FTMO

Daily Drawdown Limit (Maximum Daily Loss)

Traders must not lose more than 5% of the initial balance in a day across closed and open positions; the limit resets at midnight (CE(S)T).

Max Overall Drawdown (Maximum Loss)

Total equity must not drop below 90 % of the starting balance (10% max loss).

Profit Target

10% of initial balance during the FTMO Challenge and 5% during Verification. There is no profit target in the funded FTMO Account.

Minimum Trading Days

At least 4 trading days must be completed in each evaluation stage.

Consistency / Risk Management Rules

Trading must be legitimate and consistent with real markets; both discretionary and algorithmic trading (EAs) are allowed. Maximum volume per Forex order is 50 lots; platform servers limit traders to 200 orders at a time and 2 000 positions per day. Third‑party EAs may violate the maximum capital allocation rule if many users run identical strategies.

News Trading Restrictions

During the Challenge & Verification, news trading is unrestricted. Once funded, traders (except Swing account holders) must not open or close trades on the affected instruments from two minutes before to two minutes after specified high‑impact news releases. Trades opened more than 2 minutes before the news could remain open.

Weekend / Overnight Holding Rules

During evaluation, traders may hold positions overnight and over the weekend. In funded accounts, positions must be closed before the market closes for the weekend or if the rollover exceeds two hours. The FTMO Swing account removes both news and weekend holding restrictions.

Scaling Plan Rules

After every 4‑month cycle, if the trader has: (a) made ≥10 % net profit, (b) taken at least two payouts, and (c) ended the period with a positive balance, the account balance increases by 25 % and the profit split rises to 90 %. Initial account size can grow up to US$2 million.

Leverage & Lot Size Limits

Default leverage is up to 1:100 on standard accounts; it can be lowered by request. The Swing account has leverage up to 1:30.

EA / Copy Trading Restrictions

Expert Advisors and algorithmic trading are allowed; however, third‑party EAs that many traders use may lead to refusal of an FTMO Account due to maximum capital allocation rules. Hyperactive EAs that exceed 200 orders or 2 000 positions per day may trigger warnings.

Daily Drawdown Limit (Maximum Daily Loss)

Traders must not lose more than 5% of the initial balance in a day across closed and open positions; the limit resets at midnight (CE(S)T).

Max Overall Drawdown (Maximum Loss)

Total equity must not drop below 90 % of the starting balance (10% max loss).

Profit Target

10% of initial balance during the FTMO Challenge and 5% during Verification. There is no profit target in the funded FTMO Account.

Minimum Trading Days

At least 4 trading days must be completed in each evaluation stage.

Consistency / Risk Management Rules

Trading must be legitimate and consistent with real markets; both discretionary and algorithmic trading (EAs) are allowed. Maximum volume per Forex order is 50 lots; platform servers limit traders to 200 orders at a time and 2 000 positions per day. Third‑party EAs may violate the maximum capital allocation rule if many users run identical strategies.

News Trading Restrictions

During the Challenge & Verification, news trading is unrestricted. Once funded, traders (except Swing account holders) must not open or close trades on the affected instruments from two minutes before to two minutes after specified high‑impact news releases. Trades opened more than 2 minutes before the news could remain open.

Weekend / Overnight Holding Rules

During evaluation, traders may hold positions overnight and over the weekend. In funded accounts, positions must be closed before the market closes for the weekend or if the rollover exceeds two hours. The FTMO Swing account removes both news and weekend holding restrictions.

Scaling Plan Rules

After every 4‑month cycle, if the trader has: (a) made ≥10 % net profit, (b) taken at least two payouts, and (c) ended the period with a positive balance, the account balance increases by 25 % and the profit split rises to 90 %. Initial account size can grow up to US$2 million.

Leverage & Lot Size Limits

Default leverage is up to 1:100 on standard accounts; it can be lowered by request. The Swing account has leverage up to 1:30.

EA / Copy Trading Restrictions

Expert Advisors and algorithmic trading are allowed; however, third‑party EAs that many traders use may lead to refusal of an FTMO Account due to maximum capital allocation rules. Hyperactive EAs that exceed 200 orders or 2 000 positions per day may trigger warnings.

Commission structure

‍FTMO revamped its commission schedule in late 2025 to bring simulated conditions closer to real market pricing. Forex and exotic currency pairs are now charged at $2.50 per standard lot per side (equivalent to $5 per lot round‑trip). CFD metals, cash indices and certain commodity contracts incur a commission of 0.0007% of the notional volume per side (0.0014% round‑trip). These commissions apply consistently across the Evaluation, Verification and funded stages.

Normal risk account leverage

‍The default FTMO account (sometimes called the “classic” account) offers relatively high leverage, designed to mirror conditions at many retail brokerages. Forex pairs are leveraged up to 1:100, major indices up to 1:50 (except HK50.cash, US2000.cash and SPN35.cash which are capped at 1:30), metals up to 1:30, and commodity CFDs around 1:3.3. Cryptocurrencies and equity CFDs are generally set at 1:1. Traders may request a lower leverage, but FTMO does not permit leverage above these maximums.

Swing account leverage

‍The Swing account is intended for traders who hold positions for longer periods or trade around major news. To reduce risk from overnight and weekend exposure, FTMO reduces leverage across all assets. Forex pairs are capped at 1:30, indices at 1:15, metals at 1:9, and both cryptocurrencies and all equity and commodity CFDs at 1:1. There is no flexibility to increase leverage on Swing accounts, though traders may ask for it to be reduced further if desired.

Leverage considerations

‍FTMO applies leverage to notional (demo) capital since accounts are simulated; it does not extend credit or accept deposits. The leverage affects margin requirements but does not alter the underlying daily or overall loss limits. Traders should factor the higher margin requirements of the Swing account into position sizing and risk management, as the lower leverage means larger margin allocations per lot traded.

Profit Split

80%

Payout Cycle

Every 14 days

Minimum Withdrawal Amounts:

• Bank Wire: $20
• Crypto: $50

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Transparent rules and unlimited evaluation period

FTMO provides clear risk rules and removed time limits for the Challenge and Verification, reducing pressure on traders.

High credibility and prompt payouts

A long track record (since 2015), global recognition and a 4.8/5 Trustpilot score support its legitimacy. Payouts are bi‑weekly, with processing times around 8 hours.

Comprehensive scaling plan

Traders who consistently perform can scale accounts to US$2M and increase the profit share to 90%.

Multiple platforms & instruments

Support for MT4, MT5, cTrader and DXtrade gives traders flexibility. A wide range of assets (forex, indices, commodities, stocks, crypto) can be traded.

Education and support

FTMO provides a free trial, performance coaches, psychological support and an app suite, helping traders develop discipline. Customer service is responsive and available via email, phone and WhatsApp.

FTMO remains one of the most reputable proprietary trading firms as of October 2025. Its two‑phase evaluation emphasises disciplined risk management, and the removal of time limits allows traders to proceed at their own pace. The firm’s transparency, comprehensive scaling plan, and reliable payouts make it attractive to serious traders seeking long‑term growth. Additionally, the combination of multiple trading platforms and a wide range of instruments provides flexibility. However, the high profit targets, strict drawdown rules and hefty entry fees pose significant challenges, meaning FTMO is best suited to experienced traders rather than novices. Geographical restrictions and limitations on news and overnight trading after funding also require consideration. Overall, for disciplined traders comfortable with the rules and cost, FTMO offers a robust pathway to access significant simulated capital and generous profit sharing.