In recent years, there’s been a boom in broker registrations in the Comoros Union and in obtaining licenses from one of the local financial regulators, MISA. After completing these procedures, these companies claim full regulatory compliance and easily acquire some of the best trading platforms on the market — MetaTrader 4/5 and/or cTrader. We discuss one such firm in the Hyperion Markets review. However, many traders wonder if such platforms can be trusted and to what extent an offshore document provides protection against scams. We’ll try to answer these questions here.
Key Features
- Company Name: Hyperion Markets
- Website: https://hyperionmarkets.io/
- Available Contacts: [email protected]
- Foundation: 2023
- Services: Forex/CFD trading, PAMM, MAM, Copy trading
- License: MISA (Mwali, Comoros Union)
- Initial Deposit: $10
From Sign-Up to Payout
The official Hyperion Markets website is quite attractive. The developers did well with the choice of images and template colors, layout, and page loading speed. A brief overview of the main trading conditions and an announced contest with substantial prizes also contribute to a positive impression of the broker.
However, there are some content-related drawbacks as well:
- There is almost no detailed information about the company on the site, apart from a couple of sentences with office addresses and the license number.
- The educational materials are limited and not very appealing, even for beginners.
- Important information, like contract specifications, is missing.
- There is no mention of financial reports, company payment details, deposit, or withdrawal methods.
Even the registration process at Hyperion Markets is better organized than most modern brokers. At least they remembered to verify some of the contact details entered by the user: an account won’t open without email confirmation. But even this positive aspect is spoiled by the fact that trading accounts on this platform can only be funded in cryptocurrencies. Not the best choice, especially considering that this approach is primarily associated with scammers.
The client portal experience is generally worse than on the site’s pages. For example:
- They don’t ask for the client’s postal address here, but, according to KYC policies, they do require its verification. Generally, verification is unusual when only using cryptocurrencies for non-trading operations.
- Personal data fields include references to passing tests for access to high-risk instruments. However, there’s no questionnaire. It remains unclear which regulator would set such requirements.
- It’s impossible to create a trading account without first depositing funds.
Overall, Hyperion Markets leaves a mixed impression upon closer inspection. Important information is missing on a well-designed website, and some functions required for a reputable licensed broker are not implemented in the client portal.
Our Trading Experience Hyperion Markets
With official registration, the broker was able to acquire a couple of the best trading platforms — MetaTrader 5 and cTrader. These trading platforms need no extra recommendations, as all their advantages are described on hundreds of websites.
It’s worth noting that both platforms allow:
- Opening several price charts simultaneously to analyze an instrument’s behavior.
- Using a wide range of indicators and graphical objects.
- Developing and connecting custom or third-party modules – indicators and trading advisors.
The fundamental difference lies in the built-in language: MetaTrader uses the native MQL5, while cTrader uses standard C# with additional libraries.
However, despite the platforms’ convenience, Hyperion Markets still left a mixed impression due to the broker’s trading conditions.
For instance, there are almost no issues with Standard accounts. Traders working with them don’t pay trading commissions but bear costs through spreads (although a spread of 3 pips seems enormous compared to other regulated brokers). The conditions for ECN accounts, however, are quite odd: besides commissions of $7 or $5 per standard lot (the table shows half the commission charged per transaction; the client pays the other half when closing the trade), there are also spreads, and not small ones — starting at 1.8 pips on the ECN account and 0.8 pips on ECN Premium.
And this is a CFD broker promising “the world’s best trading conditions.” Most firms with a solid reputation built over decades of impeccable service offer spreads starting at 0.6-0.8 pips and charge no trading commissions. So, calling it “the best in the world” sounds nice but is not accurate.
Our questions for Hyperion Markets don’t end there. We looked at snapshots of its website right after registration. The trading conditions back then differed significantly from those offered today. For example, the leverage was higher (up to 1:500), and spreads for all account types started from 1 pip. Apparently, inflation played a role, and the broker’s owners found their profits insufficient. This shift in terms has been quite disappointing for us.
