Updated September 28, 2026
What is Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin)?
In short
BaFin is Germany's financial regulator, the body that licenses banks and investment firms operating in the country.
A regulator licenses a firm, writes the rules it must meet and steps in if customers are at risk, so the name of a broker's supervisor tells you which country's rules apply to your money. BaFin stands for Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht and is Germany's financial watchdog, covering banks, investment firms and insurers. The name comes from the German for Federal Financial Supervisory Authority. When a firm describes itself as BaFin regulated, the claim is checkable: the authority keeps a public register where you can look the entity up and confirm the licence is real.