Pacific Financial Derivatives (PFD) at a glance
Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Auckland, Pacific Financial Derivatives Limited (PFD) is one of New Zealand's longest-standing domestic financial brokerages. Authorized and licensed by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) of New Zealand as a Licensed Derivatives Issuer under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 (FSP No. 28944, Company #973842), PFD delivers direct straight-through processing (STP/NDD) execution across 50+ forex pairs, equity index CFDs, precious metals, and energy commodities via MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and institutional FIX API integration.
Pacific Financial Derivatives (PFD) reports a founding year of 1999 and a head office in Auckland, New Zealand. It lists 4 regulators and 7 trading platforms.
BrokerBazaar verdict
Pacific Financial Derivatives Limited (PFD) is one of New Zealand's original domestic margin brokerages, operating continuously since 1999. Licensed as an FMC Act Derivatives Issuer by the Financial Markets Authority (FMA FSP28944), it provides high-integrity straight-through processing (STP/NDD) on MetaTrader 4 and FIX API. With raw spreads from 0.0 pips paired with an industry-low $2/lot round-turn commission and client funds segregated in Tier-1 NZ banks, counterparty insolvency risk is low-to-moderate.
Legal entities, regulation and licences
Pacific Financial Derivatives (PFD) operates through 1 legal entity, each supervised separately. Your account is with one specific entity, so the protections you receive depend on which one onboards you, not on the group's strongest licence. Overall, the group is supervised by no regulator we could map to a public register.
Licence check: Not independently checked. This broker has submitted its details. BrokerBazaar has not yet independently checked them. A company registration or general business licence is not permission to offer regulated brokerage services; only the register entries linked in the table count.
Countries accepted and restricted
Pacific Financial Derivatives (PFD) states that it accepts clients from New Zealand and international clients across Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East, and Latin America (Strictly excluding the United States, Japan, North Korea, Iran, and jurisdictions subject to international sanctions). Availability is decided per entity and can change without notice; residents of jurisdictions such as the USA, and often the EU and UK, are frequently excluded from offshore entities.
Trading products, platforms and account types
Instruments: Forex, MetalForex Pairs (50+ currency pairs), Stock Indices, Precious Metals (Spot Gold, Silver), Energy Commodities (Crude Oil, Natural Gas), Commodity CFDss, Indices, Commodities. Platforms: MetaTrader 4 (MT4 Desktop, Mac OS, iOS, Android), MT4 MultiTerminal, FIX API, MT4. Account types: PFDTrader (Standard), PFDPro (Raw ECN), PFDProPlus (Swap Net-Out), MAM Account, Demo Account.
Best-for tags assigned by our team: New Zealand Domestic Traders, FMA Licensed, Institutional ECN Spreads, Ultra-Low Commissions, MetaTrader 4, FIX API Trading, No Dealing Desk, Long Operating History.
Minimum deposit, spreads, commissions and other charges
The minimum deposit is $0 ($0 initial minimum deposit on PFDTrader and PFDPro accounts; $1,000 on PFDProPlus accounts; $250 legacy baseline). Spreads start from 0.0 pips and commission is None (standard) · $0 (raw). Maximum leverage is 1:300 (dynamic), subject to the cap of the entity that holds your account.
Swap-free / Islamic account: available (yes). Swap type: not specified. Headline spreads are usually quoted for the most expensive account tier's cheapest instrument; compare total cost for your typical trade.
Deposits and withdrawals
Deposit methods: Bank Wire Transfer (BNZ / ANZ), Credit / Debit Card (Visa / Mastercard), UnionPay, POLi Internet Banking, Skrill, NetellerNot verified. Withdrawal methods: Bank Wire Transfer, Credit / Debit Card, Skrill, Neteller.
Withdrawal speed and fees are set by the entity and payment provider. Withdrawal delays are the most common complaint category on BrokerBazaar across all brokers; keep identity documents current and withdraw to the same method you deposited with where required by anti-money-laundering rules.
