World

An Introducing Broker vs a White Label Broker – What You Need to Know

Published

5 years ago

October 30, 2020

Navigating the world’s financial markets can be a challenging past-time, particularly when you consider the complexity and size of individual entities such as the foreign exchange.

Make no mistake; this market alone sees an estimated $6.6 trillion traded globally every single day, while there are also various ways and brokerage types that enable clients to gain access to this volatile and highly-leveraged sector.

In this post, we’ll compare introducing and white label brokers, while detailing the information that you need to make an informed decision as an aspiring entrepreneur and choosing which operational model to pursue.

What is an Introducing Broker?

In simple terms, an introducing broker serves as an affiliate marketing specialist, as it looks to recruit new traders for a primary broker in fields such as forex.

In this respect, introducing brokers eschew the operations of a typical broker, preferring instead to earn fixed commissions from subsequent deposits that are made by targeted clients.

In some instances, an introducing brokerage may take on additional services, such as managing conversions and ongoing retention efforts.

However, this will vary markedly from one service provider to another, so you can tailor your venture to suit your outlook, profit expectations and existing budget.

What’s a White Label Broker?

In contrast, white label brokers are the type of primary operators listed earlier in the piece, with these bona-fide brokerages boasting independent brands, comprehensive client support and key risk management measures.

These elements are combined with standard business operations such as marketing, sales and customer retention, creating a reputable one-stop-shop for clients to manage their various investment portfolios.

However, this description covers premium brokerage sites, and the category can be expanded to include various levels of service.

For example, a white label broker can simply offer a pared-back and ‘bare bones’ type of service, which may exclude risk management tools or comprehensive marketing efforts.

Pros and Cons – Which Option is Right for You?

There are pros and cons to each option, so you’ll need to understand these before comparing the market in detail and deciding what type of brokerage you want to launch.

From an operational perspective, for example, introducing brokers are far cheaper to establish and operate, while such entities can often pass these savings onto clients through reduced commission fees. This may be enticing for some traders, particularly those who are new to the market and looking to find their way successfully.

Conversely, introducing brokers may be far less independent and accountable than white hat alternatives, creating a scenario where your venture is consistently reliant on others to generate a profit.

In the case of white hat brokers, you’ll undoubtedly have a far higher degree of autonomy in building your business, running it and assuming control over your destiny.

However, the cost considerations of opening a white brokerage can be significant, while from a technical perspective you’ll also have to create the requisite server space and technical support to facilitate the needs of your clients.

The good news, however, is that the process of opening a Whire Label brokerage is far more structured and simple than the alternative, making it easier to launch your venture and operate as an independent entity.

Ultimately, the choice that you make will be a deeply personal one, but there are several universal factors that will require key consideration. These include your starting budget and bottom line profit expectations, as it’s crucial that you choose an operational model that offers clearly defined value.

World

TRG Chairman Khaishgi and CEO Aslam implicated in $150 million fraud

Published

6 days ago

June 23, 2025

Jenny Jackson

In a scathing 52-page decision, the Sindh High Court has found that TRG Pakistan’s management was acting fraudulently and that Bermuda-based Greentree Holdings historic and prospective purchase of TRG shares were illegal, fraudulent and oppressive.

The Sindh High Court has further directed TRGP to immediately hold board elections that have been overdue and illegally withheld by the existing board since January 14, 2025.

In the landmark ruling, the Sindh High Court has blocked the attempted takeover of TRG Pakistan Limited by Greentree Holdings, declaring that the shares acquired by Greentree, nearly 30% of TRG’s stock, were unlawfully financed using TRG’s funds in violation of Section 86(2) of the Companies Act 2017.

“Having concluded that the affairs of TRGP are being conducted in an unlawful and fraudulent manner and in a manner oppressive to members such as the Petitioner (Zia Chishti), the case falls for corrective orders under sub-section (2) of section 286 of the Companies Act,” Justice Adnan Iqbal Chaudhry concluded.

The case was brought by TRGP former CEO and founder Pakistani-American technology entrepreneur Zia Chishti against TRG Pakistan, its associate TRG International and TRG International’s wholly-owned shell company Greentree Limited. In addition, the case named AKD Securities for managing Greentree’s illegal tender offer as well as various regulators requiring that they act to perform their regulatory duties.

The case centred around the dispute that shell company Greentree Limited was fraudulently using TRG Pakistan’s own funds to purchase TRG Pakistan’s shares in order to give control to Zia Chishti’s former partners Mohammed Khaishgi, Hasnain Aslam and Pinebridge Investments.

According to the case facts, the Chairman of TRG Pakistan Mohammed Khaishgi and the CEO of TRG Pakistan Hasnain Aslam masterminded the $150 million fraud. They did so together with Hong Kong based fund manager Pinebridge who has two nominees on TRG Pakistan’s board, Mr. John Leone and Mr. Patrick McGinnis.

According to the court papers, Khaishgi, Aslam, Leone, and McGinnis set up a shell company called Greentree which they secretly controlled and from which they started buying up shares of TRG Pakistan. The fraud was that Greentree was using TRG Pakistan’s funds itself. The idea was to give Khaishgi, Aslam, Leone, and McGinnis control over TRG Pakistan even though they owned less than 1% of the company, lawyers of the petitioner told the court.

This was all part of a broader battle for control over TRG Pakistan that is raging between Khaishgi, Aslam, Leone, and McGinnis on one side and TRG Pakistan founder Zia Chishti on the other side. Zia Chishti has been trying to retake control of TRG Pakistan after he was forced to resign in 2021 based on sexual misconduct allegations made by a former employee of his. This year those allegations were shown to be without basis in litigation that Chishti launched in the United Kingdom against The Telegraph newspaper which had printed the allegations. The Telegraph was forced to apologize for 13 separate articles it published about Chishti and paid him damages and legal costs.

After Chishti resigned in 2021, Khaishgi, Aslam, Leone, and McGinnis moved to take total control over TRG Pakistan and its various subsidiaries including TRG International and to block out Chishti. The Sindh High Court’s ruling today has reversed that effort, ruling the scheme fraudulent, illegal, and oppressive.

It now appears that Zia Chishti will take control of TRG Pakistan in short order when elections are called. He and his family are now the largest shareholders with over 30% interest. He is closely followed by companies related to Jahangir Siddiqui & Company which have over a 20% interest. The result appears to be a complete vindication for Zia Chishti and damning for his rivals Aslam, Khaishgi, Leone, and McGinnis who have been ruled to have been conducting a fraud.

TRG Pakistan’s share price declined by over 8% on the news on heavy volume. Market experts say that this was because the tender offer at Rs 75 was gone and that now shares would trade closer to their natural value. Presently the shares are trading at Rs 59 per share.

According to the court ruling, since 2021, shell company Greentree had purchased approximately 30% of TRG shares using $80 million of TRG’s own money, which means that that the directors of TRG Pakistan allowed company assets to be funneled through offshore affiliates TRG International and Greentree for acquiring TRG’s shares – a move deemed both fraudulent and oppressive to minority shareholders. The Sindh High Court also found illegal Greentree’s further attempt to purchase another 35% of TRG shares using another $70 million of TRG’s money in a tender offer.

The ruling is a major victory for the tech entrepreneur Zia Chishti against his former partners and the legal ruling paves the way for him to take control of TRG in a few weeks.