors for lost wagers. However, these claims are inherently too good to be true all investing involves some amount of risk, and most site disclaimers will clearly state that investors could stand to lose their entire investment. Websites that facilitate binary options trades can sometimes expose investors to potential frauds, including manipulating the trading software to adjust a binary option’s price and payout. For example, if a trade is “winning” during its allotted period of time, the option’s timeframe may be arbitrarily extended until the trade becomes a loss. Certain online binary options trading platforms have refused to credit customer accounts or reimburse funds after accepting users’ money. Would-be customers who have deposited money into a binary options trading account are later encouraged by the platform’s “brokers” to add additional funds. When these customers later attempt to withdraw their original deposit or the return that they have been promised, the “brokers” may cancel the withdrawal requests, refuse to credit the account, or ignore customers’ phone calls and emails. Top 3 Binary Options Trading Brokers in Canada. As you may know, each nation has their own set of rules and regulations regarding binary options trading.
In this article, we’ll focus on the procedures and opportunities for Canadian-based traders. Now, in respect to rules and regulations, trading binary options in Canada is perfectly legal. However, there are several agencies in Canada that regulate trading for their respective provinces. First, the top agency that oversees trading operations in Canada is the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA). For those that reside in British Columbia, the British Columbia Securities commission (BCSC) will oversee trading activity. In addition, Ontario residents can be assured by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC), and for those residing in Alberta, there is the Alberta Securities Commission (ASC). These agencies were created to assure that customers are not deceived and that firms operating under their jurisdiction follow proper business conduct. The reality is that most of the internet-based binary options brokers are NOT registered with these Canadian Agencies. In fact, the BSCS released a statement warning its residents about RBOptions, 24options. com, GOoptions.
com, TradeRush. com or any other unregistered binary options trading platformbroker. The fear they have is that these binary options are illegally traded through an unregistered and unregulated trading platform. It’s true, the BSCS is well known for being the strictest Canadian based regulatory agency. Now, no claims on these brokerplatforms have been made outside of RBOptions, which was falsely representing themselves as being based out of Toronto and Ontario. To sum it up, these regulatory agencies are letting you select whichever broker you’d like. However, if something goes wrong, they can’t protect you, since these brokers are not registered under their regulatory body. At the time of this writing, they are only issuing a warning to investors, not shutting down firms. In fact, in August of 2013, the BCSC added 24options. com, GOoptons. com and TradeRush.
com to their Investment Caution List. What should the Canadian investor do? It appears that the regulatory agencies have yet to take a firm stance on binary option brokers. They are not stopping you from trading with them, but they are warning you about the possible dangers. Where do you go if they’ve yet to take a firm stance? The answer is not as difficult as it might appear. One simply needs to look for binary option brokers that are regulated in other countries to get some assurance. If you didn’t know, the majority of binary option brokers are located out of Cyprus. With that said, the regulating body in Cyprus is the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (). When a firm is regulated, they have to constantly stay up to date with proper business practice. With that said, it’s important for an investor to keep up with the latest news from these regulating agencies.
Each firm regulated under receives a license number, when conducting your due diligence, simply ask the binary option broker what their license number is, and see if it matches up with CySec’s website. In addition, visit CySEC’s website and routinely read their announcements, as new warnings and fines occur frequently. Some popular regulated companies include 24option. com, OptionRally, Banc de Binary and EZTRADER to name a few. In conclusion, the regulators are starting to get more involved with binary options brokers, after a slow start. As in Canada, there are no firm policies yet. However, if a Canadian resident wanted to participate in these markets, their best bet would be to look for brokerplatforms that are regulated elsewhere. At the moment, appears to be the most organized regulating body in the binary options trading arena. Binary Options Canada. Canada's Binary Options Guide. The Legality of Binary Options In Canada. Canadians wishing to get involved are wondering are binary options legal in Canada, and if so, if there are any particular terms of which they should be aware. As of September 28, 2017 the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) announced a complete ban on the advertisement, offer, sale or trade of binary options with option expiry of less than 30 days . Previously, many offshore (meaning any country but Canada) binary options brokers were regulated in fairly reputable jurisdictions like Cyprus or Japan and offered their services from there to Canadians, but that was halted in 2015-2016 for the most part.
