The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) warned about AMP Trading Group on 23 October 2018. The regulator described it as an “Unauthorised firm” that may have been providing financial services or products in the UK without authorisation.
This warning was against AMP Trading Group—not the separate US futures business known as AMP Futures or AMP Global Clearing, LLC. The FCA warning page has not been newly issued: it still shows “Last updated: 23/10/2018.”
What the FCA warning says
The FCA said it believed AMP Trading Group may have been targeting people in the UK while providing financial services without the required authorisation. An accompanying IOSCO alert stated that the firm was not authorised under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA) to carry out regulated activities in the UK, including activities such as advising on investments and dealing or arranging deals in investments.
The FCA warning identified the firm using the following details:
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| Detail | Information on the FCA warning |
|---|---|
| Name | AMP Trading Group |
| Address | 33rd Floor, 25 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5LB, United Kingdom |
| Telephone numbers | 02 070600573; 02033999415; 02071832867 |
| [email protected] | |
| Website | www.amptradinggroup.com |
The FCA’s exact wording matters. Its notice establishes that the firm was treated as unauthorised and presented a regulatory warning. It does not, by itself, amount to a criminal conviction or a court finding that the firm committed fraud.
What “unauthorised” means for customers
If a firm is not authorised—or does not hold permission for the particular service it is offering—customers generally lose important UK protections. The FCA specifically warned that people dealing with AMP Trading Group would not have access to the Financial Ombudsman Service and would not be protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
Those protections are not automatic simply because a business has a UK address, uses professional-looking documents or appears on a company register. The FCA says consumers must check both:
- whether the firm is authorised; and
- whether it has permission for the specific product or service being offered.
Payment protections are a separate issue. The FCA’s current guidance notes that payments sent to fraudsters on or after 7 October 2024 may, in some circumstances, fall within protections introduced by the Payment Systems Regulator. That does not make AMP Trading Group authorised and does not create FSCS or Financial Ombudsman protection for its investment services.
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Some online coverage described AMP Trading Group as a clone or imitation of AMP Futures. That description comes from secondary reporting; the FCA’s own warning page labels AMP Trading Group an “Unauthorised firm” and does not label the page “Clone firm.”
The distinction is important because AMP Futures is the trading name used by AMP Global Clearing, LLC, a separate US business. AMP Futures gives its headquarters as 221 N. LaSalle Street, 25th Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60601, USA. It says it is a US-regulated futures commission merchant and identifies oversight by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the National Futures Association (NFA) and CME Group. Its stated NFA licence number is 0412490.
The CFTC separately identifies AMP Global Clearing LLC as a registered futures commission merchant. In a 12 February 2018 enforcement action, the CFTC said AMP had been registered as an FCM since 2010 and imposed a $100,000 civil monetary penalty over cybersecurity supervision failures. That enforcement action concerned the US company; it does not turn AMP Trading Group into AMP Futures, nor does it alter the FCA warning.
The FCA notice names AMP Trading Group and the domain amptradinggroup.com. It does not name AMP Global Clearing LLC, AMP Futures or ampfutures.com. Calling the FCA notice a warning against “AMP Futures” is therefore inaccurate.
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What Companies House records do—and do not—show
A Companies House entry is not evidence that a business is authorised to provide investments or other regulated financial services.
One Companies House record for AMP TRADING GROUP LIMITED, company number 10990836, shows incorporation on 2 October 2017 and compulsory dissolution on 5 March 2019. A separate record for AMP TRADING LIMITED, company number 07798580, shows dissolution on 31 March 2015.
These are separate records, and the available information does not conclusively establish that either company was the same legal entity named in the FCA warning. In particular, a company number or registered-office entry does not prove a connection to the warning’s address, telephone numbers, email address or website.
The practical rule is simple: use Companies House to check corporate registration, but use the FCA’s register to check financial-services authorisation and permissions.
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How to check a trading firm before sending money
The FCA’s checking process is more useful than relying on a logo, a London address or a company-registration number.
- Go to the FCA’s Firm Checker.
- Search for the firm by name.
- Select the product or service the firm is offering—for example, investment advice, arranging investments or dealing.
- Confirm that the firm is authorised and has permission for that specific activity.
- Compare the firm’s telephone number, email address and website with the details shown by the FCA.
