FTMO review
Czech RepublicPrague-based prop firm since 2015, selling 1-Step, 2-Step and futures evaluations
Our grade
Excellent
7.6 / 10 · ranked #1 of 10
FTMO popularized the paid-challenge model after its 2017 global launch and is still the benchmark other prop firms are measured against: 11 years of payouts, founder-run from Prague, and since December 2025 the owner of the regulated broker OANDA. The written rules are simple, and the 2-Step still pairs a static 10% max loss with no consistency rule. The catch is discretion: FTMO's terms let its risk team cap your risk per trade idea, strike trades or refuse an FTMO Account after you pass, and that is the source of the most serious complaints in 2026.
Still the benchmark for getting paid, but read the risk clauses before you size up
Our verdict
FTMO earns its reputation where it matters most. It has paid traders since 2015, rewards usually land within a few business days of a request, and the 2-Step rules (10% and 5% targets, 5% daily loss, static 10% max loss, no time limit) are among the clearest in the industry. Owning OANDA gives the group a level of corporate substance few retail prop firms can match.
The weaknesses are price, split and discretion. A $100K 2-Step costs €540 (about $613), the split starts at 80%, and the 1-Step trades the refund for a 50% Best Day Rule and a trailing drawdown. More important, the terms let FTMO cap your risk per trade idea, classify a profitable run as one-sided betting or decline an FTMO Account after you pass, often with little detail. Those cases are a small share of a very large customer base, but they are the largest cluster of 2026 complaints and FTMO answers none of them in public.
Our take: FTMO is a strong pick for disciplined traders who risk around 1% per idea, build positions gradually and run one strategy on one registration. Traders who pass by stacking size, run linked or copied accounts, or rely on popular third-party EAs should either change that approach first or choose a firm with fewer discretionary levers.
Best for
Disciplined day and swing traders who risk about 1% per trade idea and value an 11-year payout record over the cheapest fee.
Avoid if
You pass challenges with oversized positions, run copy or group setups across accounts, or need rules that cannot be tightened after you pass.
Pros
- Paying rewards since 2015 with a $650M+ total claim; recent reviewers report card payouts within hours and wires within about 3 days.
- 2-Step max loss is a static 10% of the starting balance, with no consistency rule on the challenge or the FTMO Account.
- No time limit on any phase and only 4 minimum trading days per 2-Step phase.
- The 2-Step fee is refunded with the first reward, and the Scaling Plan adds 25% every 4 months up to $2M with a 90% split.
- Choice of MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView for CFDs, plus Tradovate, NinjaTrader and TradingView for futures from $119 a month.
- Swing accounts remove news, overnight and weekend limits on funded 2-Step accounts up to $100K.
- Founder-run since 2015, with the regulated broker OANDA inside the group since December 2025.
Cons
- Expensive: a $100K 2-Step lists at €540 (about $613), at or above the top of the usual $400-$600 range.
- The 2-Step split starts at 80%; 90% needs a scale-up, Premium status or the non-refundable 1-Step.
- The terms let FTMO impose a Risk per Trade Idea cap, reduce leverage or cancel trades after a review, with no prior notice required.
- Passing does not guarantee an FTMO Account; 2026 reviews describe refusals for alleged cross-account hedging with little evidence shared.
- Funded Standard accounts must avoid trading 2 minutes around listed news and close before weekends and breaks longer than 2 hours.
- The 1-Step adds a 50% Best Day Rule on every reward, a 3% daily loss and a trailing max loss, and its fee is never refunded.
- A 0.7% adjustment has been taken from realized P/L in a foreign profit currency since August 2026.
FTMO scorecard
How we graded it
Weighted score 7.6/10 → grade A
Methodology →- Payouts 25%8.4
Eleven years of rewards with fast card and wire payouts, offset by recurring 2025-2026 reports of rewards refused or capped after discretionary risk reviews.
- Rules & transparency 20%6.0
Objectives are simple and fully documented, but the terms let FTMO impose risk-per-idea caps, reclassify trades and refuse FTMO Accounts at its own discretion.
- Reputation 20%8.6
The longest track record in the industry, founder ownership and the OANDA purchase, tempered by invitation-heavy reviews and a steady stream of discretionary-termination complaints.
