BaFin is the short form for „Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht“ (Federal Financial Supervisory Authority). It supervises stock exchanges, banks and insurance companies in Germany. Furthermore it supervises non-exchange-traded financial products, such as CFDs or Forex.
The main objective is to ensure a functioning, stable and integrated German financial system. BaFin was the first supervision worldwide, which forced CFD and FOREX brokers to ensure a negative balance protection for retail traders in August 2017. Meaning retail clients with residence in Germany could not lose more than their deposit, even though their losses might have been bigger.