Do not stop after finding a similar name. Unauthorised operators can copy the name, branding or contact details of a legitimate business. A match on the name alone is not enough; the contact details and permitted activities must also match.
You can also search the FCA’s Warning List of unauthorised firms. The page includes a “Search for names of firms” field, a “Search” button, “Clear filters”, sorting by “Name”, “Date added” and “Date updated”, plus letter filters from “0-9” through “Z”. Results update instantly.
However, the FCA expressly warns that a firm’s absence from the list does not prove that it is authorised or legitimate. A firm may change its name or may not yet have come to the regulator’s attention. The Firm Checker and the permissions attached to the specific service remain essential checks.
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Do not send additional money to “unlock” a withdrawal, pay a tax charge, cover an account fee or use a recovery service offered by someone who contacts you unexpectedly. Requests for further payment are not proof that funds can be recovered.
Save the evidence before accounts or websites disappear. Keep:
- emails, messages and chat transcripts;
- the website address and any account or client numbers;
- payment confirmations, bank details and cryptocurrency transaction IDs;
- contracts, statements and screenshots; and
- the names and telephone numbers used by the people who contacted you.
Contact your bank, card provider or payment service immediately using its official contact details and explain that you believe the payment may involve an unauthorised investment firm. The sooner a payment provider is contacted, the more options it may have to investigate or attempt recovery. Do not use contact details supplied by the firm itself when reporting the payment.
You should also report the matter to the FCA and follow the relevant UK fraud-reporting route. The FCA warning does not guarantee that money will be recovered, but prompt reporting gives the payment provider and authorities the clearest record of what happened.
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Claims about the warning that need correcting
| Claim | What the records support |
|---|---|
| “The FCA has just issued a new warning.” | Not according to the FCA page. The warning was first published and last updated on 23 October 2018. |
| “The FCA warned against AMP Futures.” | Wrong entity. The notice names AMP Trading Group and amptradinggroup.com. |
| “The FCA called AMP Trading Group a clone firm.” | The FCA page calls it an unauthorised firm. The clone description appears in secondary reporting. |
| “A Companies House registration proves the firm was regulated.” | Wrong. Company registration and FCA authorisation are separate. |
| “The warning proves a criminal scam.” | Too strong for the notice alone. The FCA said the firm may have been providing services without authorisation. |
| “If the firm is not currently on the Warning List, it is safe.” | Wrong. The FCA says absence from the list does not establish authorisation or legitimacy. |
FAQ
Is AMP Trading Group authorised by the FCA?
The FCA warning identifies AMP Trading Group as an “Unauthorised firm” and says it may have been providing financial services in the UK without authorisation. The warning was published on 23 October 2018 and last updated on that date.
Did the FCA warn against AMP Futures?
No. The documented warning names AMP Trading Group and the website amptradinggroup.com. AMP Futures is the trading name of the separate US business AMP Global Clearing, LLC.
Was AMP Trading Group officially called a clone firm by the FCA?
Not on the FCA warning page. The FCA labels it an unauthorised firm. Some industry reports described it as using or imitating the AMP Futures identity, but that is secondary-source wording.
Can I claim compensation through the FSCS?
The FCA said customers dealing with this unauthorised firm would not be protected by the FSCS and would not have access to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Payment protections introduced by the Payment Systems Regulator are separate and may apply to some payments made on or after 7 October 2024.
Does a Companies House entry prove that a trading firm is regulated?
No. Companies House records corporate registration; they do not grant FCA permission. Check the FCA Firm Checker and confirm authorisation for the exact product or service being offered.
What should I do if I sent money to AMP Trading Group?
Contact your bank, card provider or payment service immediately through its official channels, preserve all communications and payment records, and report the matter to the FCA and the relevant UK fraud-reporting authorities. Do not pay further fees to release funds or to an unsolicited recovery service.
The Bottom Line
The FCA warning was against AMP Trading Group, not AMP Futures. It dates from 23 October 2018, identifies AMP Trading Group as an unauthorised firm and warns that customers would not receive normal FSCS or Financial Ombudsman protection. Before using any trading firm, verify its exact name, website, contact details and permission for the specific service through the FCA—not just through Companies House or a search-engine result.
Read the FCA warning · Use the FCA Firm Checker guidance · Search the FCA Warning List
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