- Trading conditions 15%6.8
Static 10% drawdown and no time limit are trader-friendly, but about $613 for a $100K 2-Step and an 80% starting split cost more than most 2-Step peers.
- Support 10%7.6
24/7 support in 21 languages and a detailed, current FAQ, but template replies and refusals to share evidence are common complaints and negative reviews get no public answer.
- Platforms & execution 10%7.6
MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView for CFDs plus three futures platforms is broad choice, though slippage and gold-spread complaints make up about a fifth of negative reviews.
Who is FTMO for?
Fit by trading style
Beginners
OK with caveatsNo time limit, a free trial and clear 2-Step rules help learners, but fees from about $90 to $1,226 and a 10% first target make repeat attempts costly.
Experienced traders
Good fitA static 10% drawdown, scaling to $2M and an 11-year payout record suit disciplined traders who keep risk near 1% per idea.
Swing traders
OK with caveatsSwing accounts allow news, overnight and weekend holds, but only on the 2-Step up to $100K, at 1:30 leverage and with swap costs.
Scalpers
OK with caveatsScalping is allowed, but a simulated delay of up to 200 ms plus frequent complaints about slippage and gold spreads hurt short-term edges.
EA & algo traders
OK with caveatsEAs are allowed within 2,000 server requests a day, but third-party EAs risk the $400K per-strategy cap shared with other users.
News traders
OK with caveatsNews trading is free in evaluations and on Swing and futures accounts, but funded Standard accounts block trades 2 minutes either side of major releases.
What traders say about FTMO
Trustpilot · 400 reviews analyzed
Trustpilot TrustScore
53,472 reviews
- · Claimed since November 2019, paid Trustpilot subscription; 12,545 of the 23,164 reviews from the past 12 months came through automatic review invitations
- · Has not replied to any negative review in the past 12 months (0 of 665); Trustpilot says it may use AI-assisted replies
- · Flagged 337 reviews in 12 months, 83% of them 1-star; 204 were removed after the reviewers did not respond, and 38% of flags were judged invalid
- · No consumer warning banner on the profile as of October 1, 2026
- · Listed in Trustpilot's Educational Institution category
Recent sentiment
Trend: stable200 most recent reviews, Sep 29, 2026 – Oct 1, 2026 · 73% verified
2026-02: 2.7% negative, average 4.83, 1826 reviews; 2026-03: 4.8% negative, average 4.76, 1646 reviews; 2026-04: 4% negative, average 4.78, 1309 reviews; 2026-05: 4.2% negative, average 4.78, 1204 reviews; 2026-06: 4.1% negative, average 4.78, 1296 reviews; 2026-07: 2.2% negative, average 4.86, 2987 reviews; 2026-08: 2.3% negative, average 4.86, 3253 reviews; 2026-09: 2.3% negative, average 4.87, 2761 reviews
Most reported issue · 28% of complaints
Discretionary enforcement after passing or at payout
Reviewers describe 1% risk-per-trade-idea caps, one-sided betting flags and FTMO Accounts refused over alleged cross-account hedging or linked registrations, usually without trade-level evidence and with appeals declared final.
Most praised · 30% of positive reviews
Fast, reliable payouts
About 30% of recent 4-5 star reviews mention a reward, many describing card payouts within hours, bank wires within a few days and a refunded 2-Step fee.
Complaint themes · 200 negative reviews
- Slow or template support replies22%
Tickets marked solved without an answer, copied FAQ text, multi-day waits and refusals to name the trades behind a breach, restriction or termination.
- Slippage, spreads and stop-loss fills22%
Stops filled far beyond their level on gold, around news or at rollover, wide XAUUSD spreads, and fills reviewers say did not match outside price feeds.
- Risk caps and one-sided betting flags18%
A 1% risk-per-trade-idea limit imposed after passing or at a payout request, sometimes on all future accounts, or profitable runs labeled one-sided betting.
- Refunds, payments and pricing15%
Fees kept after an FTMO Account was refused, crypto payments not credited, high prices and a promotion that disappeared at checkout.
- FTMO Account refused after passing12%
Registrations terminated after both phases for alleged cross-account hedging, linked registrations or KYC discrepancies.
