What the CBI Register Contains and What It Does Not
The Central Bank of Ireland maintains a publicly searchable register of firms that are either directly authorised by the CBI or operating in Ireland under a passport from another EU member state. The register records the legal entity name, registered address, and the specific regulatory permissions granted — for example, whether the firm is authorised to execute orders on behalf of clients, to deal on its own account, or to provide investment advice. It does not record complaints, enforcement actions, or commercial reviews. It is a status register, not a rating system, and it should be used as one specific verification tool among several, not as a comprehensive endorsement.
How Passporting Works and Why It Matters
A platform regulated in another EU member state — say, Cyprus under CySEC, or Germany under BaFin — can operate in Ireland without a separate CBI authorisation by means of an EU passport. This is a legitimate and common arrangement, but it means the primary regulatory oversight sits with the home-country regulator, not the CBI. When you search the CBI register and find a passported firm rather than a directly authorised one, the next step is to check the home regulator's register to verify that the authorisation is current and that the Irish activities are within the permitted scope. Passporting does not reduce your protections as an EU retail client, but it does mean the right contact point for a complaint may be a different regulator than the CBI.
The Warning List and What It Signals
Alongside the register of authorised firms, the Central Bank of Ireland maintains a list of unauthorised firms that have been reported operating in Ireland without the required authorisation. This list is updated periodically and is searchable at centralbank.ie. The presence of a firm on this list is a serious warning that should not be dismissed. It is worth checking both the register of authorised firms and the warning list when evaluating any platform, because a firm can be absent from the authorised register without appearing on the warning list — that absence is itself a signal that requires further investigation before any deposit is made.