by Ntombi Malatsi | Sep 18, 2026 | FOREX FOR BEGINNERS
A Guide to Verifying FSPs on FSCA
In today’s financial landscape, whether you are exploring long-term investments, looking for a wealth manager, choosing an insurance broker, a Forex broker, or even a trading signal provider, the most critical step is ensuring you deal with a legitimate, properly regulated entity.
What is the FSCA?
In South Africa, the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) is the market conduct regulator that supervises financial institutions and licenses Financial Services Providers (FSPs).
Verifying an FSP on the official FSCA register protects you against unauthorised entities and helps you make informed, confident decisions. Below is a step-by-step guide to verifying any financial service provider before doing business with them.
Verifying an FSP License Matters
Before handing over funds or signing agreements with any financial provider, verifying their regulatory status ensures:
♦ Regulatory Oversight: Authorised FSPs must comply with strict conduct standards set by South African law.
♦ Consumer Protection: Dealing with a licensed entity gives you access to official recourse channels (such as the FAIS Ombudsman) if issues arise.
♦ Transparency: The FSCA register displays the exact financial categories, products, and key individuals an entity is authorised to advise on or manage.
Step 1: Access the Official FSCA site
To begin, make sure you’re visiting the official FSCA website. Scammers often create lookalike websites, so always check the URL directly:
Navigate to the bottom of the page and find “FSP SEARCH”; see the screenshot below:
Step 2: Search for the Entity
Once on the FSP search page, you can search using one of two primary details:
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FSP Name: Type the registered legal name of the company or provider.
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FSP License Number: If the provider also displays a license number on their site (e.g., FSP No. 12345), type the exact number. See screenshot below.
Step 3: Verify the License Status and Approved Product Categories
Once your search results load, click on the provider’s details to view their official profile. Pay special attention to three main areas:
♦ Status: Ensure the status explicitly says “Authorised”. If it states Lapsed, Suspended, or Withdrawn, the entity is not currently permitted to provide financial services.
♦ Approved Categories: Check the specific license categories listed (e.g., Category I, Category II). An entity may be licensed to provide advice on insurance, but not authorised for discretionary investment management or derivatives trading.
♦ Contact Details: Cross-check the phone numbers and physical addresses listed on the FSCA portal with the details on the provider’s website to ensure you are talking to the real company and not an impersonator.
Red Flags to Watch Out For
While verifying on the FSCA portal is a key safeguard, always stay vigilant for common warning signs:
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Guaranteed Returns: No legitimate licensed financial provider can guarantee market profits or fixed returns.
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Pressure Tactics: Urgency to transfer funds immediately or promises of “secret strategy access.”
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Mismatched Banking Details: Asking you to deposit funds into personal bank accounts or unregistered cryptocurrency wallets rather than official corporate bank accounts under the licensed entity’s name.
Below is a screenshot showing an entity that claims to be authorised when it is actually not.
Final Thoughts
Taking five minutes to search the FSCA database before engaging with any financial services provider gives you peace of mind and helps protect your hard-earned money. Financial literacy and proper due diligence are your best tools for long-term security.
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*Regulatory Notice.
Learn FX Trading provides general education on fundamental analysis, market analysis, trading psychology, and risk management. We are NOT an authorised Financial Services Provider (FSP) under the FAIS Act and do not provide financial advice, managed accounts, or trade signals.
by Ntombi Malatsi | Sep 7, 2026 | FOREX FOR BEGINNERS
Laptop Vs Phone Trading: Which One Is The Best?
Hello there, beautiful readers. It’s good to be back after taking a hiatus from writing. I wanted to jump right into the debate that comes up almost daily in the trading community and among the mentees who are signing up for my courses.
Forex Marketing.
The marketing side of forex trading favours the smartphone setup because it clearly portrays trading as an easy way to make money on the go from your smartphone.
You’ve probably seen the pictures of someone sipping coffee or even cocktails at the beach, tapping a button on a smartphone, and magically making $1,000 in just a few minutes. I’ve seen that, and that’s the kind of image that draws more people into trading because it screams “freedom” and, honestly speaking, most people want that kind of freedom. But if you’ve been in the markets for any length of time, you know the reality is far less glamorous.
