Why a bonus is not available in your country
Regulation, licensing and marketing rules decide which offers reach you. How eligibility actually works.
Updated
Regulators write the first rule
In the EU and EEA, ESMA rules prohibit most trading bonuses for retail clients, and the UK and Australia apply similar restrictions. A broker regulated in those markets cannot legally offer you the promotion, however global its website looks.
This is why bonus availability tracks regulation more than geography. The strictest markets for investor protection are also the ones with the fewest bonuses.
One brand, several entities
Large brokers run multiple legal entities: one under a strict regulator for European or Australian clients, and one offshore, often in Seychelles, Mauritius or Belize, for everyone else. The bonus usually lives with the offshore entity.
That matters beyond the bonus. The entity that holds your account decides your investor protections, your leverage limits and where a dispute would be handled. Check which entity you are signing with, not just the brand.
Eligible lists and restricted lists
Bonus terms define coverage in one of two ways: a list of eligible countries, or a global offer minus a restricted list. Restricted lists almost always include the US, and commonly the EU, UK, Canada and sanctioned markets.
The lists change without notice, and the terms page is the only source that counts. An offer that reached your country last quarter may quietly exclude it today.
Check before you sign up
Confirm three things in order: that the broker accepts clients from your country, that the specific promotion includes it, and which entity will hold your account. All three are answerable from the broker's own terms, and we record them for every bonus we track.