- Daily-loss breaches by small margins8%
Accounts lost by a few dollars once commissions, swaps or slippage were counted, plus confusion over the CE(S)T day boundary.
- 200K Swing option withdrawn6%
Traders who bought or passed $200K Swing challenges report being switched to Standard accounts with weekend and news limits.
- Payout refused outright6%
Reward requests declined for alleged breaches such as one-sided betting or news and weekend trading on Standard accounts.
Praise themes · share of 4–5★ reviews
- Payouts paid on time30%
Rewards reported within hours by card or crypto and within a few days by bank wire.
- Trust and professionalism29%
Reviewers call FTMO the most established and transparent prop firm they have used.
- Helpful support22%
Quick, clear answers on live chat and email, including help with KYC and payment problems.
- Clear rules17%
Objectives are easy to follow and to track in Account MetriX.
- Platforms and tools7%
Stable platforms, the mobile app and dashboard tools get credit.
Red flags in the reviews
- · FTMO has not replied to any of its 665 negative Trustpilot reviews in the past 12 months.
- · 54% of the past year's reviews came from FTMO's automatic invitations, and 113 of 190 recent 5-star reviews are under 80 characters long.
- · FTMO flagged 337 reviews in 12 months, 83% of them 1-star; 204 were removed after the reviewers did not respond, while Trustpilot judged 38% of the flags invalid.
- · Repeated 2026 reports of FTMO Accounts refused after passing over alleged cross-account hedging, with appeals declared final.
- · A few reviewers allege restricted access or a refund offered on condition of deleting negative reviews; we could not verify these claims.
Our read of the reviews
FTMO's Trustpilot profile is huge and steady: 23,164 reviews in the 12 months to September 2026, an average between 4.76 and 4.87 stars in every month, and a 1-2 star share between 1.9% and 4.8%. Volume follows FTMO's invitation flow rather than sentiment: automatic invitations produced 54% of the year's reviews and ranged from 295 in May 2026 to 2,161 in July. Unprompted reviews are tougher, with 4.3% at 1-2 stars versus 1.6% of invited ones, and 113 of the 190 five-star reviews in our 200-review recent sample (September 29 to October 1) are under 80 characters.
The 200 most recent 1-2 star reviews (June 17 to September 30, 2026) are rarely about money that never arrived. The biggest cluster, about 28%, describes discretionary enforcement after passing or at payout: 1% risk-per-trade-idea caps, one-sided betting flags, or FTMO Accounts refused over alleged cross-account hedging and linked registrations, usually without trade-level evidence. Execution complaints about slippage, gold spreads and stop-loss fills follow at about 22%, then the withdrawal of the 200K Swing option and daily-loss breaches by a few dollars.
Praise is consistent: rewards that arrive within hours or days, a professional support team and rules that are clear for traders who keep risk modest. Monthly 1-2 star counts have stayed between 50 and 79 since November 2025, so we rate the trend stable, but FTMO has not answered any negative review in public for a year.
Method: we collected the 200 most recent Trustpilot reviews plus the most recent 200 1–2★ reviews, classified every review by theme and read the samples by hand. Shares are of the stated sample. How we analyze reviews
FTMO pass rate
How hard is it to pass?
Challenge pass rate
10%
~10% pass the Challenge phase (CEO, Mar 2024)
Bar = this firm · line = average of the 10 firms we grade (10.1%)
CEO Otakar Šuffner told TradeInformer in March 2024 that about 90% of people fail the FTMO Challenge, so roughly 10% pass. That covers the first phase of the 2-Step; the share that also clears Verification and receives an FTMO Account is lower, and FTMO publishes no pass or payout rate for the 1-Step or futures plans.
Basis: Published by the firm · 2024 · TradeInformer interview with CEO Otakar Šuffner
FTMO hidden rules
The fine print
Hidden Risk score
4.8/10
High risk
Average: 6.3
FTMO's written objectives are clear, so few traders fail on a surprise number. The risk sits in discretionary clauses: FTMO decides what counts as one-sided betting, cross-account hedging or excessive risk per trade idea, and can then cap risk, remove trades or refuse an FTMO Account without prior notice. These cases are a small share of accounts but the main source of 2026 complaints.
