CLF vs London Academy of Trading (LAT) — the UK’s most established trading academy

Fifteen years of trading education.
One question: who regulates the certificate?

The verdict in 20 seconds

London Academy of Trading is the most established name in this comparison: 15 years, a campus in Bloomsbury, an expert faculty and courses across stocks, forex, indices, crypto and commodities. Its accreditations — BAC and CPD — are real. They are also not the same thing as an Ofqual-regulated qualification. CLF’s Level 2 is examined and certificated through TQUK, an Ofqual-regulated awarding organisation, and it costs £120 all-in against LAT’s circa £2,000+ entry.

How we compared: London Academy of Trading’s own published pages (lat.london), read and verified 14 July 2026. We credit what they do well, and we link every claim to a source you can check. Spot an error? Tell us and we will correct it.

One question exposes everything

Same word, different registers: “accredited.”

Accreditation · read the small print
ProviderLondon Academy of Trading
AccreditationBAC & CPD — institutional / development accreditation
Qualification regulatorNot Ofqual
Typical entry costcirca £2,000+ up front
ProviderCome Learn Forex
AccreditationTQUK — regulated by Ofqual · centre 38286404878
Entry cost£120 all-in — exam & certificate included
Checkable · before you pay

BAC accredits institutions. CPD accredits development hours. Ofqual regulates qualifications. All three say “accredited” — only one puts the certificate itself on a government-regulated register.

Scroll — run the check ↓
Who they are

The establishment option, honestly described.

LAT teaches from the University of Law’s Bloomsbury campus at 11–13 Ridgmount Street, backed by Global University Systems, a large private education group. Its 12-week Advanced Trading Course leads to a Level 5 Diploma in Applied Financial Trading; new cohorts start every 5–6 weeks; mentors are available ten hours a day on weekdays; there is a 30% scholarship for NHS staff, jobseekers, refugees and service members — a genuinely commendable scheme — and every student is offered a free $20,000 prop-firm challenge with the5ers on completion. It celebrates 15 years in 2026.

It is also, by design, a generalist: forex is one asset class on a list that leads with stocks and includes crypto, options, futures and wealth management. Its accreditations — BAC (an institutional accreditor) and CPD (professional development hours) — are legitimate but sit in a different register from an Ofqual-regulated qualification, where the certificate itself is examined, externally moderated and checkable on a public framework. That distinction, plus a roughly 17× difference in entry price, is what this page is about.

Side by side

Fifteen years vs £120 to find out.

What matters
London Academy of TradingBloomsbury WC1E · est. 15 years
Typical influencer course$499–$4,997 · no external exam
Come Learn ForexLevel 2 · £120 all-in
Entry price
circa £2,000+ up front
Usually $499–$4,997
£120 all-in
Ofqual-regulated qualification
No — BAC & CPD accreditation
No regulator, seller-issued certificate
Yes — TQUK, centre 38286404878
Externally moderated exam
Course assessment
No
30 questions, 70% pass, external moderation
Forex specialism
One asset among many
Often forex-led
Forex-first, with its own written syllabus
Central London campus
Yes — Bloomsbury, genuinely central
No
Trading floor in Rainham RM13 + online
Scholarship / access scheme
Yes — 30% for NHS, jobseekers, refugees
No
No formal scheme; £120 entry is the access route
Published, auditable student results
Testimonials
Lifestyle screenshots
977 member-reported results at /results
Progression pathway
Level 5 Diploma, then out
None
Level 2 → 3 → 5 → 7 + CISI prep

LAT facts from lat.london, read 14 July 2026: campus address, course structure, BAC/CPD accreditations, scholarship scheme, the5ers challenge and 15th-anniversary offer as published. Entry pricing of circa £2,000+ is as logged on our qualification-providers comparison (verified 4 July 2026); LAT publishes precise fees on enquiry and runs periodic discounts, including 15% for its anniversary. If LAT publishes updated pricing, tell us and we will correct this table. We say plainly: LAT’s central-London campus and scholarship scheme beat ours.

The honest bit

When LAT is genuinely the right call.

You want stocks, options and futures under one roofLAT is a genuine multi-asset academy. If forex is only part of what you want to learn, their breadth is the point.
You want a central-London campus experienceRidgmount Street is a real Bloomsbury campus inside the University of Law. Our floor is in Rainham, RM13. On location, LAT wins — we say so.
You qualify for their scholarship30% off for NHS staff, jobseekers, refugees, Blue Light holders and service members is a genuinely good scheme. Use it.
You value institutional longevityFifteen years and a large education group behind it means LAT is not going anywhere. That stability has value.
But ask the one question this page is built on: is the certificate itself on an Ofqual-regulated framework, and can you check the centre number before paying? If the answer involves the words “BAC” or “CPD,” you now know the difference — and you know one route costs £120 to test and the other costs about £2,000.
The £120 test

Do not trust this page either. Test it.

1Check us firstVerify Approved Centre No. 38286404878 on the public register, read the Trustpilot reviews, search the founder by name.
2Sit Level 2 for £120Two days on a real London trading floor or live online. Exam and TQUK certificate included — an accredited qualification either survives an exam or it does not.
3Climb only if it earns itLevel 3 (from £4,400) holds your place with a £500 deposit that counts toward the price. The ladder is there when you want it.
Questions

The obvious questions.

Yes. LAT has operated for 15 years, teaches from the University of Law's Bloomsbury campus, holds genuine BAC and CPD accreditations and is backed by Global University Systems. This page is not about legitimacy — it is about what kind of accreditation you are buying, and at what entry price.
LAT's entry courses run to roughly £2,000+ upfront (as logged on our qualification-providers comparison, verified 4 July 2026), with fees confirmed on enquiry and periodic discounts. CLF's accredited Level 2 is £120 all-in — training, exam and TQUK certificate included.
No. BAC accredits institutions and CPD accredits professional-development activity — both legitimate, neither places the certificate itself on a government-regulated qualifications framework. CLF's Level 2 and 3 are examined and certificated through TQUK, an Ofqual-regulated awarding organisation, under approved centre 38286404878, which anyone can check before paying.
If you want multi-asset education (stocks, options, futures, crypto) rather than a forex specialism, want a central-London campus, or qualify for their 30% scholarship, LAT is a genuinely strong option and we say so on this page.
No. Trading involves substantial risk and most retail traders lose money. Neither LAT nor CLF promises income, and any provider that does is showing you a red flag.

Respect the fifteen years.
Then check the register.

Written by the Come Learn Forex team, led by founder Shoaib Ghauri. Published 14 July 2026. Facts drawn from each provider’s own published pages (lat.london) on that date; we correct errors on request. Trading involves substantial risk and most retail traders lose money; no course, ours included, can promise profit.

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