AGF International Advisors Company Limited (CLONE) and/or Iron-Cap / IRONCAP - Central Bank of Ireland Issues Warning on Unauthorised Firm
Executive Summary
The Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) has issued a warning notice under section 53 of the Central Bank (Supervision and Enforcement) Act 2013 against a **fraudulent clone** using the name AGF International Advisors Company Limited and the brand Iron-Cap / IRONCAP, operating via several websites and email addresses without authorisation to provide investment services in Ireland. This matters for compliance teams because the cloned entity is impersonating a fully authorised CBI firm (AGF International Advisors Company Limited, CBI00022137), creating heightened financial crime, conduct, and reputational risks, and necessitating strengthened client-onboarding and counter‑party due‑diligence controls to detect and manage clone‑firm exposure.
What Changed
- - The CBI has formally designated AGF International Advisors Company Limited (CLONE) and/or Iron-Cap / IRONCAP as an unauthorised investment firm / investment business firm and has published its details on the CBI’s warning notices list under section
- The specific websites www.iron-cap.com and https://www.iron-cap.io (including the French-language path https://www.iron-cap.io/fr/forgot-password/) have been identified as associated with this unauthorised, fraudulent investment scheme.
- The email addresses support@iron-cap.com and Samuel.breval@iron-cap.com have been flagged as being used by the unauthorised entity in connection with the Iron-Cap / IRONCAP investment offering.
- The CBI has reiterated that the clone is not authorised to provide investment services or investment business services in Ireland and has explicitly clarified that there is no connection whatsoever between the authorised AGF International Advisors Co
- The warning reinforces existing CBI expectations that Irish‑authorised firms and gatekeepers must monitor and respond to clone‑firm activity, including by reporting suspected unauthorised firms directly to the CBI and directing consumers to the CBI’s
Suggested Considerations
- Review and update client‑onboarding procedures to include specific screening for the websites www.iron-cap.com and https://www.iron-cap.io and the email domains associated with Iron-Cap / IRONCAP, flagging and escalating any matches as suspected clone‑firm exposure.
- Update sanctions, fraud, and financial crime screening tools and internal watchlists to include the unauthorised firm identifiers associated with AGF International Advisors Company Limited (CLONE) and Iron-Cap / IRONCAP, ensuring alerts are generated for relevant customer or transaction hits.
- Strengthen fraud‑awareness communications to clients and staff by referencing the CBI’s financial scam materials, emphasising the risks of dealing with unauthorised firms and clone entities, and advising clients to verify firm authorisation before investing.
- Establish or update an internal escalation protocol for suspected clone‑firm activity, ensuring that all such cases are reported promptly to the CBI via the dedicated unauthorised firms reporting channels and, where applicable, to other relevant regulators.
Key Dates
Compliance Impact
Failure to identify and appropriately manage interactions with unauthorised clone firms exposes regulated institutions to heightened AML/financial crime risk, consumer protection breaches, and significant reputational damage, and may result in supervisory scrutiny or enforcement for inadequate systems and controls. For clients misled into dealing with unauthorised firms, there is a high risk of lo
Who is Affected
References
AI-generated analysis. May contain errors or omissions — verify with the original CBI source before acting. Full disclaimer.
Summary
Warning: Unauthorised Investment Firm / Investment Business Firm Unauthorised Firm Name AGF International Advisors Company Limited (CLONE) and/or Iron-Cap / IRONCAP Website(s) www.iron-cap.com https://www.iron-cap.io/ https://www.iron-cap.io/fr/forgot-password/ Email address(es) used support@iron-cap.com Samuel.breval@iron-cap.com Phone number(s) used None Authorisation in Ireland AGF International Advisors Company Limited (CLONE) and/or Iron-Cap/IRONCAP is not authorised to provide Investmen...