FTMO
FTMO is a Prague-based prop trading evaluation company founded in 2015 that uses a two-step challenge (FTMO Challenge + Verification) with unlimited time, strict 5% max daily loss and 10% max loss limits, and Normal or Swing funded account types. Traders keep an 80% reward split (up to 90% via scaling) and can build up to a $400,000 max allocation before scaling, with the Scaling Plan allowing growth up to $2,000,000 for eligible, rule-compliant traders.
MT4 
MT5 
cTrader 
DXtrade
Program Type & Scaling
• Two-step Evaluation: FTMO Challenge (Step 1) + Verification (Step 2), both with unlimited time
• Account types after passing: FTMO Account Normal (news/weekend restrictions) or FTMO Account Swing (no news/weekend restrictions)
• Platforms: MT4, MT5, cTrader, DXtrade
• Max account size: up to $200,000 per account; max capital allocation: $400,000 per trader/strategy prior to scaling
Scaling Plan
FTMO’s Reward Growth and Scaling Plan rewards eligible traders with a 25% balance increase and a higher 90% reward split. With repeated successful scaling cycles, FTMO Accounts can be increased up to a maximum initial balance of $2,000,000 (conditions apply, and the account must remain compliant with all rules).
Daily Loss Limit
Maximum Daily Loss
FTMO applies a 5% Maximum Daily Loss. It is calculated from the account’s balance at midnight CE(S)T (platform time) each day and includes the running total of the day’s closed trades + floating P/L, including commissions and swaps. If the daily limit is exceeded at any time, the account fails.
Maximum Overall Loss
Maximum Loss
FTMO applies a 10% Maximum Loss (overall loss limit). This is a static cap measured against the account’s starting balance, and it is evaluated on equity (closed + floating results, including trading costs). Breaching it at any time results in account failure.
Drawdown Model
Drawdown Model
FTMO uses static loss limits: a daily loss limit that resets at midnight (platform time) and an overall loss limit based on the starting balance. Both limits include floating P/L and trading costs (commissions/swaps), so equity protection matters as much as closed P/L.
Leverage
| Forex | 100 |
| Crypto | 3.3 |
Broker
FTMO is not a broker; it provides simulated trading services and a technical solution where platform pricing/data feeds are powered by liquidity providers.
Commissions
Commissions
FTMO offers Standard and Raw spread account types. Standard accounts are generally commission-free.
For Raw accounts, FTMO updated commissions in Sep 2025: Forex & Metals use a per-side commission model (e.g., $2.50 per side per lot), while Indices and Energies are commission-free; remaining instruments follow symbol-specific specifications shown in FTMO’s tradable symbols list.
Tradable Assets
FX, Indices, Commodities, Stocks, Crypto
News & Event Trading
Evaluation (FTMO Challenge + Verification): news trading is allowed freely during all releases.
FTMO Account (Normal): for specified high-impact announcements and targeted instruments, you must not open or close trades (including SL/TP triggers) in the 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after the release.
FTMO Account Swing: news trading restrictions do not apply.
Payouts & Profit Split
| Profit Split Start (%) | 80% |
| Minimum Payout Amount | $20 |
| Payout Frequency | Payout FrequencyFTMO rewards are processed on request. Once you have access to the FTMO Account, you can request your reward after a minimum of 14 calendar days from your first day of trading on the FTMO Account (biweekly request cadence). Minimum profit thresholds apply to cover transaction costs (e.g., $20 minimum for bank transfer, $50 minimum for crypto withdrawals). |
| Payout Methods | Bank Transfer, Cryptocurrency, Skrill, Neteller |
| Payment Methods | Credit/Debit Card, Bank Transfer, Cryptocurrency, Skrill |
Evaluation & Account Rules
| Challenges | FTMO’s evaluation is a two-step process:
After passing, traders receive an FTMO Account (Normal or Swing) and earn a share of simulated profits via performance-based rewards. |
Trading Permissions
| Weekend Trades | Evaluation (FTMO Challenge + Verification): holding trades over the weekend is allowed. FTMO Account (Normal): positions must be closed before the weekend market close (or if the market break/rollover is longer than 2 hours). Some cryptocurrencies may be tradable during specific weekend hours. FTMO Account Swing: no restrictions on holding positions over the weekend. |
| Copy Trading | Trade copying tools can be used as long as your trading remains compliant with FTMO’s rules. FTMO’s services are for personal use only: you must not allow any third party to access or trade your accounts, and coordinated/manipulative trade patterns between connected accounts (e.g., opposite positions across accounts for manipulation) are forbidden. |
| EA Allowed | EAs are allowed as long as the strategy is legitimate, replicable in real markets, and does not fall into forbidden practices. Note that automated trading that overloads servers (e.g., excessive server requests) is prohibited, and widely used third-party EAs may risk breaching maximum capital allocation constraints if multiple users run the same strategy. |
