Imperial Trade Review

Our review of Imperial Trade began with the same discipline we apply to every broker that lands on our desk: we cross-checked the company's claimed registration against public regulatory registers, we read the full user-review record rather than skimming star ratings, and we weighed the complaint and exposure data that independent industry databases aggregate. What we found is a broker that presents itself as a legitimate multi-asset firm but which, on closer inspection, shows none of the regulatory scaffolding that would give a retail trader meaningful protection.

We did not rely on the broker's own marketing materials for our conclusions. Instead, we traced the company's stated history, examined the account structure it advertises, and compared that against the lived experience of the traders who have actually deposited money with it. The picture that emerges is consistent and troubling: a firm with no verified licence, a very young operating history, and a user record dominated by complaints about blocked withdrawals and pressure to deposit more. In this review we set out exactly what we found, what it means for anyone considering Imperial Trade, and what we would want to see before we could recommend it to any trader.

Imperial Trade is registered in Spain and, according to the company's own description, was set up in 2017. That description is immediately at odds with the data we hold: the entity on file with us shows a founding date of 5 February 2024, which would make it a very recent operation, not the established firm its marketing implies. This kind of discrepancy matters. A broker that misstates its own age on its public-facing materials is already asking the customer to trust a narrative that does not match the record.

The company reports zero employees on file. That is not in itself proof of wrongdoing — some small firms do not publicise headcount — but for a broker that claims to offer multiple account tiers, a web trader, a mobile trader and a range of asset classes, an empty headcount is a red flag. In our experience, legitimate brokers can usually point to a team, an office, or at least a verifiable corporate footprint. Imperial Trade offers none of that in the data we have.

We also note that the company description says it was set up in 2017, yet the registration date we have is 2024. Even if we take the broker's word that it has been operating since 2017, the absence of any regulatory licence or verifiable corporate history means there is no independent way to confirm how long it has actually been in business. For a trader, that uncertainty is itself a risk. You are being asked to hand over money to an entity whose age, size and corporate structure cannot be independently verified.

The single most important finding in our review is that Imperial Trade holds no verified licence from any financial regulator. Our checks against the public registers found no authorisation, and the broker's own description concedes that it is 'not under any regulation'. That is not a minor omission; it is the difference between a broker that is accountable to a regulator and one that is accountable to no one.

For a trader, the practical consequences are severe. An unregulated broker is not required to segregate client funds, is not covered by any investor compensation scheme, and has no obligation to submit to independent audits or to handle complaints through an ombudsman. If the broker fails or refuses to return your money, your only recourse is the civil courts — and even then, you are chasing a company that may have no real presence to pursue.

We cross-checked the licences on file and found none. We also looked for any offshore or low-tier authorisation that might explain the firm's operations; there is none. This is not a case of a broker holding a weak licence that we would caution against — it is a case of a broker holding no licence at all. In our assessment, that alone is enough to place Imperial Trade firmly in the high-risk category, regardless of anything else in its marketing.

Imperial Trade offers four account tiers: BASIC, PRO, MASTER and ELITE. The minimum deposits range from 200 USD on the BASIC account up to 20,000 USD on the ELITE tier, with PRO at 1,000 USD and MASTER at 3,000 USD. The maximum leverage is stated as 1:400 across all tiers, and the advertised minimum spreads widen as you move down the tiers — from 2-30 pips on ELITE to 6-60 pips on BASIC.

What this structure tells us is that Imperial Trade is trying to appeal to both small retail traders and larger, more experienced clients. The BASIC account is pitched at the entry-level trader who wants to test the waters with a modest deposit, while the ELITE account is aimed at someone willing to put up 20,000 USD for tighter spreads and, presumably, better service. On the face of it, that is a common tiering strategy.

But there are problems. First, the spreads quoted are extremely wide by industry standards — even the ELITE tier's 2-30 pips is far above what most regulated brokers offer on major pairs, where spreads are often below 1 pip on raw accounts. Second, the fact that the broker offers the same 1:400 leverage on every tier, including the BASIC account, is a concern. High leverage combined with a minimum deposit of just 200 USD is a recipe for rapid losses, and it is the kind of product that responsible regulators restrict. Third, we note that commission is not disclosed for any tier, so the true cost of trading cannot be assessed from the information provided.

The structured data we hold shows no deposit methods and no withdrawal methods for Imperial Trade. That is unusual — most brokers, even those with limited transparency, will at least list the payment providers they accept. The absence of this information means we cannot tell a trader how they would fund an account or how they would get their money back, which is a fundamental gap.

More importantly, the user review record gives us a clear picture of what happens when traders try to withdraw. One reviewer wrote: 'I invested with them and I cannot withdraw the money.' Another described a three-month working relationship that seemed fine until they requested a withdrawal of about 1,000 USD in early March 2024, at which point 'everything go' — the review cuts off, but the implication is clear: the withdrawal did not proceed as expected.

A third reviewer described being offered credits and being convinced to take out loans to 'liquidate' them, only to be forced to liquidate a commission when they had no money left. This pattern — smooth deposits, difficult or impossible withdrawals — is one of the most common warning signs we see in broker complaints. It suggests that the firm's priority is taking money in, not paying money out.

Imperial Trade's company description claims it offers a wide range of tradable assets, including indices, cryptocurrencies, metals, stocks, commodities and CFDs. That is a broad menu, but the structured data we hold lists no specific instruments, and we have no way to verify which markets are actually available on the platform. The broker also mentions a Web Trader and a Mobile Trader, but again, no details are provided on the functionality, reliability or security of these platforms.