In addition, companies “regulated” (and we do use that term loosely) in places like Belize, British Virgin Islands, St. Vincent & Grenadines and so on offered their services to Canadians as well, and those too have been mostly halted from dealing with the Canadian market mostly through Canadian blocks of credit card payments but also through regulatory interest in their operational countries. The Ban Of Binary Options. As of September 2017, the CSA has banned binary options with expiry of less than 30 days outright. Any solicitation of Canadian customers by a broker as of this date must be looked at as likely fraud or at the very least a black market operator. Canadian Authorities. Canada currently has the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) agency, which was formed by securities regulators of all ten provinces and three territories. The CSA is an umbrella organization whose objective is to try to streamline the diverse capital markets in operation across the country. When researching a broker, traders should ensure that it is trustworthy, reputable, and applies fair trading practices. Fortunately all the companies listed on our website are licensed and regulated, just not by Canada itself. See our list of recommended brokers for Canadian citizens on our binary options brokers page. BINARY OPTIONS LEGALITY BY PROVINCE. Because different provinces have their own financial regulations, we explore the question of binary options legality on a province by province basis. Guide By Province. Search.
Join our Mailing List. Binary Options with expiry of less than 30 days are now a BANNED financial product in Canada. DO NOT TRADE BINARY OPTIONS IN CANADA. Retail FX. This exclusive report aims to serve as a manual, answering all of the questions on the Chinese multi-asset trading industry that you were always afraid to ask. The following terminology applies to these Terms and Conditions, Privacy Statement and Disclaimer Notice and any or all Agreements: "Client", “You” and “Your” refers to you, the person accessing this website and accepting the Company’s terms and conditions. "The Company", “Ourselves”, “We” and "Us", refers to our Company. “Party”, “Parties”, or “Us”, refers to both the Client and ourselves, or either the Client or ourselves. All terms refer to the offer, acceptance and consideration of payment necessary to undertake the process of our assistance to the Client in the most appropriate manner, whether by formal meetings of a fixed duration, or any other means, for the express purpose of meeting the Client’s needs in respect of provision of the Company’s stated servicesproducts, in accordance with and subject to, prevailing English Law. Any use of the above terminology or other words in the singular, plural, capitalisation andor heshe or they, are taken as interchangeable and therefore as referring to same. We are committed to protecting your privacy.
Authorized employees within the company on a need to know basis only use any information collected from individual customers. We constantly review our systems and data to ensure the best possible service to our customers. Parliament has created specific offences for unauthorised actions against computer systems and data. We will investigate any such actions with a view to prosecuting andor taking civil proceedings to recover damages against those responsible. We are registered under the Data Protection Act 1998 and as such, any information concerning the Client and their respective Client Records may be passed to third parties. However, Client records are regarded as confidential and therefore will not be divulged to any third party, other than Finance Magnates , if legally required to do so to the appropriate authorities. We will not sell, share, or rent your personal information to any third party or use your e-mail address for unsolicited mail. Any emails sent by this Company will only be in connection with the provision of agreed services and products. Disclaimer. Exclusions and Limitations The information on this web site is provided on an "as is" basis. To the fullest extent permitted by law, this Company: excludes all representations and warranties relating to this website and its contents or which is or may be provided by any affiliates or any other third party, including in relation to any inaccuracies or omissions in this website andor the Company’s literature and excludes all liability for damages arising out of or in connection with your use of this website. This includes, without limitation, direct loss, loss of business or profits (whether or not the loss of such profits was foreseeable, arose in the normal course of things or you have advised this Company of the possibility of such potential loss), damage caused to your computer, computer software, systems and programs and the data thereon or any other direct or indirect, consequential and incidental damages. Finance Magnates does not however exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by its negligence.
The above exclusions and limitations apply only to the extent permitted by law. None of your statutory rights as a consumer are affected. We use IP addresses to analyse trends, administer the site, track user’s movement, and gather broad demographic information for aggregate use. IP addresses are not linked to personally identifiable information. Additionally, for systems administration, detecting usage patterns and troubleshooting purposes, our web servers automatically log standard access information including browser type, access timesopen mail, URL requested, and referral URL. This information is not shared with third parties and is used only within this Company on a need-to-know basis. Any individually identifiable information related to this data will never be used in any way different to that stated above without your explicit permission. Like most interactive web sites this Company’s website or ISP uses cookies to enable us to retrieve user details for each visit. Cookies are used in some areas of our site to enable the functionality of this area and ease of use for those people visiting. Links to this website.
You may not create a link to any page of this website without our prior written consent. If you do create a link to a page of this website you do so at your own risk and the exclusions and limitations set out above will apply to your use of this website by linking to it. Links from this website. We do not monitor or review the content of other party’s websites which are linked to from this website. Opinions expressed or material appearing on such websites are not necessarily shared or endorsed by us and should not be regarded as the publisher of such opinions or material. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices, or content, of these sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site & to read the privacy statements of these sites. You should evaluate the security and trustworthiness of any other site connected to this site or accessed through this site yourself, before disclosing any personal information to them. This Company will not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage in whatever manner, howsoever caused, resulting from your disclosure to third parties of personal information. Copyright and other relevant intellectual property rights exists on all text relating to the Company’s services and the full content of this website. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Finance Magnates. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. All information on this page is subject to change. The use of this website constitutes acceptance of our user agreement.