- highdiscretion
Risk per Trade Idea cap imposed after review
Clause 7.6.6 lets FTMO cap the drawdown of all positions in one trade idea at a percentage of starting capital it chooses. Reviewers report a 1% cap applied at a payout request and carried over to every future account.
Source - highstrategy
One-sided betting and overexposure are judged case by case
Overleveraging, overexposure, one-sided bets and account rolling are banned, and FTMO alone decides whether trades fall into them. No numeric threshold is published; the blog only recommends 1-1.5% risk per trade.
Source - highaccount
Passing does not guarantee an FTMO Account
After KYC and the account agreement, FTMO Trading 'may' offer an FTMO Account. 2026 reviews describe refusals and permanent bans for alleged cross-account hedging or linked registrations, with appeals declared final and no trade-level evidence shared.
Source
Does FTMO pay out?
Payout score 8.4/10
- Profit split
- 80% – 90%
- Frequency
- Every 14 days per FTMO Account (immediate for Supreme Premium traders); futures cycles need 4-5 qualifying days
- First payout
- From day 14 after the first trade on the FTMO Account
- Processing time
- Review in 1-2 business days, then usually paid 1-2 business days after invoice approval; reviewers report card payouts within hours
- Minimum
- $20 closed profit for bank wire, $50 for crypto
- Methods
- Bank wire, Visa Direct / Mastercard Send (up to $20,000), Skrill (up to $3,000), Crypto
- Paid out (claimed)
- $650M+ paid in rewards (company claim, October 2026)
Payout mentions in recent reviews
44 of the latest 200 reviews talk about payouts.
6 million. Recent Trustpilot reviews describe card payouts within hours and bank wires within about three days, and none of the 44 payout mentions in our 200-review recent sample was negative.
FTMO challenges and prices
5 programs · list prices
FTMO Challenge: 2-Step (Standard)
2-step · CFD
- Profit target
- P1 10% · P2 5%
- Daily loss
- 5%
- Max loss
- 10% static
- Min. days
- 4
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Profit split
- 80%, 90% via Scaling Plan or Premium Programme
- Payouts
- Every 14 days (a new cycle starts after each reward)
- News
- Restricted
- Fee refund
- Yes
| Account | 10K | 25K | 50K | 100K | 200K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $101 | $284 | $392 | $613 | $1,226 |
- · Fees are set in EUR (€89, €250, €345, €540, €1,080); USD shown at the ECB rate of 1.1355 on Sep 30, 2026, and FTMO converts at its own market rate at checkout.
- · As of Oct 1, 2026 the $100K is offered at €439 to traders without an active $100K challenge.
- · Account currencies: USD, EUR, GBP, CZK, CAD, AUD or CHF, each with its own size ladder.
- · On the funded Standard account, news trading (2-minute window) and weekend holding are restricted; neither applies during the two evaluation phases.
- · The fee 'may be' refunded with the first reward via the original payment method.
FTMO Challenge: 2-Step (Swing)
2-step · CFD
- Profit target
- P1 10% · P2 5%
- Daily loss
- 5%
- Max loss
- 10% static
- Min. days
- 4
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Profit split
- 80%, 90% via Scaling Plan or Premium Programme
- Payouts
- Every 14 days (a new cycle starts after each reward)
- News
- Allowed
- Fee refund
- Yes
| Account | 10K | 25K | 50K | 100K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $112 | $317 | $430 | $680 |
- · Swing prices (€99, €279, €379, €599) are taken from PropFirmMatch's listing because FTMO's configurator sits behind a login; converted at 1.1355.
- · No news, overnight or weekend restrictions on the funded account; the forbidden-practice rules still apply.
- · Sold only with the 2-Step and, since 2026, no longer for $200K; Swing can be switched to Standard but not the reverse.
FTMO Challenge: 1-Step
1-step · CFD
- Profit target
- 10%
- Daily loss
- 3%
- Max loss
- 10% eod trailing
- Min. days
- 0
- Time limit
- Unlimited
- Profit split
- 90%
- Payouts
- Every 14 days; rewards cannot be left on the account
- News
- Restricted
- Fee refund
- No
Consistency rule: Best Day Rule: best day may not exceed 50% of positive days' profit, both to pass and for every reward
| Account | 10K | 25K | 50K | 100K | 200K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $90 | $226 | $362 | $567 | $1,134 |
- · Fees are set in EUR (€79, €199, €319, €499, €999); USD shown at the ECB rate of 1.1355 on Sep 30, 2026.