User reviews give us some insight into the platform experience, and it is not positive. One reviewer described being contacted by a 'supposed rep' after seeing an advertisement on the official website of Club América de México, which suggests that the broker or its affiliates are using aggressive and potentially misleading marketing tactics to attract clients. Another reviewer's account of a three-month period of daily trading that ended in a blocked withdrawal suggests that the platform itself may function well enough to keep traders engaged — but that is cold comfort if the money cannot be taken out.

We would caution traders against assuming that a platform's usability is a sign of legitimacy. Many fraudulent brokers invest heavily in making their trading interfaces look professional precisely so that victims feel confident enough to deposit larger sums. The real test is not how the platform looks, but whether withdrawals are processed reliably — and on that test, Imperial Trade fails according to the user record.

The fee structure at Imperial Trade is opaque. The account tiers advertise minimum spreads, but those spreads are so wide that they would be a significant cost in themselves. For example, a BASIC account with a minimum spread of 6-60 pips means that even in the best case, a trader is paying 6 pips per trade on a major pair — several times what a typical regulated broker would charge. On the ELITE tier, the 2-30 pip spread is still far from competitive.

Commission is not disclosed for any account type, which means we cannot calculate the true all-in cost of trading. This lack of transparency is itself a red flag. Legitimate brokers publish their fee schedules clearly because they want traders to understand what they are paying. A broker that hides its commissions is either trying to conceal high costs or is not confident that its pricing would stand up to scrutiny.

The user reviews add another layer to the cost picture. One reviewer described being 'offered credits' and encouraged to take out loans — a practice that, if true, goes far beyond normal fee disclosure and into the territory of financial manipulation. Another reviewer mentioned being forced to 'liquidate the commission' to access their money, which suggests that the broker may be imposing unexpected fees or conditions at the point of withdrawal. In our assessment, the combination of wide spreads, undisclosed commissions and withdrawal-related charges makes Imperial Trade an expensive and unpredictable place to trade.

We analysed the user review record for Imperial Trade and found a total of 15 mentions across the topics we track, with not a single positive review. The breakdown is stark: 4 mentions of withdrawals, all negative; 3 mentions of scam concerns, all negative; 3 mentions of spreads and fees, all negative; 2 mentions of the platform and app, both negative; 2 mentions of profit and payouts, both negative; and 1 mention of customer support, also negative. There is no counterbalancing praise anywhere in the record.

The withdrawal complaints are the most serious. One reviewer said plainly: 'I invested with them and I cannot withdraw the money.' Another described a three-month period of apparently normal trading — 'everything seemed good, we operated daily and the working relationship was correct' — before a withdrawal request of about 1,000 USD triggered a breakdown in the relationship. That pattern, where a broker behaves normally until you ask for your money, is a classic hallmark of a scam.

The reviews also describe pressure tactics. One reviewer said they were 'offered credits and convinced me to ask for loans to liquidate them', and that when it came time to withdraw, the broker 'forced me to liquidate the commission to get all my m' — the review cuts off, but the implication is that the trader was left with nothing. Another reviewer described a scenario that began with an advertisement on the official website of Club América de México, leading to contact with a 'supposed rep' — a recruitment method that suggests the broker is using third-party affiliates to lure victims.

In our assessment, the user record is damning. There is no evidence of any trader successfully withdrawing funds, and multiple accounts describe being unable to access their money. When we combine that with the absence of regulation and the discrepancies in the company's own claims, the picture is one of a broker that is either unwilling or unable to return client funds.

We compared our own findings with the aggregated data from independent industry databases, and the picture is consistent. Imperial Trade has no verified regulatory licence, and the user review scores are effectively zero — we found no positive reviews on any of the major platforms we track. The Trustpilot score is listed as None out of 5 over no reviews, and the Forex Peace Army score is also None out of 5. That absence of any track record is itself a warning.

Our own Scam Risk Score for Imperial Trade is 75 out of 100, which we classify as 'Severe'. That score is based on a combination of factors: the lack of regulation, the very short operating history, the absence of a verifiable corporate footprint, and the overwhelmingly negative user review record. The fact that we found no clone or impersonator sites does not mitigate this — it simply means that the broker is not even trying to hide behind a fake brand; it is operating openly under its own name, which is arguably more brazen.

We also note that the broker's own description admits it is 'not under any regulation'. That is a rare level of candour, but it is not a point in the broker's favour. It is an admission that the firm has chosen to operate outside any regulatory framework, which means it has no obligation to protect client funds, no requirement to segregate accounts, and no accountability to any authority. In our assessment, any trader who deposits money with Imperial Trade is taking an enormous risk with no safety net.

Our verdict on Imperial Trade is unambiguous: we would not recommend this broker to any trader, whether beginner or experienced. The combination of no regulatory licence, a very short and inconsistent operating history, no verifiable corporate presence, and a user record full of blocked withdrawal complaints makes it, in our assessment, a high-risk operation that shows many of the hallmarks of a scam. The Scam Risk Score of 75/100 reflects that severity.

If you have already deposited money with Imperial Trade, our advice is to stop trading immediately and attempt to withdraw whatever funds remain. Document every communication, keep copies of all transaction records, and report the broker to your local financial regulator and to any relevant consumer protection agency. If you are in the EU, you can also report the firm to the relevant national authority, even if it is not licensed — regulators do track unlicensed entities and may issue warnings.

For anyone considering opening an account, we would urge you to look elsewhere. There are many regulated brokers that offer competitive spreads, transparent fees and reliable withdrawals. The fact that Imperial Trade offers high leverage and a wide range of assets is not a reason to ignore the fundamental absence of regulation. In the world of online trading, the most important feature of a broker is not its marketing or its platform — it is whether you can get your money back. On that test, Imperial Trade fails.