Among the many tactics unethical brokers use to extract money from unsuspecting traders, few are as misleading and financially damaging as hidden trade finalisation fees. These are unexpected charges applied after a trade is closed—often deducted silently from profits or added as a separate transaction on your balance sheet. In many cases, these fees are not disclosed upfront, violate industry norms, and serve no real purpose beyond draining client accounts.

This scam preys on trust, confusion, and a trader’s focus on execution—not backend accounting.

What Are Trade Finalisation Fees?

Trade finalisation fees are post-execution charges supposedly applied to cover:

• Liquidity reconciliation
• Broker-side “settlement costs”
• Admin or infrastructure usage
• “Third-party risk fees” associated with profit-making trades

These fees do not appear on the order ticket at entry, nor are they clearly documented in the trade’s open position or floating P&L. Instead, they are:

• Applied instantly when a trade closes
• Charged only when the trade is in profit
• Hidden deep in balance history as vague labels like “Adjustment”, “System Fee”, or “Execution Charge”

How the Scam Works

1. You Execute and Close a Trade Normally

Let’s say you enter a long position on EUR/USD and close with a $900 profit. You see the profit reflected in your trade history.

2. Fee Deducted Immediately Upon Closure

Your account balance shows only $855—$45 short. When you check the history, there’s an extra line showing:

Adjustment: Trade Finalisation Charge – $45

This fee was never shown on the trade ticket or mentioned at the time of trade placement.

3. Broker Justifies the Fee Post-Fact

When you contact support, they claim:

• “This is a system-wide charge applied to all profitable positions.”
• “The finalisation fee is part of our risk-adjusted execution model.”
• “It’s outlined in the terms under fee structure.”

You then discover that the “terms” are either recently updated or intentionally vague, often written in legal grey zones like:

“Additional fees may apply for certain types of market conditions or settlement methods.”

4. Fee Increases with Profitability

Often, the finalisation fee is percentage-based—meaning:

• A $100 profit might be charged $5
• A $1,000 profit might be charged $70
• A $5,000 profit might be charged over $300

This disincentivises successful trading and turns the broker into a parasite on your performance.

Real Case: Profitable Trade Erodes After Silent Fee

A trader runs a short position on gold and closes with $1,200 profit. However, only $1,104 is added to the account. The broker blames “post-trade matching protocol fees” and refuses a breakdown. It’s later revealed this fee only applies to winning trades—not losses—and was not shown in the user agreement at signup.

Why This Scam Is So Dangerous

The hidden trade finalisation fee scam is particularly harmful because:

• It penalises success by stealth
• It erodes the accuracy of trade journals and backtests
• It gives the broker incentive to profit only from your gains
• It’s hard to detect unless you manually track every P&L delta

Most traders only notice these fees after weeks or months of trading, by which time thousands may have been lost.

How to Detect Hidden Finalisation Fees

1. Compare Trade History vs Balance History

After each profitable trade, check:

• The stated profit in the Trade History tab
• The actual increase in your Balance tab

Any discrepancy could indicate a hidden deduction.

2. Watch for Fee Entries After Profitable Closures

Search for balance line items like:

• Execution Fee
• System Charge
• Settlement Cost
• Adjustment
• Third-Party Risk Fee

These often follow winning trades only.

3. Review the Broker’s Terms for Fee Ambiguity

If the broker states:

“Other fees may be applied based on market activity”

but doesn’t disclose when, how much, or why—they’ve given themselves license to invent charges later.

4. Ask Before You Trade

Directly ask support or your account manager:

• “Are there any fees charged upon trade closure besides spreads/swaps/commissions?”
• “Do you apply any performance-based finalisation fees?”

If they dodge the question or provide vague answers, take it as a red flag.

How to Protect Yourself

1. Trade With Brokers That Disclose All Fees Upfront

Legitimate brokers display:

• Spreads and commissions at order entry
• All fees in plain language on the website
• Regulator-approved cost disclosures in onboarding documents

2. Keep a Manual Trade Log

Document expected profit vs actual profit after each trade. Over time, this helps reveal any patterns of unexplained deductions.

3. File a Complaint if Fees Are Hidden

If you were charged undisclosed finalisation fees, you can:

• Request a refund
• Lodge a complaint with the broker’s regulator (FCA, ASIC, CySEC, etc.)
• Share your experience in trading forums and review sites to warn others

Regulatory Requirements

Regulated brokers are required to provide:

• Clear fee disclosure before execution
• Breakdowns of all post-trade deductions
• Transparent client agreement documents

Hidden or retroactively applied fees may violate MiFID II transparency rules, FCA Treating Customers Fairly guidelines, and ASIC disclosure obligations.

Conclusion: Your Profits Belong to You, Not the Broker

The hidden trade finalisation fee scam is a subtle but potent way brokers steal value from successful traders. It violates transparency, penalises performance, and erodes long-term confidence.

Always ask questions, track every number, and never assume that “successful trade = full profit” unless your broker has proven they play fair.

To learn how to identify these traps and defend your capital against invisible deductions, enrol in our Trading Courses, built for traders who want to protect profits—not hand them back to the broker through backdoor fees.