- · As of Oct 1, 2026 the $100K carries a 20% discount (€399) for traders without an active $100K challenge.
- · No minimum trading days, but the Best Day Rule means at least two profitable days in practice.
- · Standard account type only; funded-account news and weekend restrictions apply.
FTMO Futures Growth
1-step · Futures
- Profit target
- 6%
- Daily loss
- None
- Max loss
- 4% eod trailing
- Min. days
- 0
- Time limit
- Unlimited (monthly subscription)
- Profit split
- 90%
- Payouts
- Each cycle needs 4 qualifying days; withdraw up to 50% of profit, capped at $2,500 / $3,000 / $4,000 per request
- News
- Allowed
- Fee refund
- No
Consistency rule: Evaluation only: best day may not exceed 40% of total profit
| Account | 50K | 100K | 150K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $119 | $169 | $229 |
- · Prices are monthly subscriptions in USD; resets cost $109 / $159 / $219 and there is no activation fee.
- · Profit targets are $3,000 / $6,000 / $9,000; up to 3 Sim-Funded accounts at once.
- · Platforms: Tradovate, NinjaTrader and TradingView with live CME data; launched Sep 17, 2026.
FTMO Futures Pro
1-step · Futures
- Profit target
- 6%
- Daily loss
- 2%
- Max loss
- 6% eod trailing
- Min. days
- 0
- Time limit
- Unlimited (monthly subscription)
- Profit split
- 90%
- Payouts
- Each cycle needs 5 qualifying days; withdraw up to 100% of profit, capped at $5,000 / $6,000 / $8,000 per request
- News
- Allowed
- Fee refund
- No
Consistency rule: Evaluation only: best day may not exceed 50% of total profit
| Account | 50K | 100K | 150K |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $139 | $199 | $269 |
- · Prices are monthly subscriptions in USD; resets cost $129 / $189 / $259 and there is no activation fee.
- · Daily loss shown as 2% for the 50K; it is 1.5% on the 100K and 1.3% on the 150K. A daily-loss breach on the Sim-Funded account ends it permanently.
- · Profit targets are $3,000 / $6,000 / $9,000; at least 50% of each payout request must be new profit from the current cycle.
Standard list prices in USD as of Oct 1, 2026, before discounts. Compare challenges across all firms
FTMO trading conditions
Platforms, assets and what's allowed
- Platforms
- MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView, NinjaTrader, Tradovate
- Assets
- Forex, Indices, Metals, Commodities, Energies, Crypto, Stocks, Futures
- Broker / tech partners
- In-house simulated servers fed by liquidity-provider prices (MT4, MT5, cTrader), OANDA broker profile on TradingView (OANDA owned by FTMO since December 2025), Tradovate and NinjaTrader with live CME data (FTMO Futures)
- Leverage
- Up to 1:100 on FX and 1:50 on gold (Standard); 1:30 FX and 1:15 gold on Swing
- Commissions
- $5 per lot on FX (FTMO symbol specs); PropFirmMatch lists no commission on indices and energies and 0.0014%-0.065% of volume on metals, stocks and crypto; plus a 0.7% adjustment on realized P/L booked in a currency other than the account currency (from August 2026)
- Max allocation
- $2,000,000
- Scaling plan
- FTMO Accounts grow 25% every 4 months if you made at least 10% net profit in that period with two or more processed rewards and a positive balance; on the 2-Step the split also rises from 80% to 90%. The cap is $2M across all FTMO Accounts, and Premium Prime and Supreme status lift the base allocation limit from $400K to $600K and $1M.