Laptop Trading
If you’ve been following this blog as well as Forex with Ntombi Podcast, you definitely understand how vocal I am about proper planning, mindset, and trading psychology. I am a firm believer that trading should not be chaotic or stop you from being productive elsewhere.
Keeping your trading activities strictly on the laptop allows you to view your trading differently from the way you view your gaming apps. Your mind is also able to view it as a serious activity that should be planned instead of randomly opening it when you are bored. Opening your trading platform at a set time means you’ll only open it when there is a reason to trade, and you are ready and mentally prepared.Â
I also understand that most traders believe it is impossible to plan for live trading sessions because they think opening a trading account means they should be glued to the screen the whole day fishing for random trading opportunities. If you didn’t know, that is absolutely unnecessary. You can have a structured way of trading. I published a podcast episode touching on this; you can listen to it HERE.
Phone Trading
Most traders would argue that phone trading offers convenience. Granted, but at what cost? They also overlook that it is one of the leading causes of over-trading. If trading is that easy to access, it is harder to build self-discipline. Almost every person that I speak to upon signing up for my Risk Management Course shares the same challenge of struggling with discipline and staying away from the trading platform; as a result,, they are constantly blowing accounts.Â
IÂ don’t want to get started with sharing the stories here, but one mentee said, ‘I used to place trades while at the grocery shop waiting in the queue to pay for my groceries’ I’ve heard many stories. Another one said he used to place trades while at the bus stop waiting for his afternoon bus after work, and another one said she once traded while at the salon doing her hair. We both laughed at her and added that she should have read those magazines they put for us at the salons. I also feel like if you are on holiday, rather use your phone to take great pictures and not view charts while at a resort relaxing (giggles).
The Verdict: Give Them Roles.
This post is not to dictate to you on what you should do. This is to give you information, and you can make an informed decision. If you really love your phone trading app and you’d rather keep it, at least assign specific roles to each. Use your laptop/desktop for execution and strategy. Perform all your analysis, calculate your risk and execute all trades at your desk. Use your phone to set news alerts, monitor active positions, manage risks and close when you’re on the go.
Lastly
Respect the process and treat your trading professionally, like a business. You wouldn’t sign an important business proposal or document while you’re at the taxi rank or bus stop or inside an overcrowded train.
Thank you so much for stopping by. If you found this post valuable, kindly share it with your peers. Feel free to share your views in the comments, and subscribe for email notifications whenever I publish a new blog post.
by Ntombi Malatsi | Jun 15, 2024 | FOREX FOR BEGINNERS, FOREX TRAINING
Hello subscribers and readers, if you just stumbled upon this blog, greetings to you too. Feel free to subscribe for future blog post notifications. In this post, I share 5 things that traders need to understand.
You Will Get Scared
Being scared is normal for a beginner trader because trading can initially be scary. The biggest challenge though is when you allow it to turn into fear. Allowing it to turn into fear means you let it affect you long after you’ve experienced it. Fear can also be crippling.
Most traders deal not only with their fears but also the fears of others. They carry other people’s stories as their own. They could read stories on the internet about how others have lost money and been scammed through Forex schemes (there are plenty of those). Acknowledge that you are scared but don’t make other people’s stories yours, create your own story. I have published a mindset booklet ” titled “Shift your Mind Shift your Money” to help you fix this because winning starts in the mind.
Being scared is not a permanent state. Scared money never grows. Being too scared to take a trade will result in you parking your money in a trading account and never utilising your trading skills on a real level. The only way to get over the fear is to place trades whenever opportunities arise.
You Will Panic
If there’s one thing that a beginner trader can’t escape is panicking. We all start trading on the demo account before trading the live/real account. Whatever emotions we work on while trading on the demo will need to be worked on again after starting a live account. This is simply because you can’t assess your emotions while trading fake money, everything you feel is on a demo level. For that reason, it is in your best interest to not trade on the demo account for too long because it’s not a real thing and it doesn’t challenge you on a real level. I have published a podcast episode on this topic, you can listen HERE.
