The broker
Arco's broker: what it is and what to check before opening an account.
Arco teaches; accounts are opened with HFM. This page says who it is, which entity serves you, what it offers and what its limits are, so you can decide with the full picture.
Short answer
In four lines
- HFM is the broker Arco works with as an introducer: it opens your account, holds your funds and executes your trades.
- From Mexico and Latin America the account is opened on HFM's international site, whose legal notice points to HF Markets (SV) Ltd, incorporated in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
- HFM does not name a financial regulator for that entity on its site. We do not assume one and we do not tell you otherwise.
- You always start with the demo account: it is free and uses no real money.
What it is
What HFM is and what Arco does
HFM is a group of companies that offers trading CFDs (contracts for difference) on currencies, metals, indices, energies, commodities, stocks, bonds, ETFs and cryptocurrencies, with platforms such as WebTrader, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and a mobile app.
Arco is an independent academy: it teaches you to analyze, measure risk and write a plan. It introduces students to the broker through referral links and may receive compensation from HFM for that. It is not a broker, does not receive deposits and has no access to your account.
Facts at a glance
- Entity named in the international legal notice
- HF Markets (SV) Ltd
- Incorporation
- St Vincent and the Grenadines, as an international business company (22747 IBC 2015)
- Financial regulator
- HFM names none for this entity on its site
- What is traded
- Leveraged CFDs; you do not receive the asset
The entity
Which entity serves Mexico and Latin America
HFM's international site, the one Arco's links use, names HF Markets (SV) Ltd in its legal notice, and its risk documents use that same name. HFM does not publish a sentence along the lines of "Mexico is served by entity X"; that is why we ask you to confirm it in the legal documents of your own account before depositing.
Other companies in the HFM group hold licences of their own in other jurisdictions. Those licences belong to those companies, not to the international entity, and you should not assume they cover your account. Ask HFM which protections apply to yours.
That is why at Arco we never write "regulated worldwide" or talk about licences we cannot show. What we can say is where the entity is incorporated: St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Platforms
Where you trade
The same account can be used from four platforms. The details of each are on hfm.com.
HFM WebTrader
In the browser, nothing to install
To get started today, and for anyone who already uses TradingView charts.
Conditions on hfm.com →MetaTrader 4
Windows, Mac, Linux and mobile
The classic platform. It is the one we use in module 2 of the program.
Conditions on hfm.com →MetaTrader 5
Windows, Mac, Linux and mobile
Does everything MT4 does and more. If you are starting from scratch, it is the natural choice.
Conditions on hfm.com →HFM App
iPhone and Android
To follow your positions and practice from your phone.
Conditions on hfm.com →
How to open an account
Four steps, in this order
- 01
Open the demo account
Free, with play money. Learn the platform and practice position sizing.
- 02
Study with your journal
Follow Arco's program and log your demo trades for weeks, not days.
- 03
Read the legal documents
Before depositing, read the agreement, the risk notice and the deposit and withdrawal terms that HFM shows you.
- 04
Decide calmly whether to open a live account
Only with money you can afford to lose. Nobody at Arco will ask you to.
Where it is not available
Restricted jurisdictions
HFM's footer says: "HFM does not offer services to residents of certain jurisdictions, including the USA, Canada, Sudan, Syria, Iran, North Korea, UAE, Türkiye and others."
HFM's list is not exhaustive ("and others") and can change. No Latin American country appears as restricted on HFM's site, but confirm your case with HFM before registering.
Limits
What is worth knowing, with no sugar-coating
- The entity is incorporated in St Vincent and the Grenadines and HFM does not name a financial regulator for it. Do not assume you have the protections of a broker regulated in your country, such as compensation funds; ask what applies.
- Trading leveraged CFDs can produce fast losses, even larger than you expected. Many retail clients lose money.
- Arco may receive compensation from HFM for the clients it introduces. That is a conflict of interest that we explain on the broker-relationship page.
- Arco is not the broker: it cannot solve problems with your account, deposits or withdrawals. HFM handles that.
- Spreads, leverage, commissions and account types are set by HFM and change. We do not publish them so as not to show you an outdated figure.
- The prices on Arco's charts come from TradingView and may differ from those on your platform.
Checklist
What to check before opening a live account
- The name of the entity that appears in your account agreement.
- The risk notice and the full legal documents.
- Deposit and withdrawal methods, timings and costs.
- Trading costs: spread, commission and swap of the instruments you will use, on hfm.com.
- Whether your country is allowed and how gains are taxed where you live.
- That you already have a written trading plan and weeks of demo journal.
Frequently asked questions
What everyone asks
Is Arco a broker?
No. Arco is an academy. Accounts are opened directly with HFM; Arco does not receive deposits or manage funds.
Is HFM regulated?
The HFM group has companies licensed in other jurisdictions. For the international entity HF Markets (SV) Ltd, incorporated in St Vincent and the Grenadines, HFM does not name a financial regulator on its site. Verify it in its legal documents.
Do I need money to start?
Not to study: the demo account is free. A live account requires a deposit whose terms HFM sets.
Which platforms can I use?
WebTrader, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and HFM's mobile app. In the program we mainly use WebTrader and MetaTrader.
How does Arco make money?
It may receive compensation from HFM for the clients it introduces. The academy, the calculators and the 1:1 session are free for you. The details are on the broker-relationship page.
Can I open an account if I live outside Latin America?
It depends on the jurisdictions HFM restricts. Confirm on its site before registering.
Start with the demo. The live decision can wait.
Practice without real money and read everything before depositing a cent.