Pelican has strengthened its global regulatory footprint

Pelican has strengthened its global regulatory footprint with a new milestone in South Africa, where it has secured authorisation to provide copy‑trading services to brokers. The licence, granted in June 2026 by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority, is held by London & Eastern LLP which is the regulatory entity through which Pelican operates its technology solutions.

This approval covers both portfolio management and investment advice, marking what Pelican describes as the first licence of its kind in South Africa for copy trading. It mirrors the regulatory model the company follows in the UK and Europe, where automatically replicated trades across client accounts are treated as more than a pure technology function. Pelican’s white label infrastructure integrates with major trading platforms including MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and cTrader, offering brokers mobile, desktop and API‑based solutions.

For South African brokers already active in FX and CFD markets, the authorisation gives Pelican a stronger B2B position and provides clarity around the regulatory obligations tied to copy‑trading models. As co‑founder Mike Read noted in comments to Finance Magnates, when technology facilitates investment decisions across multiple client accounts, regulatory oversight becomes fundamental rather than optional.

Pelican says the licence enables regulated brokers in South Africa to offer copy trading through a fully authorised specialist provider currently making Pelican the only option of its kind in the market. The company is continuing to expand its regulatory footprint globally.

What this means for hiring. Copy trading is now treated as regulated investment activity in South Africa, not just technology. That raises demand for compliance specialists who understand copy-trading models.