Core Funded review
Claimed by the firm
Delaware-run CFD prop firm rebranded from SwissFunded in 2025, challenges up to $500K
- CEO
- Vera Phkhakadze
- Headquarters
- United States
- Founded
- 2025
- In business
- 1 year
- Trustpilot
- 4.1(134)
United StatesOur grade
Average
5.9 / 10 · #10 of 22
4.1
Trustpilot
134 reviews
- 5★65%
- 4★15%
- 3★2%
- 2★2%
- 1★17%
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New customers get 50% off their first Core Funded account with code WELCOME at checkout.
Core Funded rules & hidden risks
The fine print that costs traders accounts
Hidden Risk score
4.8/10
High risk
Average: 5.5
Core Funded's written rules are unusually detailed. The risk sits in how payouts work: each payout is capped at 50% of accumulated profit and $2,500-$5,000 per request, and the consistency rule, which isn't checked during the challenge, judges each day by its intraday peak at payout. Both show up in 2026 Trustpilot complaints.
Hidden rules to know before you buy
- highpayout
Payouts capped at 50% of profit and $2,500-$5,000 per request
Even an approved payout releases at most half of accumulated profit, capped at $2,500 on accounts up to $100,000 or $5,000 above that; the remainder carries to a later request, so the 24-hour guarantee only covers how fast a partial payout is processed, not how much of a large profit a trader can access at once.
Source - highconsistency
Consistency rule judged on the day's intraday peak, checked at payout
No single day may supply more than 15% (Instant) or 30% (1-Step/2-Step) of total profit. It isn't checked during the challenge, which makes passing easier, but it applies to every payout and counts each day's highest net profit reached at any point, even if given back before the close. Several Trustpilot reviewers describe losing a payout to this rule after their dashboard showed all requirements met.
Source - mediumcosts
Challenge fee refunded only after a fourth payout
The checkout badge advertises a "100% Refundable Fee", but the fee is actually returned only once a trader reaches their fourth payout from a funded account, not on passing the evaluation; losing the account first forfeits it entirely.
Source - mediumdiscretion
Discretionary 1%-per-idea risk cap
Core Funded can unilaterally restrict risk per trading idea to 1% of the starting balance if it judges a trader's risk-taking excessive; the restriction is delivered in writing before taking effect, but the underlying "excessive" threshold is not numerically defined in advance.
Source
The rulebook
Drawdown & daily loss3 rules
- Static drawdown on every program: 5% (Instant), 6% (1-Step), 8% (2-Step), 12% (2-Step Flex), and 8% during Pay After Pass Step 1, none of which rises with profit.
- Daily loss limit, where one applies, resets at 00:00 UTC and is measured against the higher of account balance or equity: 3% (Instant, 1-Step, Pay After Pass Step 1), 5% (2-Step), none at all (2-Step Flex).
- Breaching either limit stops the account immediately; open positions count toward both limits.
Profit targets & minimum trading days3 rules
- Profit target: none (Instant), 10% in one phase (1-Step), 10% then 5% (2-Step), 3% (Pay After Pass Step 1); the funded account itself never carries a further profit target.
- Minimum trading days each need at least 0.5% net realized profit and do not have to be consecutive: 5 days (Instant, 2-Step Flex), 3 days (1-Step, 2-Step), 0 in Pay After Pass Step 1 but 5 once funded.
- There is no time limit on any phase of any program.
Consistency rule3 rules
- Checked only when a payout is requested, not continuously: no single day may supply more than 15% of total profit on Instant or 30% on 1-Step/2-Step.
- Each day counts its highest net profit reached at any point, even if that gain is partly or fully given back before the day closes.
- A breach restricts the payout amount rather than closing the account outright.
Prohibited strategies & risk limits4 rules
- Martingale strategies, 3 or more positions on one losing idea, using over 50% of available margin, and "all-or-nothing" trades that could wipe the account in one position are all banned.
- Trading is classed as gambling-style, and the profit forfeited, if over half of all trades are held under one minute without an identifiable strategy.
- The strategy used in the evaluation must stay materially the same once funded; switching from an EA to manual discretionary trading after passing is a violation.
- Core Funded can impose a written 1%-of-balance risk-per-idea cap on any account it judges to be taking excessive risk.
News, weekend & copy trading4 rules
- News trading is unrestricted during every evaluation phase.
- Once funded, trading is blocked for 5 minutes before and after high-impact news and FOMC events, unless the paid News Trading upgrade is purchased, which removes the blackout entirely.
- Overnight and weekend holding, including swing positions, is allowed on every account type with no extra charge mentioned; crypto trades 24/7.
- EAs, trade copiers and copy trading are allowed, including between a trader's own Core Funded accounts, but not between accounts held by different people.
Account, KYC & discretion5 rules
- Only one customer account is permitted per person; shared-household or shared-IP signups can be asked for extra verification.
- Identity and address documents can be required before a payout to meet AML/CTF obligations, and a payout is paused until they are provided.
- Residents of 27 listed countries and territories, including Russia, Iran, North Korea and Venezuela, are blocked outright.
- Filing a card chargeback before contacting support can forfeit the account's balance.
- An account with no trade for 30 days is closed automatically.
Payouts & fees4 rules
- Payouts are on demand once the balance exceeds the starting balance, with 3 qualifying 0.5%-profit days required between each payout after the first.
- Each payout is capped at 50% of accumulated profit and at $2,500 (accounts up to $100,000) or $5,000 (above $100,000) per request.
- Processing is guaranteed within 24 hours of a completed review; missing that window pays the trader 100% of that payout's profit instead of the usual split.
- The evaluation fee is refunded in full only after a trader's fourth payout from the funded account; all purchases are otherwise non-refundable.
What Core Funded allows
AllowedEAs / botsAllowed
EAs, self-built or third-party, are allowed, provided the same strategy is used in the evaluation and the funded account.
RestrictedNews tradingRestricted
Unrestricted during the evaluation. On a funded account, a 5-minute blackout applies around high-impact news and FOMC events unless the paid News Trading upgrade is purchased.
AllowedWeekend holdingAllowed
Allowed on every account type with no extra charge mentioned; crypto trades 24/7 including weekends.
AllowedOvernight holdingAllowed
Overnight and swing positions are allowed with no restriction on any program.
RestrictedCopy tradingRestricted
Allowed only between accounts legally held by the same person; copying between different traders' accounts or coordinated group trading is banned.
AllowedHedgingAllowed
Hedging within the same account is allowed; martingale strategies are banned.
RestrictedScalpingRestricted
No minimum hold time or stop-loss is required, but more than 50% of trades held under one minute without an identifiable strategy is defined as prohibited "gambling-style" trading.