Please read our privacy policy and legal disclaimer. Trading foreign exchange on margin carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. The high degree of leverage can work against you as well as for you. Before deciding to trade foreign exchange you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience and risk appetite. The possibility exists that you could sustain a loss of some or all of your initial investment and therefore you should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose. You should be aware of all the risks associated with foreign exchange trading and seek advice from an independent financial advisor if you have any doubts. Opinions expressed at Finance Magnates are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Fthe company or its management. Finance Magnates has not verified the accuracy or basis-in-fact of any claim or statement made by any independent author: errors and omissions might occur. Any opinions, news, research, analyses, prices or other information contained on this website, by Finance Magnates, its employees, partners or contributors, is provided as general market commentary and does not constitute investment advice. Finance Magnates will not accept liability for any loss or damage, including without limitation to, any loss of profit, which may arise directly or indirectly from use of or reliance on such information. Neither party shall be liable to the other for any failure to perform any obligation under any Agreement which is due to an event beyond the control of such party including but not limited to any Act of God, terrorism, war, Political insurgence, insurrection, riot, civil unrest, act of civil or military authority, uprising, earthquake, flood or any other natural or man made eventuality outside of our control, which causes the termination of an agreement or contract entered into, nor which could have been reasonably foreseen.
Any Party affected by such event shall forthwith inform the other Party of the same and shall use all reasonable endeavours to comply with the terms and conditions of any Agreement contained herein. Failure of either Party to insist upon strict performance of any provision of this or any Agreement or the failure of either Party to exercise any right or remedy to which it, he or they are entitled hereunder shall not constitute a waiver thereof and shall not cause a diminution of the obligations under this or any Agreement. No waiver of any of the provisions of this or any Agreement shall be effective unless it is expressly stated to be such and signed by both Parties. Notification of Changes. The Company reserves the right to change these conditions from time to time as it sees fit and your continued use of the site will signify your acceptance of any adjustment to these terms. If there are any changes to our privacy policy, we will announce that these changes have been made on our home page and on other key pages on our site. If there are any changes in how we use our site customers’ Personally Identifiable Information, notification by e-mail or postal mail will be made to those affected by this change. Any changes to our privacy policy will be posted on our web site 30 days prior to these changes taking place. You are therefore advised to re-read this statement on a regular basis. These terms and conditions form part of the Agreement between the Client and ourselves. Your accessing of this website andor undertaking of a booking or Agreement indicates your understanding, agreement to and acceptance, of the Disclaimer Notice and the full Terms and Conditions contained herein. Your statutory Consumer Rights are unaffected. © Finance Magnates 2015 All Rights Reserved.
Canadian Regulators Take Stance on Binary Options in Canada. All 13 regulators in Canada warn residents to beware of binary options. The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA), comprised of the country’s thirteen key financial market regulators across their respective provinces, today issued a release that warns Canadians to ‘beware of binary options platforms’, as the CSA said there is no company currently registered in Canada to carry out such offerings to residents and labeled it as illegal in the country. The coordinated effort appears to be driven by a number of clients that have been the victim of the scams of binary options providers purporting to be legitimate and based in either Canada or other jurisdictions. This follows recent related challenges that have surfaced. The fact that the stance has been reached simultaneously shows that trading binary options is becoming more popular for Canadians despite its illegal status. This status is something residents may not even be aware of, however, increasing awareness may be exactly what the regulators are trying to do with this latest circular. Industry challenges highlighted. “Canadians are exposing themselves to the high risk of identity theft and fraud when signing up for these platforms that often request their credit card information,” said Louis Morisset, Chair of the CSA and President and CEO of the Autorité des marchés financiers, commenting in the CSA press release. Mr. Morisset added: “The CSA warns investors that if they deal with these platforms, they risk the threat of thousands of dollars in unauthorized withdrawals on their credit cards and of being stuck with high-interest payments for a non-existent investment.” The announcement referenced a url for clients to check the registration status of investment companies and financial services providers via the aretheyregistered.