| Prohibited Strategies | FTMO prohibits (among other items): exploiting price-feed/display errors or quote delays; using slow/external data feeds; coordinated/manipulative cross-account trading (including opposite positions across connected accounts); using AI/ultra-high-speed tools or mass data entry to gain unfair advantage; ‘gap trading’ around major news or within 2 hours of market close; overleveraging/overexposure/one-sided bets/account rolling; hyperactive EAs that generate excessive server requests; and any third-party account access or account management. |
Other Details
| Refund Policy (Code) | Refund PolicyFTMO’s fee is a one-time payment (not a recurring fee). After you successfully pass the Evaluation Process and receive your first reward payout on an FTMO Account, the FTMO Challenge fee is refunded together with that reward. |
| 3 Percent Rule (Notes) | 3 Percent RuleFTMO does not enforce a fixed “3% per trade” rule. Risk is controlled primarily through the 5% Maximum Daily Loss, 10% Maximum Loss, and its monitoring/enforcement of forbidden or non-replicable risk behaviors (e.g., overleveraging/overexposure patterns). |
| Consistency Rule (Notes) | Consistency Rules
|
| Indices Leverage Max | 50 |
| Metals Leverage Max | 30 |
| Days to First Payout | 14 |
| Payout Processing Time (Days) | Payout ProcessingReward requests go through a review step (typically 1–2 business days). After approval, payments are usually processed within an additional 1–2 business days, depending on the chosen payout method and banking/processor timelines. |
| Account Merge Allowed | No |
| Max Accounts per Trader | N/A |
| KYC Required | No |
| KYC Stage | FTMO requires identity verification before becoming an FTMO Trader and signing the FTMO Account Agreement. For individuals, this is KYC and typically requires a government-issued ID and proof of address. Businesses may require KYB documentation. Once the verification is complete, the FTMO Account Agreement is unlocked for signing in the Client Area. |
| Restricted Countries | Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Barbados, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Guam, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Hong Kong, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Myanmar, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Puerto Rico, Russia, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Uganda, Ukraine (Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk), United Arab Emirates, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Venezuela, Virgin Islands (US), Yemen, Zimbabwe |
| Scaling Plan Availability | No |
| Other Risk Rules | Other Risk Rules
|
| Spread Quality | FTMO provides both Standard and Raw pricing models. Raw accounts are designed for tighter spreads, while Standard accounts bake more cost into the spread. Exact live spreads vary by instrument, session liquidity, and volatility and should be verified inside the chosen platform. |
| Slippage Policy | Orders are executed in real-market conditions where slippage can be positive or negative, especially during volatility, rollovers, or gaps. Traders are expected to manage execution risk (e.g., leaving buffer to loss limits). Strategies that attempt to exploit delays, pricing errors, or gap behavior are classified as forbidden practices. |
| Martingale Allowed | Martingale is not listed as a standalone banned tactic, but any martingale-style behavior that results in overleveraging, overexposure, one-sided bets, or non-replicable risk patterns can be treated as a forbidden risk-management practice and may lead to disqualification or account termination. |
| Lot Size Limits | Forex: maximum volume per order is 50 lots. Platform/server protections also apply (e.g., limits on the number of active orders and daily platform activity). EAs that cause excessive platform/server load are not allowed. |
How does it stack up?
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Frequently Asked Questions
Are expert advisors (EAs), news trading, weekend trading, and copy trading allowed at FTMO, and which strategies are prohibited?
EAs are allowed as long as the strategy is legitimate, replicable in real markets, and does not fall into forbidden practices. Note that automated trading that overloads servers (e.g., excessive server requests) is prohibited, and widely used third-party EAs may risk breaching maximum capital allocation constraints if multiple users run the same strategy.
Is News Trading allowed at FTMO?
Evaluation (FTMO Challenge + Verification): news trading is allowed freely during all releases.
FTMO Account (Normal): for specified high-impact announcements and targeted instruments, you must not open or close trades (including SL/TP triggers) in the 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after the release.
FTMO Account Swing: news trading restrictions do not apply.
Can FTMO traders hold Weekend Trades?
Evaluation (FTMO Challenge + Verification): holding trades over the weekend is allowed.
FTMO Account (Normal): positions must be closed before the weekend market close (or if the market break/rollover is longer than 2 hours). Some cryptocurrencies may be tradable during specific weekend hours.
FTMO Account Swing: no restrictions on holding positions over the weekend.
Is Copy Trading allowed at FTMO?
Trade copying tools can be used as long as your trading remains compliant with FTMO’s rules. FTMO’s services are for personal use only: you must not allow any third party to access or trade your accounts, and coordinated/manipulative trade patterns between connected accounts (e.g., opposite positions across accounts for manipulation) are forbidden.