The Reality Check
In the footer of its pages, Hyperion Markets informs clients that its working office is located in the Dominican Republic, while the company itself is registered in the Comoros Union on Mwali (Moheli). We have little doubt that this registration is an inexpensive formality to obtain a local regulatory license. The address listed on the registration certificate confirms this: Bonovo Road – Fomboni Island of Mohéli – Comoros Union. We’ve seen this address dozens of times and are beginning to wonder where all the licensed brokers registered at this location manage to fit.
Nevertheless, the inexpensive formal registration allowed Hyperion Markets LTD to obtain a MISA license, which also comes at a low cost and permits the provision of brokerage services internationally.
However, this license is taken seriously only by the issuing organization and the companies that receive it. Here’s why:
- Each island in the Comoros Union has its own financial regulator, and each considers its issued licenses fully valid. Only the Central Bank of the Comoros does not recognize them, as is the case with most other regulatory organizations. Experts assess the MISA license, issued on the island of Mwali (Moheli), as comparable to an authorization from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, where brokerage and dealer companies are merely registered without being regulated or licensed.
- The regulator imposes virtually no restrictions on brokers’ activities. Most similar organizations, such as those in Europe and Australia, impose strict limits on leverage and bonus use, among others, when granting licenses. The UK’s FCA, for example, also requires brokers to participate in compensation schemes. MISA does not place such requirements on license recipients, although it claims to comply with the IBC Regulation Act 2014.
- In cases of non-compliance by brokers, the measures taken are symbolic. Companies are not held accountable, and local courts tend to side with firms rather than deceived traders.
Therefore, it’s hard to call the regulation of Hyperion Markets truly substantial. Many brokers seek a MISA license simply to claim regulatory status without critical restrictions. However, we couldn’t determine the exact purpose for which this review subject pursued it.
How Long Has Hyperion Markets Been in the Game?
The registration and license data show that the company was created in October 2023. The WHOIS service information on domain registration paints a slightly different picture.
The hyperionmarkets.io domain was registered in August 2023. However, according to web archive snapshots, activity only appeared on the domain in October 2023. Moreover, the site hasn’t changed significantly since then, except for trading conditions, which were initially more favorable in terms of costs for traders. The broker also offered Islamic (swap-free) accounts, which have disappeared for unknown reasons.
Extra Fraud Indicators
We have already noted several aspects of Hyperion Markets’ operations that may raise traders’ suspicions about the company’s integrity. For instance:
- Account funding is only available in cryptocurrencies.
- No questionnaire or classification of retail and professional investor status is conducted either during registration or in the client area.
- Users must first fund their balance before they can open trading accounts.
- Ratings on non-specialized platforms are very low, with many clearly biased reviews.
All of this leads us to believe that clients face high risks when dealing with Hyperion Markets. We would not recommend funding accounts here or attempting to trade.
Is Hyperion Markets the Right Fit?
We aimed to objectively evaluate both the broker itself and the trading terms offered to clients. Based on the information provided in the Hyperion Markets review, we conclude that trading on this platform involves significant risks for clients. Offshore licensing, which imposes no restrictions, the use of cryptocurrency only for deposits, and unfavorable trading terms compared to other licensed brokers all indicate a high-risk environment. While we can’t definitively say this firm is a scam, we would refrain from funding any accounts here.
You don’t need to be an investment expert to avoid falling for Hyperion Markets staff. Their representatives cold-call potential clients, practically begging them to register. But their license is essentially worthless, and their trading conditions are highly unfavorable. I don’t know how naive one would have to be to fall for this.
Hyperion Markets seemed reliable at first. However, trading here wasn’t a great experience. While the platforms are excellent, the commissions and spreads eat up most of the profit. I decided to withdraw my money and look for a different company with better conditions.