ca website, and the CSA listed a number of steps clients can take when conducting due diligence on financial services providers in general. Some of the examples in the CSA announcement really highlighted some of the darkest sides of online brokerage corruption with regard to ethics. The announcement noted cases where clear market manipulation was employed, such as noting how firms would arbitrarily extend the options time-value if it was already in the money at expiration, in the hope that it would subsequently turn into a loss (instead of booking the winning profit that the client had rightfully earned). In the FX market this could be compared to stop-hunting, or asymmetrical slippage, or less directly “spoofing” in securities markets with the intent to deceive for a financial gain. It is wrong in any form, and not a fault of the product but rather its facilitator. The CSA compared this popular form of retail financial market speculation to gambling and “all or nothing” bets, and added that clients often cannot access profits in cases when gains are realized as the watchdog alleged such winnings didn’t exist. Unfortunately, this can be true for firms that are not employing best practices or maintaining high standards of commercial honor, and that employ a more subtle form of scamming – this can go undetected for long periods of time until it’s too late. It’s hard to really tell what standards a firm has when it has no regulatory status and just a website, and conversely, even regulated firms can partake in actions that harm clients financially. Thus proper due diligence is needed, but it is far more difficult to ascertain for unregulated firms. This conundrum is further complicated when there are companies soliciting in jurisdictions where the product is not even permitted, such as in Canada.
This trend of warnings has been paralleled elsewhere as regulators have been tormented by the clones and purported providers that aim to dupe investors, as evidenced by the large number of announcements, many of which have been covered by Finance Magnates. Product not regulated in Canada. While the regulator’s claims have merit, it appears that the CSA is perhaps also unaware of the legitimate providers that exist outside of Canada, regulated in other jurisdictions, and not recognized as gambling (although at the same time the CSA is not alone in taking this view). Binary options trading is coming under scrutiny for best-practices considering that related rules are still new and evolving in some places. Nonetheless, the strong stance taken by the CSA today means that whether a firm is regulated elsewhere or not, the product is not regulated in Canada at the moment, and therefore the watchdog’s cannot protect clients, and any firms soliciting these products are doing so illegally. Excluding the firms that are giving binary options trading a bad name, regarding to the real binary options industry that exists, if we compare certain exchange-traded index options in the US, a similar argument could be made that trading US stock options could be akin to gambling. One example is when a premium is wiped out due to an adverse market move which could create a 100% loss scenario while the same move in the other direction could have doubled the options intrinsic value. It really depends on the trading method and style (and contract specifications) with regard to whether trading is more akin to gambling or investing (I think the same can be said for almost any asset class where leverage and fast trading can be employed). Since many binary options contracts have embedded profitloss targets (in order to appeal to beginners and simplify trading), from a different context this can be considered all or nothing (for the amount invested) and thus appear like a gamble or roll of the dice. Yet, even highly calculated day trading in blue chip stocks, with pre-determined riskreward ratio, may either have their stop-loss triggered or limit-hit, in a very small amount of time, such as during a large trade size from a proprietary day trader looking to scalp a quick price movement. The context here is important for differentiating between investing and trading, and trading versus gambling. Nonetheless, the CSA is aiming to protect its residents and the move is understandable as Canadian investors would be taking huge risks potentially with binary options firms where there is no oversight or remedial options, and even worse, potential scam artists – as described in the update from CSA. Future prospects in Canada. While some binary options providers may be regulated elsewhere yet soliciting in Canada, the CSA doesn’t recognize the difference, and thus it is putting those providers into the same pool of potentially flagrant companies.
Yet the CSA really doesn’t have any other choice, without proper regulatory guidelines in place that could potentially create a legitimate offering in Canada and which could improve market integrity while protecting clients through education and enforcing best practices for binary options providers. At the moment, this is all wishful thinking, yet the hard stance today could be a stepping stone for future action(s). Unfortunately, as is the case in most financial markets and industries, the acts of a few unscrupulous firms and people can make it more difficult for legitimate providers and the existing marketplace. Just yesterday, Israel’s financial markets watchdog issued a similar order. Ideally, the CSA could conduct research on how binary options could be regulated and add revenue for Canadian regulators, while opening new markets, if a new licensing segment was established. But that seems to be the furthest thing from the current tone of today’s announcement, yet a valid future potential course of action if binary options continue to be embraced by other regulators – it could maybe one day be legal in Canada. From a larger context, the aspects of best-execution, among other areas, are still a challenge as accurate price and fair dealing underline the goals of market integrity. Tezos Sued again and Roger Ver Tantrums: Best of the Week. GAIN Capital Supporting Bitcoin CFDs on City Index for UK Clients. Chairman of Israeli Financial Regulator Hauser to Resign in Early 2018. 4 Comments on "Canadian Regulators Take Stance on Binary Options in Canada" It gets frustrating with time when can not recover invested funds with brokers. As for me, I was lucky to find the right people to help me with recovery of funds.