What are some main Prohibited Strategies at FTMO?
FTMO prohibits (among other items): exploiting price-feed/display errors or quote delays; using slow/external data feeds; coordinated/manipulative cross-account trading (including opposite positions across connected accounts); using AI/ultra-high-speed tools or mass data entry to gain unfair advantage; ‘gap trading’ around major news or within 2 hours of market close; overleveraging/overexposure/one-sided bets/account rolling; hyperactive EAs that generate excessive server requests; and any third-party account access or account management.
The complete list of permitted and restricted trading strategies, including EA policies and news trading rules, is on FTMO official website.
What payment methods does FTMO accept, and what is its refund policy?
Refund Policy
FTMO’s fee is a one-time payment (not a recurring fee). After you successfully pass the Evaluation Process and receive your first reward payout on an FTMO Account, the FTMO Challenge fee is refunded together with that reward.
Accepted payment methods, refund eligibility criteria, and processing times are detailed on FTMO official website.
How do payouts work at FTMO, including minimum payout, payout frequency, processing time, and payout methods?
Days to First Payout: 14:
Payout Processing Time (Days):
Payout Processing
Reward requests go through a review step (typically 1–2 business days). After approval, payments are usually processed within an additional 1–2 business days, depending on the chosen payout method and banking/processor timelines.
Payout Frequency:
Payout Frequency
FTMO rewards are processed on request. Once you have access to the FTMO Account, you can request your reward after a minimum of 14 calendar days from your first day of trading on the FTMO Account (biweekly request cadence).
Minimum profit thresholds apply to cover transaction costs (e.g., $20 minimum for bank transfer, $50 minimum for crypto withdrawals).
Payout Methods:Bank Transfer, Cryptocurrency, Skrill, Neteller
More information on withdrawal minimums, processing duration, and payout schedules is on FTMO official website.
What is the maximum profit split offered by FTMO?
For details on profit split tiers, scaling bonuses, and payout conditions, see FTMO official website.
What assets and markets can traders trade at FTMO?
FX, Indices, Commodities, Stocks, Crypto
Leverage by asset class:
Forex: 100
Indices: 50
Metals:
Crypto: 3.3
The full list of tradable instruments with real-time availability is on FTMO official website.
What leverage does FTMO offer for forex, indices, metals, and crypto trading?
Forex (FX): Up to 100
Indices: Up to 50
Metals: Up to
Crypto: Up to 3.3
Leverage limits per instrument and account type are detailed on FTMO official website.
What trading platforms does FTMO support, and which broker does it use?
Download links and platform-specific setup guides are available on FTMO official website.
What are the trading conditions at FTMO regarding spread quality, commissions, and slippage policy?
FTMO provides both Standard and Raw pricing models. Raw accounts are designed for tighter spreads, while Standard accounts bake more cost into the spread. Exact live spreads vary by instrument, session liquidity, and volatility and should be verified inside the chosen platform.
Orders are executed in real-market conditions where slippage can be positive or negative, especially during volatility, rollovers, or gaps. Traders are expected to manage execution risk (e.g., leaving buffer to loss limits). Strategies that attempt to exploit delays, pricing errors, or gap behavior are classified as forbidden practices.
Commissions
FTMO offers Standard and Raw spread account types. Standard accounts are generally commission-free.
For Raw accounts, FTMO updated commissions in Sep 2025: Forex & Metals use a per-side commission model (e.g., $2.50 per side per lot), while Indices and Energies are commission-free; remaining instruments follow symbol-specific specifications shown in FTMO’s tradable symbols list.
Live spread data, commission schedules, and execution statistics are published on FTMO official website.
What trading strategies are prohibited at FTMO, is martingale allowed, and are there any lot size limits?
No
Prohibited Strategies
FTMO prohibits (among other items): exploiting price-feed/display errors or quote delays; using slow/external data feeds; coordinated/manipulative cross-account trading (including opposite positions across connected accounts); using AI/ultra-high-speed tools or mass data entry to gain unfair advantage; ‘gap trading’ around major news or within 2 hours of market close; overleveraging/overexposure/one-sided bets/account rolling; hyperactive EAs that generate excessive server requests; and any third-party account access or account management.
Lot Size Limits:
Forex: maximum volume per order is 50 lots. Platform/server protections also apply (e.g., limits on the number of active orders and daily platform activity). EAs that cause excessive platform/server load are not allowed.
The complete list of allowed and prohibited trading strategies is available on FTMO official website.
What type of drawdown does FTMO use for its trading accounts?
Drawdown Model
FTMO uses static loss limits: a daily loss limit that resets at midnight (platform time) and an overall loss limit based on the starting balance. Both limits include floating P/L and trading costs (commissions/swaps), so equity protection matters as much as closed P/L.