Execution model, negative balance protection and client money
Negative balance protection: Yes. Scalping allowed: Yes. Algorithmic trading allowed: Yes. News trading allowed: Yes. Hedging: hedging. These conditions were compiled from public information and have not yet been confirmed by the broker.
Client-money rules follow the regulator of the entity that holds your account. Check that regulator's rules on its register.
Complaints and dispute process
Formal complaints: compliance@pfd-nz.com. Phone: +64 9 632 0100. Customer complaints are formally processed by the Risk & Compliance Manager of Pacific Financial Derivatives Limited at Albany, Auckland. If an inquiry or dispute cannot be settled internally within statutory timeframes, retail clients have direct legal access to an independent, government-approved alternative dispute resolution body: the Financial Dispute Resolution Service (FDRS, Membership No. FM1110) in New Zealand. Pursuant to the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 and FMA regulations, 100% of client margin collateral is held in segregated trust accounts with Tier-1 commercial banks (primarily Bank of New Zealand - BNZ and ANZ Bank New Zealand), ring-fenced from operational capital. However, New Zealand's regulatory framework does not operate a statutory deposit compensation scheme (such as the UK FSCS or Cyprus ICF), meaning client balances are not insured against corporate liquidation by a state compensation fund.
If the broker does not resolve a complaint, escalate to the ombudsman or regulator of the entity that holds your account. BrokerBazaar's Dispute Support Desk can help you document and escalate a case.
Strengths and limitations
- Strength: Longstanding institutional pedigree operating continuously as a New Zealand financial firm since 1999
- Strength: Authorized and licensed directly as a Derivatives Issuer by the New Zealand Financial Markets Authority (FMA FSP28944)
- Strength: Industry-leading low raw commission rate of just $1 per side ($2 round turn per standard lot) on PFDPro
- Strength: Independent alternative dispute resolution via the Financial Dispute Resolution Service (FDRS)
- Strength: Client funds segregated in Tier-1 New Zealand banking institutions (BNZ / ANZ)
- Limitation: Does not offer the modern MetaTrader 5 (MT5) or cTrader suites, maintaining exclusive focus on MT4 and FIX API
- Limitation: New Zealand regulatory framework does not provide a statutory investor compensation fund in case of insolvency
- Limitation: Website and account management interfaces retain a utilitarian, legacy web design
- Limitation: Dynamic leverage steps down significantly from 1:300 to 1:100 for account equity exceeding $5,000 USD
- Limitation: Retail onboarding is unavailable to residents of the United States and Japan
Who this broker suits, and who it does not
Pacific Financial Derivatives (PFD) is most relevant to traders looking for: New Zealand Domestic Traders, FMA Licensed, Institutional ECN Spreads, Ultra-Low Commissions, MetaTrader 4, FIX API Trading, No Dealing Desk, Long Operating History.
It is less suitable for anyone who needs a strict-tier regulator in their own country of residence, for residents of restricted jurisdictions, and for beginners who have not yet understood leverage and margin. Nothing on this page is personal financial advice.
Pacific Financial Derivatives (PFD) change history
Every published fact change, with the previous value and the date it took effect. Each entry says whether the broker made the change itself or our editors checked it against an official source. Regulation and licence claims are always checked by an editor.
No fact changes recorded for Pacific Financial Derivatives (PFD) yet. Changes appear here as soon as the broker updates its profile or our editors confirm a change.
Frequently asked questions about Pacific Financial Derivatives (PFD)
Data sources. Broker submission, the regulator registers linked above, FMA licensed providers register; pfd-nz.com, web-archive and domain records, and third-party traffic data. Last register check 2026-10-12. External ratings: Forex Peace Army 3.2/5; Trustpilot 3.7/5.
Commercial disclosure. BrokerBazaar is independent and not owned by any broker. We may receive a referral fee if you open an account with Pacific Financial Derivatives (PFD) through our links; this never affects scores or verification. How we make money. Trading leveraged products carries a high risk of loss.