I’d Like to share my experience with folks with similar situation. I found a way to recover my initial funds from the scam brokers. Am happy to share my experience,.Feel free to reach out. Reply to your initial that you be able to recover your initial funds from those binary broker. if you have more than one and you invested $8000. can you recover as Canadian from them all. Binary Options Regulation – Everything You Need to Know. I’ve decided to open another series of articles with an article about regulation matters, not because I think it’s the most important thing a trader should look for in a broker (and it’s not), but because I think that’s the most discussed issue by most binary options traders. Update: Now, three years after I first wrote this article, regulation has become a very important part of each trader’s process of choosing a broker. One of the first questions a new trader asks is whether the broker is regulated or not and if Yes, then by whom. The industry has transformed a lot since 2012 and I am glad to see that traders are a lot more careful with their money and pay attention to the companies they are doing business with. Potential traders from all around the globe are beginning to understand the fine benefits of Binary Options, but somehow the whole binary options industry still seems quite blur for most people. The increasing growth of binary options brokers is defiantly not synchronized with the amounts of information given by these brokers about their product.
Therefore, it’s not a big surprise to see so many confused people just longing for some clear information, for something to hold on before depositing their hard earned money. From my experience, all these worries and lack of information leads to one simple phrase pronounced by these fuzzy traders: “Binary Options Regulation”. Regulation is an advantage, not a must. Just take a look at the small and un-important Forex industry (hope you all realize I use cynical, those of you who don’t know the Forex industry should do some learning before beginning with Binary Options…). The biggest Forex brokers are now valued by billions, but at the beginning, they weren’t so different from today’s binary options brokers. It’s important and advised to be suspicious towards new trends, but be reminded that sometimes pointing your finger at the right trend at the right time could make you great profits. It took quite some time before the Forex industry became fully regulated, similarly, it will take more time for the binary options industry to claim full regulation. In today’s market, traders could find a few already regulated Binary options brokers (or on process), our readers could find most of these brokers on our trusted binary options brokers list. Update (November 2015): As I was saying three years ago, more time needs to pass until the binary options industry will become fully regulated, like the Forex industry (an unregulated Forex broker is a rare bird these days). But the industry has made significant advances and most brokers are looking to get a license from one of the main regulators across the globe.
And speaking of that, the main player is now the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission () their increased activity is due to the fact that most binary options brokers choose to operate out of Cyprus, so they have to get regulated by a Cypriot authority. You can read this in-depth and recently updated article about Regulation but keep in mind that other regulatory agencies are stepping in and start paying more attention to the binary options industry. The British Financial Conduct Authority () recently took some steps towards regulating binary options in the United Kingdom (Article coming soon), but also other regulatory agencies around the world are doing the same. However, I believe the best thing is that brokers now want to become regulated and this is mostly because traders demand to invest with licensed firms. In other words, unregulated brokers will soon start to lose clients who will close their accounts and join regulated companies. To keep you informed about regulation around the world we’ve recently added all regulators information which will also show you how to file an official complaint against your brokerage in case of misconduct. Why do we Need Regulation in Binary Options? First, for those of us who have absolutely no idea what’s regulation is all about: if a company is regulated or not regulated, it doesn’t mean it conducts legal business or illegal business if not regulated. So why regulate at all? For several reasons. First, despite the free markets liberal overlook, markets and economies can’t function properly without a basic set of rules to ensure physical rights, underpin transactions, and antitrust laws for safeguard fair competition. Rules and regulations carry the weight of law but are not written by lawmakers. Instead, they’re issued mostly by bureaucrats who rely on information and advice from experts to form the basis of the new standard.
Therefore, the main reason behind regulation is to ensure that the company is handling its business in light of the law, and to protect the company from other companies who do not apply to rules of regulation. Second. In many cases, rules and regulations are implemented because some people have forgotten the fair business rules and now the rest must pay the price. The rules are essential requirements to ensure the safety of those directly involved plus the greater good of all related population. Regulation is necessary to mitigate broader market failures in competitive industries. For us as clients, regulation is needed to ensure the protection of consumers from abuse, to introduce and maintain safety standards, and to protect individuals from scams and frauds. In a perfect world, laws, rules, and regulations ensure a better product or service, better distribution, safer environment and, in general, better guidelines with which to move forward to progress. Regulation and Binary Options. The field of Binary Options is relatively breached, both since it’s quite fresh and the different definitions of binary options trading in different countries. In the U. K. for example, Binary Options falls into the “gaming” category (however, new sets of rules will be soon implemented and by mid-2016 binary options are likely to be officially considered “financial instruments” – article coming soon) while in other countries Binary options trading is “gambling”. Same goes to Forex, before regulation. The reason for that is that different states have different definitions, legal definitions, for the same industry.