For detailed drawdown calculations, reset rules, and worked examples, see FTMO official website.
What risk management and consistency rules must traders follow at FTMO?
3 Percent Rule
FTMO does not enforce a fixed “3% per trade” rule. Risk is controlled primarily through the 5% Maximum Daily Loss, 10% Maximum Loss, and its monitoring/enforcement of forbidden or non-replicable risk behaviors (e.g., overleveraging/overexposure patterns).
Consistency Rules
- Minimum trading days: At least 4 trading days are required in both the FTMO Challenge and Verification.
- Verification purpose: The Verification stage is explicitly designed to confirm the trader can execute their approach consistently over time, not just hit a target in a single day.
Other Risk Rules
- Personal use only: you may not share access or allow third-party trading on your accounts.
- Max volume & server limits: maximum volume per order on Forex is 50 lots; platform/server limits apply (e.g., order/position caps and server-request protections).
- Market integrity: strategies that exploit pricing errors/latency, manipulate via coordinated or cross-account opposite positions, or use prohibited ‘gap trading’ patterns can lead to disqualification/termination.
- EA hyperactivity protection: automated trading that overloads servers (e.g., excessive daily server requests) is prohibited.
The full risk management rulebook including daily loss calculations and consistency requirements is on FTMO official website.
What program types does FTMO offer to traders?
• Two-step Evaluation: FTMO Challenge (Step 1) + Verification (Step 2), both with unlimited time
• Account types after passing: FTMO Account Normal (news/weekend restrictions) or FTMO Account Swing (no news/weekend restrictions)
• Platforms: MT4, MT5, cTrader, DXtrade
• Max account size: up to $200,000 per account; max capital allocation: $400,000 per trader/strategy prior to scaling
Compare program structures and find the right fit for your strategy at FTMO official website.
What challenge structure does FTMO use for its evaluation process?
FTMO’s evaluation is a two-step process:
- Step 1 – FTMO Challenge: 10% profit target, minimum 4 trading days, and strict loss limits.
- Step 2 – Verification: 5% profit target (reduced by half vs. Step 1), minimum 4 trading days, unlimited time, and consistency-focused evaluation.
After passing, traders receive an FTMO Account (Normal or Swing) and earn a share of simulated profits via performance-based rewards.
Full challenge rules, profit targets, and time limits are detailed on FTMO official website.
What is the maximum funding offered by FTMO, and is a scaling plan available for traders?
Scaling plan availability: No
FTMO’s Reward Growth and Scaling Plan rewards eligible traders with a 25% balance increase and a higher 90% reward split. With repeated successful scaling cycles, FTMO Accounts can be increased up to a maximum initial balance of $2,000,000 (conditions apply, and the account must remain compliant with all rules).
View all available funding levels and scaling milestones on FTMO official website.
What is the current Trustpilot rating and number of reviews for FTMO?
Read individual trader experiences and recent reviews on FTMO official website.
What program types are available at FTMO?
• Account types after passing: FTMO Account Normal (news/weekend restrictions) or FTMO Account Swing (no news/weekend restrictions)
• Platforms: MT4, MT5, cTrader, DXtrade
• Max account size: up to $200,000 per account; max capital allocation: $400,000 per trader/strategy prior to scaling
Compare all available program types, pricing, and evaluation criteria on FTMO official website.
What are the account limits at FTMO, including the maximum number of accounts, account merging rules, and lot size limits?
0
Is Account Merge Allowed at FTMO?
No
What are Lot Size Limits at FTMO?
Forex: maximum volume per order is 50 lots. Platform/server protections also apply (e.g., limits on the number of active orders and daily platform activity). EAs that cause excessive platform/server load are not allowed.
For the latest account limits, merging rules, and scaling options, see FTMO official website.
Is KYC required at FTMO, and at which stage does identity verification take place?
No
At what stage traders must go through identity verification at FTMO?
FTMO requires identity verification before becoming an FTMO Trader and signing the FTMO Account Agreement. For individuals, this is KYC and typically requires a government-issued ID and proof of address. Businesses may require KYB documentation. Once the verification is complete, the FTMO Account Agreement is unlocked for signing in the Client Area.
Full details on the identity verification process and required documents are available on FTMO official website.
Are there any restricted countries at FTMO?
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Barbados, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Guam, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Hong Kong, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Myanmar, Nicaragua, North Korea, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Puerto Rico, Russia, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Uganda, Ukraine (Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk), United Arab Emirates, United States Minor Outlying Islands, Venezuela, Virgin Islands (US), Yemen, Zimbabwe
For the most current list of accepted and restricted countries, check FTMO official website as eligibility can change based on regulatory updates.
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