The Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA), Belgium’s financial regulator, has issued a public warning against Cédric Bergans, an unregistered individual offering investment services and financial coaching to Belgian consumers without proper authorization. Bergans operates under the trading name BC Edufin Academy and previously maintained websites at cedricbergans.com and bcedufin-academy.com, though these have since been disabled. The FSMA cautions that Bergans collects money from consumers for services he is not licensed to provide.
- Operating Name: BC Edufin Academy
- Registered Address: 31 Rue Joseph Heusdens, 4460 Grâce-Hollogne, Belgium
- Services Offered: Investment coaching, forex training, and financial advice
- Authorization Status: Not registered with FSMA; not authorized to conduct regulated activities
According to the FSMA, Bergans promotes training sessions focused on forex trading, a product category subject to a distribution ban in Belgium. The regulator emphasized that operating without proper authorization constitutes a violation of financial services regulations and exposes consumers to significant risk. The FSMA stressed that consumers should refuse any financial product or service offers from Bergans or his entity.
The warning also addressed pyramid scheme concerns, noting that participation in such schemes constitutes an unfair practice and renders participants accessories to a criminal offense. The FSMA advised the public to verify any financial services provider through its official register before engaging with them. Consumers with doubts about a provider’s legitimacy can use the search tool available on the FSMA’s website.
The FSMA is Belgium’s independent authority responsible for regulating financial markets and protecting consumers from unauthorized or fraudulent financial services activities.