That’s why Binary Options is not available in all countries. In the U. S, which is stricter than other countries when it comes to people’s money, not all assets are available to trade. Some brokers don’t even allow U. S traders to deposit. On the other hand, both Europe and the U. K do allow all traders to trade all assets. Asian markets are even less strict. The first countries to issue legal statues to Binary Options platforms and Brokers where, as always, the tax shelters countries: BVI and Cyprus. Many internet gambling and trading website companies are located in those countries, mostly in Cyprus due to its physical and legal linkage to Europe. That’s the reason why most Binary Options brokers are also located in those countries, and of course, the low to zero taxes. Moreover, most regulation processed in Cyprus effects European citizens also. The Cypriot regulators have already begun processing binary options brokers appeals to regulation, inside information told me that it’s only a matter of a couple of months before the first brokers would be officially regulated by the Cypriot regulators. *Update: Now after more than three years, we can safely say the is the main regulator of the binary options industry and that other regulators across the globe are also working towards a safer trading environment. Some of the most important authorities are the Italian Commissione Nazionale per le Società e la Borsa () and the French Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) but of course, others are starting to participate actively.
As for the U. S. – it’ll take time, but some steps are being taken by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). E. U regulation is only good for Europe, regulated brokers would have problems working with American customers. Hopefully, the U. S. would follow the European footsteps soon, so that trading will be safer and available to anyone. We’re working on a comprehensive guide to U. S. regulation so stay tuned if you want to know how Binary Options are evolving and changing in order to enter the U. S. market through the front door. When a broker is not regulated, it doesn’t mean it’s a scam! The main reason why regulation is an advantage (and of course should be the main goal of the binary options industry in the end) is that when a broker is regulated it means the deposited money in kept in a safe account and monitored by a third party to ensure fair-play. Since the Binary Options industry is quite fresh (the first brokers only opened for business on 2008), most brokers don’t have the longed regulation. Nowadays, we can see many countries, From Northern America to the Far East and Australia and back to Europe, begin to understand the risks for the growing number of traders and benefits for their own economy and therefore be allowing slowly but with caution some regulation. The way I see it, Australia is currently the most advanced country in terms of regulation, but sadly those regulations do not apply in the US also, for example. Each and every country have their own laws and restrictions, for example, many tax shelter countries with an increasing economic growth (especially in the financial markets) such as Cyprus or the British Virgin Islands are now allowing regulation for some binary options brokers under their own restrictions which also applies to other countries. Full regulation all around the world still has some way to go, meanwhile, we advise our readers to stick with the popular under regulation or on process binary options brokers since they’re considered by most experts as safer and better-trusted brokers.
Regulators Across the Globe. Many of you are familiar with the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (), mostly because the majority of binary options brokers are located in Cyprus and thus, regulated by . A broker located in the United Kingdom has to become regulated by a British authority, one located in Australia looks for regulation from an Australian regulator and so on. Some brokers even look for multiple regulations (i. e.: they are from Cyprus but want to operate in the UK so they get regulation from a British watchdog) but we cannot take their word for it and we have to be able to check if they are really regulated. For that, we need to know how to contact the regulators and how to complain in case of misconduct from the part of our broker. So, let’s meet the main regulatory agencies around the world: Cyprus : Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (). We start with the because it’s the most active watchdog for the binary options industry. A lot of brokers choose to get regulated by the because it’s relatively cheap and the conditions are not as severe or restrictive as with other regulators. Some argue that the goes too easy on brokers that misbehave but warnings and fines have been issued, which shows they are doing their job. Sometimes they should step in more decisively but that’s just an opinion and overall, trading with a regulated broker is better than with an unregulated one. For more info about , we recommend reading this Binary Options Regulation article and if you have to file a complaint, follow this link. If compensation is sought, you are advised to submit your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman of the Republic of Cyprus. United Kingdom : Financial Conduct Authority ().
This is one of the more “feared” regulators and their conditions are a lot tougher than CySEC’s. A binary options broker regulated by the offers a higher degree of trust and is generally regarded as the safer choice, mostly because it’s harder to receive an license and most brokers go for the easier option (). We’ve recently added a full article about the Binary Options Regulation and we invite you to read it for more complex information. To learn how to file a complaint with the , follow this link. If you are still not happy with the way the issue was handled, contact the British Financial Ombudsman Service and file a complaint with them as well. United States : Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Through its Complaint Program, FINRA investigates the activity of brokerages and is empowered to take action against them, including fines and suspensions. FINRA operates one of the largest dispute resolution forums in the industry and assists in the resolution of problems that may arise between investors and brokerage firms. To file a complaint with the FINRA, use this link and to check your broker’s license or certification, use their BrokerCheck tool available here. If you are a senior investor and have concerns about your brokerage or investment, you’ll be happy to hear that recently FINRA have set up a Help Line for Seniors – HELPS. A toll free number is listed and further information about how to proceed so make sure you follow the link above. Other U. S. watchdogs include the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the National Futures Association (NFA). There’s a lot to say CFTC, so visit this CFTC Binary Options review.
France : Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF). The French watchdog ensures the protection of investors and the proper functioning of the financial markets so if you are having a problem with your financial intermediary, make sure you contact the AMF Ombudsman’s Office. Another authority you can turn to is the Banque de France ACPR so make sure you contact them as well if your problem is not solved. We will continue with a list of links to other regulatory authorities from different parts of the world: Complain, Don’t Let them Get Away With It! We’ve given you the map but you have to do the work. Now you know where to complain, but you need to fill all forms and send all the required documents. Go to the respective regulators’ websites using the links above and explain the issue with as much detail as possible. Also, note that most brokerages keep records of your trades, emails and phone conversations so make sure what you are claiming is true and that you can prove it. You can be involved in several scenarios: 1: If your brokerage is using aggressive sales tactics , make sure you record a few of the conversations (or take screenshots of your emails) before contacting the regulatory authority. During the conversations, explain in a clear manner to the broker’s representative that you are not interested in the service they are offering. Warn them that you are going to complain to the authorities if they don’t stop bothering you. 2: If you are not able to withdraw or you have been scammed , gather all proof of this before contacting the regulators. Make sure the required identification documents are sent to your brokerage (in conformity with Anti-Money Laundering procedures) and that you are not in breach of the brokerage’s Terms and Conditions. If you haven’t read the T&Cs and agreed blindly, the regulatory body will not be able to help you much, unless the T&Cs are illegal according to local laws.
3: If Bonus problems arise and your investment money is tied to the brokerage until a certain trading volume is reached, first inform the brokerage of CySEC’s circular CI144-2014-02. That document makes it clear that an investor can withdraw the initial investment (not the bonus) but if you are dealing with a broker that is not regulated by you will need to contact their respective regulatory agency and file a complaint. 4: If your account manager performed trades on your account without being instructed to do so in writing , you need to gather all proof and present it to the authority that regulates their activity. This is a grave breech of your privacy and means the brokerageaccount manager has access to your password and consequently to your money. In some countries, it’s illegal for individuals to even offer investment advice if they don’t have the required certifications (Investment AdvisorConsultant), so investing your money directly, without your approval is an even greater issue, which can attract serious legal action. 5: If you can’t get a hold of your broker , make sure you’ve tried all the possible ways and only then contact the regulatory authority, inquiring about the status of the brokerage. Firms have to stay in constant communications with their regulators (procedures differ depending on the regulatory agency) so the watchdog will be able to shine some light on the situation. If not, at least they will have a better chance than you to get a hold of the brokerage. 6: If the brokerage is manipulating price , you need to record your trading platform using screen capture software (preferably video). You should be able to prove everything you claim, so as soon as you start suspecting that quotes are manipulated, start gathering all sorts of evidence and only then contact the regulatory agency. Regulation = More Chances of Getting your Money Back. There could be other scenarios but they all have the same guidelines: gather all the evidence you can, back up everything you say and explain in detail the situation to the regulatory authority. Maybe I don’t need to say it but do not swear and please use formal tone. Regulators are there to help but they are not your beer buddies, so act accordingly. Everything I’ve talked above applies to a regulated brokerage.
It’s your job to check if the brokerage you want to invest with is regulated by a major authority but this shouldn’t be too hard because usually, brokerages make it easy for their clients to find out if they are regulated. In other words, you will find a “Regulation” tab on the broker’s website, where they display all the agencies that regulate their activity. However, if you’ve fallen in a non-regulated broker scam, your best chances are to contact your bank and credit card provider and ask for a chargeback or any other way of getting your money back. Of course, we strongly recommend investing only with regulated brokerages because as you can see, you have a plethora of methods to get your money back and to have your problem solved. Martin, I rarely respond to articles that give an opinion. But, I feel that this article can really hurt people and therefore I thought I should respond. I have been a full time trader for almost 8yrs. I live in the USA and have been researching Binary option brokers for a while. I have contacted virtually all of them around the globe. After asking very specific questions and then verifing there responses, there is no question in my mind that the vast majority of them are absolute scams. First of all, it’s no coincidence that the majority of brokers are based in Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands.