- Pay for a challenge with
- Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club and Discover cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal (3% fee), Revolut Pay, Skrill (3% fee), Crypto: BTC, ETH, LTC, USDT, USDC (3% fee), Bank transfer
- Restricted countries
- Afghanistan, Anguilla, Antarctica, Antigua and Barbuda, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bouvet Island, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Cook Islands, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Iran (EEA residents may qualify), Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Micronesia, Myanmar (EEA residents may qualify), Nauru, Niger, Niue, North Korea, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Suriname, Syria (EEA residents may qualify), Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine (Crimea, Sevastopol, Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions only), Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Western Sahara
- Restricted
EAs / bots · Restricted
Allowed up to 2,000 server requests a day and 200 orders at a time; third-party EAs can breach the $400K per-strategy cap
- Restricted
News trading · Restricted
Free in evaluations and on Swing or futures accounts; funded Standard accounts cannot open or close trades 2 min either side of listed releases
- Restricted
Weekend holding · Restricted
Allowed in evaluations and on Swing accounts; funded Standard accounts must close before the weekend
- Restricted
Overnight holding · Restricted
Allowed, but funded Standard accounts must close before any market break longer than 2 hours
- Restricted
Copy trading · Restricted
Copying between your own accounts is fine within the $400K cap; trading by or in coordination with third parties is banned
- Restricted
Hedging · Restricted
Allowed inside one account; opposite positions across accounts or with other traders count as cross-account hedging
- Allowed
Scalping · Allowed
Allowed; FTMO applies a simulated execution delay of up to 200 ms and bans latency or price-error exploits
About FTMO
Founded 2015 · Prague, Czech Republic
FTMO grew out of Získejúčet.cz, a project that Prague classmates Otakar Šuffner and Marek Vašíček started in 2015 to give undercapitalized traders access to larger accounts. The FTMO name and the global FTMO Challenge followed in September 2017, after a trademark dispute forced a change from the original Funded Forex Trader name. Šuffner (CEO) and Vašíček (CTO) still run the company; in a March 2024 interview Šuffner said the only outside money had been a 2016 profit-share deal, not equity.
The company works from Purkyňova 2121/3 in Prague with more than 250 staff. Challenges are sold by FTMO Evaluation Global s.r.o. and FTMO Accounts are run by FTMO Trading Global s.r.o., both Czech companies, and a Delaware entity, JV Prop Corporation, also appears in the imprint. FTMO says it has served more than 4.5 million customers in over 140 countries and paid more than $650 million in rewards; these are company figures with no independent audit published, and FTMO does not disclose how many traders receive a reward.
FTMO bought the Prague quant trading firm Quantlane in 2023 and closed the purchase of OANDA from CVC on December 1, 2025. OANDA's regulated brokerage runs as a separate business; FTMO itself is unregulated and all of its accounts are simulated. US residents were cut off in February 2024 during the MetaQuotes crackdown and returned in August 2025 through the FTMO x OANDA site, and in September 2026 FTMO added a futures program with monthly Growth and Pro plans.
Trader tip
Treat 1% risk per trade idea as a hard limit: FTMO's rules publish no fixed number, but 1% is the figure in its own blog and in the caps traders report, and every position on the same or correlated symbols counts as one idea. On a Standard FTMO Account, close trades before the weekend and make sure no stop or target can fill within 2 minutes of a restricted release. The daily loss resets at midnight CE(S)T, which is 01:00 on the MT4/MT5 server clock.
FTMO timeline
2015 · milestone
Founded in Prague
Otakar Šuffner and Marek Vašíček launch Získejúčet.cz for Czech and Slovak traders. Source
Sep 2017 · milestone
Global launch as FTMO
The FTMO Challenge opens to traders worldwide after a rebrand from Funded Forex Trader. Source
2021 · product
Swing account type launched
Swing accounts without news and weekend limits arrive mid-year and are used by more than 11% of clients in their first six months. Source
2023 · milestone
Quantlane acquired
FTMO buys the Prague proprietary trading firm Quantlane. Source
Feb 18, 2024 · controversy
US clients cut off amid MetaQuotes crackdown
FTMO stops onboarding US clients and moves existing US accounts from MetaTrader to DXtrade without closing or refunding them. Source
Feb 3, 2025 · milestone
Deal to buy OANDA
CVC funds agree to sell the broker OANDA to FTMO, subject to regulatory approval. Source
Aug 26, 2025 · milestone
US relaunch with OANDA
A strategic partnership reopens FTMO to US residents through the FTMO x OANDA site. Source
Dec 1, 2025 · milestone
OANDA acquisition completed
FTMO closes the purchase of OANDA Global Corporation from CVC Asia Fund IV after its final regulatory approval; the price was not disclosed. Source
Feb 1, 2026 · rule change
Gold leverage raised
Leverage on XAUUSD, XAUEUR and XAUAUD rises from 1:30 to 1:50 on Standard accounts and from 1:9 to 1:15 on Swing accounts. Source
Mar 2026 · controversy
200K Swing accounts withdrawn
Traders report that the Swing option disappeared for $200K accounts and that existing 200K Swing accounts were later switched to Standard. Source
Mar 31, 2026 · milestone
OANDA Prop Trader closed
OANDA's own prop program ends so the group's prop business runs only under the FTMO brand. Source
Jul 28, 2026 · rule change
0.7% currency conversion adjustment
Updated terms add a 0.7% adjustment to realized profit or loss booked in a currency other than the account currency. Source
Sep 17, 2026 · product
FTMO Futures launched
Monthly Growth and Pro futures plans go live on Tradovate, NinjaTrader and TradingView with a 90% split and no activation fee. Source
FTMO FAQ
Questions traders ask
Is FTMO legit?