To remedy this, the best thing to do is to detach from the money and focus on getting it right while trading a small volume/lot size. Panicking a lot will make you miss great opportunities or even close your trades prematurely. When you panic, you are also likely to want to place a trade on the demo first before placing it on the live account, which delays your progress. You become a better driver by driving on the real roads not on a sport field where you don’t encounter real traffic and driving among other cars and drivers. Detach from the results and focus on the process of getting your desired results.
You Will Have A Crappy Trade
I know you don’t want to hear this one but you won’t always be 100% correct. There will be times when you won’t get the results you want, make bad decisions, and get into a bad trade. What separates winners from losers is the actions they take when that happens. You should have an exit strategy that doesn’t harm your account or lead to a margin call.
You Will Need Emotional Control
Like most beginner traders, you are likely to battle with that small voice that keeps telling you you will lose money. You have probably lost some money before and you know maybe a few people who have lost money in trading. Detach from other people’s stories as mentioned in the above paragraph and focus on creating yours. To overcome that nagging voice you need to understand that there is risk involved in trading just like there’s risk involved in any investment or business and risk can be managed.
You Will Feel Like Giving Up.
Yes, you will feel like giving up especially if you are desperate to see the results. One thing that can help you is to view your trading account as a business and understand that a business needs you to be patient and for you to nurture it to grow. I have published an episode on my podcast about what to do when you feel like giving up.
Risk can be managed, but you will need to manage yourself as well, take calculated risks, and learn how to manage your trading capital. Keep a Trading Journal to help you track your progress and do not dwell much on what you can achieve daily, rather do a weekly or monthly progress. I have published a trading journal to help you do just that.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Please help me reach as many traders as possible by sharing it. For all your practical and realistic trading psychology needs, you can follow and indulge in my podcast.
by Ntombi Malatsi | Nov 8, 2023 | FOREX FOR BEGINNERS, FOREX TRAINING
The past 14 years that I have been trading the markets have taught me valuable lessons that I have been sharing with my trading community via my social media platforms, this blog, App and Podcast for free. My focus has been on trading psychology which is one of the reasons why there are so many failures in the markets. I also started a podcast focusing on trading psychology.
Why So Much Failures In The Markets?
A lot of times, traders put more effort on working on strategies while neglecting themselves. I also
fell into the same trap of spending more time working on strategies. I kept on switching from one strategy to another. It was until I realized that I was the problem and I needed to fix me. I have published a podcast episode on this topic, you can listen HERE.
It took me wasting 3 very costly years of my trading career to finally understand that. I am often asked how did I gain such level of discipline and consistency in the market that is constantly devouring traders. My answer to that is very simple, I stopped focusing on strategies and started to focus more on developing myself.
What Did I Do To Change The Situation?
One of the things that helped me stay focused, disciplined and consistent, was keeping a Trading Journal. I think it was around 2013/4 when I started using one. I would just take a normal notebook and note down all my trading activities and it helped me greatly in terms of keeping track of my progress. It also helped me shift my mindset and start to view my trading account as a serious business and an investment instead of looking at it as some cash cow.
I have now decided to publish a fillable, reusable, undated and printable Forex Trading Journal because your girl also wants to move with times. It has been months since Forex With Ntombi Trading Journal has been published and on sale. I have been receiving lots of questions regarding who it is suitable for. I decided to pick the most frequently asked questions and answer them on this post. Below are the most asked questions and their answers.
Is Forex With Ntombi Trading Journal Suitable For Beginners?
Definitely, as I have mentioned above, it really helped me shape up and managed to keep track of my trading activities and to actually stick to my trading plan. I actually wish I started earlier. Journaling helps you form habits and stick to your program. I am a very big fan of journaling, I also keep a gratitude journal and a self love journal.
Just like any other journal, this Trading Journal is your personal space. I also used a journal to keep track of my eating habits and it made it possible for me to stick to my diet and I was able to reach my body goals faster. I have records of how I did it, the foods that are not good for my health and weight. I know this because I journaled everything.
Is The Trading Journal Suitable For Demo Trading?
Yes, I would say that one must start using a Trading Journal as soon as they start trading on a demo account. The main aim of trading on a demo before using your real money is to practice and get a hang of it before you start investing. So if you start implementing all the good behaviors right from demo level, it will be easier for you to teleport those good behaviors and principles into your real account. A Trading Journal does not only help you with planning, it also helps you to stick to your plan. So using it while on a demo is definitely recommended.