Both of these Countries are a scammer’s paradise and a trader’s nightmare. There is little if any regulation and enforcement. One of the questions I asked is whether they were registered with US regulators. (That would mean the CBOT and SEC). Responses that I received were that “they were registered with the authorities and were working with US authorities so that when they start regulating binary option brokers they will be ready.” I called the SEC and CBOT both said these companies were NOT registered. One broker went as far as saying that their North American Office was based in New York City and therefore had to meet US regulations. Again, I checked and they are not registered. Also, I am from New York and I know the address they use is a Mail Drop address that anyone can pay to use. I also noticed that all the so called experts giving advice on binary brokers are affiliates. So, they could not care less if it’s a scam. As long as they get there commission. My advice is that if the broker is not in a highly regulated country stay away and keep your funds safe.
Good luck and good trading. @Steve – If you have been a trader for the past 8 years and researching the binary options market for a while you should know the following: 1) Binary options have been traded for a number of years in the banks as knock in and knock out options, in effect creating what is more commonly referred to as Range Binary Options. 2) The only way an entity offering binary options trading in the US is if they are registered as an exchange and there is only one in the US. 3) Most Binary Options provider are actually whitelabels of a larger company. There are about 3 of them. There needs to be a difference made between a binary optiosn whitelable like 90% of what you see on the internet and an actaully binary options broker which would allow you to buy but also sell your option with very limited restrictions. 4) I half agree with you on the Cyprus, BVI and all other jurisdictions alike. The reasons why Cyprus is a populr location for FOrex brokers and Binary Options providers is that there are low cost entries, access to EU regulation and Binary Options are now fully regulated. Yet you are right on the enforcement issue. There are legitimate, non-scam businesses in Cyprus and the BVI but becauce of the overwhleming amount of problems with non stable one it gives a bad name to the industry as a whole, just like in FX 10 years ago. 5)The only way to deal with a legitimate company is to talk to them, ask them all your questions, make sure they do their due diligence when opening your accunt. and FX broker will ask you for 2 IDs for examples. What are their trading policy, etc.
Bottom line, wherever a broker or operator is, regulated or not, it doesn’t really matter if they want to scam you they will all you need to do is look at MFGlobal and PFG. A good trader is an informed trader. Hi i sent mailpreviously to the supplied email adress of BOTS but got no response. I have visual material of how a binary option broker manipulate the data in their favour and would like to share this. If bots are interested please let me know. Can you send it or post it in any website how the binary brokers manipulate. It will be a good information to the world out their to know what’s the thing behind we need to know. I am A US resident and want to find a legit broker to trade Binary Options with, does anyone know of the safest and best brokers to go with? I have been looking at Traderush and Cedar Finance but I am unsure of how safe they really are for a US resident to be trading with them. I particularly want to trade currencies with Binary options but have heard rumors about it being illegal and restricted for US residents is this true? I have experimented with sites like traderush before. While they are not directly scams, one does need to be very very careful here and I think the odds of one successfully making a profit would be slim.
As a matter of opinion I can’t help but feel if one does win, then it has more to do with luck then anything else. However, specifically to address one of the concerns for residents in the US – please not of foreign transaction fees when moving money to trading accounts. Since the trading platforms are often based in countries such as Cyprus (for tax relevant reasons and such), a foreign transaction fee is often levied whenever transferring money to (and from) US bank accounts to the trading platform accounts. Refer to this video for a more detailed discussion on this: Everyone criticize traders and binary but no one recommends a trader. Why is this? Anyone can cheat and do but I would think there would be some honest traders out there. Its gambling and I would think everyone playing would know that. How many times do you win at a casino? hello guys i’m new to all this, i’m looking for the list of allowed countries to trade, doesn’t metter is there is regulation or not, like for example, canada still non regulated, and can have non regulated brokers, can someone help me with this list please. Confused about the above and don’t know where to ask my question. I hope you can answer it here. I’m in US and referring to overseas firms it recommends under Trusted Binary Options Brokers: “This list above contains only Non-US brokers. Brokers featured in this list are either fully regulated by , FSA, JFSA or other respectable regulators or fully trusted by BinaryOptionsThatSuck.
com.” Then further down it states: “Notice: US citizens are prohibited of trading with EU regulated (, FSA) brokers. Be advised: Trading with a non regulated broker carries risk!” So trusted brokers in EU should be regulated by , FSA or JFSA but that US citizens are not permitted to trade with firms that are in fact regulated. Which is it? Thx. There are US regulations, EU regulations, Japan, UK and so on… US traders should avoid non CFTC regulated brokers, ie or . Please allow us 24-72 hours to review your comment. We reserve the right to decide which comment will be published. For question regarding brokers – Please use our Forums. For Detailed Complaints – Please use our Complaints system on homepage.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.