Yes. FTMO has operated from Prague since 2015, says it has paid more than $650 million in rewards, and completed the purchase of the regulated broker OANDA in December 2025. FTMO itself is not a regulated financial firm and all challenge and FTMO Account trading is simulated, so disputes fall under Czech contract law rather than a financial regulator.
Does FTMO actually pay out?
Yes. Payout confirmations are a recurring theme in its 53,000+ Trustpilot reviews, and FTMO said its best month had been January 2024 with $9.6 million paid. The realistic risk is not non-payment but a payout review that ends with a refused reward or a new risk cap because FTMO judged your trades one-sided or too risky.
How long do FTMO payouts take?
You can request a reward from day 14 after the first trade on your FTMO Account. FTMO reviews the request within 1-2 business days and usually sends the money 1-2 business days after the invoice is approved. Recent reviewers report Visa Direct and Mastercard Send payouts arriving within hours.
What is the FTMO pass rate?
CEO Otakar Šuffner said in March 2024 that only about 10% of people who take the FTMO Challenge pass it. That figure covers the first phase of the 2-Step; the share that also clears Verification and receives an FTMO Account is lower. FTMO has published no pass rate for the 1-Step or futures plans.
What are FTMO's hidden rules?
The objectives page is clear, but the terms add discretionary risk rules: no positions far larger than your norm, no repeated high risk per trade idea, no one-sided bets, no cross-account hedging and no gap trading before long market closures. If FTMO's risk team flags you, it can cap your risk per idea, cut leverage, remove trades or refuse the FTMO Account.
Can you trade news with FTMO?
During the evaluation, yes, on every account type. On a funded Standard account you cannot open or close trades, including stop and target fills, on affected instruments from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after listed releases such as NFP, CPI and central bank decisions. Swing accounts and FTMO Futures have no news restriction.
Are EAs allowed at FTMO?
Yes, as long as an EA stays under 2,000 server requests a day and the platform limit of 200 orders at a time. Third-party EAs carry extra risk: if other traders run the same EA, the combined capital can exceed the $400,000 per-strategy cap and FTMO may suspend or refuse the accounts.
Does FTMO accept US traders?
Not on the global site. US residents sign up through FTMO x OANDA (ftmo.oanda.com), opened after an August 2025 partnership and offering MT5 and TradingView. FTMO Futures accepts US residents except those living in Arkansas, Delaware, Louisiana, Montana and South Carolina.
Is there an FTMO discount code?
FTMO does not publish a coupon code. As of October 1, 2026 its homepage shows 20% off the $100K 1-Step (€399 instead of €499) and the $100K 2-Step at €439 instead of €540, both only for traders without an active challenge of that size.
Who owns FTMO?
FTMO is run by co-founders Otakar Šuffner (CEO) and Marek Vašíček (CTO), the authorized representatives of its Czech companies; in a 2024 interview Šuffner said the only outside investment, in 2016, involved no equity. FTMO in turn owns the prop trading firm Quantlane and, since December 2025, the broker OANDA.
What happens if I breach an FTMO account?
Hitting the daily or overall loss limit ends that challenge or FTMO Account immediately, and you need a new challenge to continue. Breaching the forbidden-practice rules can go further: FTMO can terminate all your agreements, cancel pending rewards and bar you from buying again.