Is The Trading Journal Suitable For Any Trading Strategy/Method?
As I mentioned in the beginning that journaling helps you stick to your plan (whatever the plan is). I used journaling to help me stick to my eating plan. So, a Trading Journal is there to help you plan and stick to your trading plan. It also helps you identify areas that need improvement. This is applicable to any trading method or strategy. A Trading Journal is for you to note down all your trading activities as well as track your progress. So the answer to this question is definitely a big YES.
Is Forex With Ntombi Trading Journal a Hardcopy?
NO, it is a soft copy that is INSTANTLY available for download after purchase. You can purchase HERE (see WhatsApp “Chat with me” tab, should you have any questions.
Do I have To Purchase a New Journal Every Year?
NO, Forex With Ntombi Trading Journal is undated and re-usable. You only purchase it once and use every year. You can also JOIN MY AFFILIATE PROGRAM and EARN 20% commission for every copy sold. This will also help me spread the word and help more traders get organized, track their progress, stick to their trading plan and gain consistency.
Thank you for stopping by. Kindly subscribe and share this post with as many traders as possible.
by Ntombi Malatsi | Oct 22, 2023 | FOREX FOR BEGINNERS, FOREX TRAINING
Hello readers. It’s been a while since I published a blog post here. I must admit, It’s been a very hectic year. Whenever I do get some time to publish some content, podcasting comes to mind because there, I just talk, and it doesn’t take much time. Anyway, things have settled a bit this side, and I will try my best to update this platform like I used to do. Today I want to address the issues that cause traders to quit trading within a year or even less. Below are the top 5 reasons why this happens. There’s definitely more, but I will only mention 5.
Impatience
Most traders are so impatient with themselves, and they expect to get straight to the part where they are amazing without giving themselves enough time to practice and gain the necessary experience. If you get a new job, you still need to gain experience in how to do the job, no matter how qualified you are.
You are also likely to make more mistakes as compared to an experienced employee. This is the main reason why employers would prefer to hire someone who not only has the necessary qualifications but the experience as well.
It saves the company a lot of money if they hire an experienced employee. As a trader, you also need to think about that and give yourself time to gain the necessary experience. As you gain it, you will also make a few mistakes and eventually master your craft. Be patient with yourself and stop wanting to be a perfectionist. Remember that all the people you read about would not have made it if they were not patient.
Wanting to Make Money Fast
Think about starting a business. When you start a business, you need to understand that you may not live off of it right away. You need to understand that you may even be required to support it financially before it can support you.
A business needs you to take care of it before it can take care of you. You may even go for a whole year without earning a salary from your business. You do not quit just because you are not yet earning a salary from it; you do whatever it takes to learn as much as you can about your business, and eventually, your business takes care of you.
It is the same with trading; you may not make money right away. Also, just do away with the “making money fast” mentality. Now everything that I mentioned will only make sense to you if you can start treating your trading account as a business.
Expecting a Lot from Small Capital
Now, the internet and social media have sold Forex trading as the quickest way to make money with zero effort and a minimal investment; this is not true. Your earning potential is highly linked to your start-up capital. Money gives us options. When you have more money, you also have more financial instruments to choose from.
Let’s say you start trading with $100; even if you can make 100% (which is mostly unsustainable- story for another day), this will mean you now have $200, and I doubt you can make a living with that amount. If you have small capital to start trading with, you can start with what you have and grow your account. I have published an episode on this topic, and it is the most listened-to episode on my podcast. LISTEN HERE.
Viewing Trading as a Game
Most traders think trading is some kind of game that is not related to anything that is happening in the global markets. Changes in the Interest rates/Monetary policy, GDP, CPI and many other economic factors have a direct impact on the economy, and they affect the currencies and stocks that we all trade. If one is looking for a hobby or a game, they must look elsewhere because trading can be a very expensive hobby if treated as one.
Not Failing in Love with the Process
Most of us would really love to see the process of falling in love with us sometimes. Unfortunately, life does not work like that. Trading is the journey of self-discovery. You will have to develop confidence, patience and consistency.