FTMO 1-Step vs 2-Step: which is easier?
The 1-Step is faster, with one 10% target and no minimum days, and pays 90% from the start, but it has a 3% daily loss, a trailing max loss, a 50% Best Day Rule and no refund. The 2-Step needs 15% over two phases yet offers a static 10% max loss, 5% daily room and a refundable fee, which makes it more forgiving for most traders.
Can I hold trades over the weekend with FTMO?
During the challenge, yes. On a funded Standard account you must close positions before the weekend and before market breaks longer than 2 hours, while Swing accounts, sold only with the 2-Step up to $100K, can hold over weekends.
Does FTMO have a consistency rule?
The 2-Step has none. The 1-Step's Best Day Rule requires your best day to be no more than 50% of the profit from positive days, both to pass and for each reward. FTMO Futures uses 40% (Growth) or 50% (Pro) during the evaluation only.
FTMO alternatives
Similar programs
United Arab EmiratesUAE prop firm for CFDs and futures, launched March 2022, with a 24-hour payout promise
Hong KongHong Kong-registered prop firm selling instant, 1-step and 2-step accounts since 2023
IsraelRaanana, Israel-based CFD and futures prop firm with 1-, 2- and 3-step programs since 2016
Sources
46 sources · checked Oct 1, 2026
- 1.FTMO homepage and pricing
- 2.FTMO Trading Objectives
- 3.FTMO comparison table (1-Step vs 2-Step)
- 4.FTMO Challenge Terms and Conditions (updated 4 Aug 2026)
- 5.FTMO Forbidden Trading Practices
- 6.FTMO blog: Gambling is not the right way to make money
- 7.FTMO blog: How much should you risk on one trade?
- 8.FTMO FAQ: Can I trade news?
- 9.FTMO FAQ: Overnight and weekend positions
- 10.FTMO FAQ: How many accounts can I have?
- 11.FTMO FAQ: How do I withdraw my reward?
- 12.FTMO FAQ: Is the entry fee refunded?
- 13.FTMO FAQ: Who can join FTMO?
- 14.FTMO FAQ: Payment methods
- 15.FTMO FAQ: Instruments and strategies
- 16.FTMO FAQ: Technical infrastructure
- 17.FTMO FAQ: Account specifications
- 18.FTMO FAQ: Swing account type
- 19.FTMO FAQ: I have successfully passed, what now?
- 20.FTMO Scaling Plan
- 21.FTMO Premium Programme
- 22.FTMO trading platforms
- 23.FTMO symbols and commissions
- 24.FTMO imprint (legal entities)
- 25.FTMO About Us
- 26.FTMO Group history
- 27.FTMO press releases
- 28.FTMO press release: FTMO Futures launch (Sep 17, 2026)
- 29.FTMO press release: FTMO and OANDA US partnership (Aug 26, 2025)
- 30.FTMO press release: OANDA Prop Trader to conclude (Mar 2, 2026)
- 31.OANDA press release: FTMO completes OANDA acquisition (Dec 2, 2025)
- 32.FTMO Futures trading objectives and rules
- 33.FTMO Futures FAQ: Who can join?
- 34.FTMO trading update, 28 Jul 2026 (0.7% conversion adjustment)
- 35.FTMO trading update, 2 Feb 2026 (gold leverage)
- 36.FTMO blog: We pay millions in payouts to our FTMO Traders
- 37.FTMO blog: The year 2021 in numbers
- 38.FTMO x OANDA (US site)
- 39.Trustpilot: FTMO reviews
- 40.Trustpilot: FTMO company activity (transparency)
- 41.PropFirmMatch: FTMO firm page
- 42.PropFirmMatch: FTMO challenges and prices
- 43.Forex Peace Army: FTMO reviews
- 44.TradeInformer: FTMO CEO interview (Mar 13, 2024)
- 45.Finance Magnates: FTMO halts US client acquisition (Feb 18, 2024)
- 46.ECB euro reference rates (EUR/USD 1.1355, Sep 30, 2026)
Current FTMO offer
20% off the $100K 1-Step Challenge (€399 instead of €499)
Homepage offer for traders without an active $100K challenge of that type; the $100K 2-Step is also shown at €439 instead of €540. No coupon code is needed.
Verified Oct 1, 2026