If you don’t fall in love with the whole process, you will definitely give up even when you are just about to make it. One of the best tools that I have been using is keeping a Trading Journal. It helps with keeping consistency, tracking my progress, identifying areas that need attention and sticking to my trading plan.
I hope you have identified your own struggles that made you quit, or maybe you were about to quit. Start working on them and see if you can get back to trading, and this time around, approach it with a renewed mindset.
Thank you for stopping by. If you love what you read and found value here, kindly share with your peers and stay tuned for more posts. Happy trading.
by Ntombi Malatsi | Mar 12, 2023 | FOREX FOR BEGINNERS, FOREX TRAINING
What Is Trading Psychology?
Trading psychology refers to the emotions and mental state of a trader. It determines a trader’s success or failure. In my simplest explanation, trading psychology is how you behave in the markets. If you can fix your behaviour and how you handle yourself in the markets, you can see great improvement. Most traders lose money because of their behaviour and not their strategies.
I have published an episode on my podcast titled “the importance of personal development” because working on yourself is crucial. You have to keep your trading psychology in check at all times and working on yourself should be an ongoing thing. In this post, I will be tackling 5 ways to help you to master your trading psychology. Without further ado, let me get straight to it.
1.Greed
Most traders struggle with greed, I struggled with greed a lot as well. A trader who is controlled by greed tends to make risky and uncalculated decisions and as a result take huge losses. On a very good trading day, a greedy trader makes a lot of profits but gives it all back to the markets and has nothing to show for it at the end of the day. Profits go as far as account history but they are never kept. If this is you currently, you need to focus on working on this.
2.Fear
Fear is not bad and it is an emotion that alerts us of danger. Fear is bad if you allow it to control you. As a beginner trader, you will definitely feel fearful. Just like a new driver feels scared to drive on the road alone, a beginner trader feels the same. If you buy a car after obtaining a driver’s license and just park in nicely in your garage because you are scared, you’ll never master driving.
You can only master driving if you drive alone on the road and even if you can scratch your new car, you continue driving it and eventually you will stop scratching it as the fear subsides and you get used to driving it. It is the same with trading, you have to be actively doing it and that’s how you get rid of fear and gain the necessary experience.
Traders who are fearful are likely to close good trades prematurely and try by all means to avoid risk. You cannot avoid risk but you can manage it. If you want to completely avoid risk, you should not even think about being a trader. You may like to listen to this podcast episode on how to manage your money.
3.Detach From The Money
Detaching from the money may sound like I am saying do not care for your money. That is not what I am saying, what I mean by detaching is that do not stress much about making huge profits right away but rather focus on getting it right even if you break even. When you are too attached to your money, this becomes impossible to do.
I also do not encourage traders to trade with the money that they need for rent, school fees etc. or even trading with borrowed money. All these add unnecessary pressure which may lead to making countless mistakes. As a trader, you want to be as relaxed as possible. If let’s say you have R10 000 and it’s you last money, do not fund your account with all of it. Split it into half and use the other half to create an income while you trade with the the other half. You stress less when you have cashflow and you can then nurture your account and allow it to grow. You attract more money when you don’t stress about it.
4.Keep A Trading Journal
A trader who keeps a trading journal is an organized trader. A trading journal allows you to “take stock” of your trades, plan your trades, stick to your trading plan and also to keep track of your progress. It helps you create a roadmap that you can review and see where you need to improve. I have published a digital trading journal and is currently on special, you can WhatsApp +27 78 144 6851 to purchase (DO NOT PURCHASE ONLINE, The price is NOT YET UPDATED)
5. Regret
Regret keeps you unhappy. You always regret missing an opportunity, you regret placing a trade, and you regret closing it. I always tell my mentees that remaining happy is very important. Be happy when you make a lot of money, be happy when you are not making much, also be happy even when your trade goes against you because even though you may not control what happens in the markets, you can always control yourself and manage your funds and operate your account like a business and apply basic business principles.
Check out my money management course that will teach you how to manage your trading account like a business and never experience a margin call. Enrol and start learning right away. You can listen to the audio version of this post HERE.
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