FTMO

Rules

Drawdown / Max Loss

FTMO applies a maximum loss limit and a maximum daily loss limit across all account stages.

When FTMO Accounts are merged, the resulting account has a combined balance with correspondingly adjusted drawdown limits.

Supreme Status benefit: Once a trader reaches Supreme Status, the maximum daily loss rule is removed entirely.

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Consistency Rule / Minimum Trading Days

FTMO Challenge: 1-Step:

• A Best Day Rule applies: no single trading day may contribute more than 50% of the total profit target toward passing the evaluation.
• The theoretical minimum to pass is 2 trading days (only if exactly 50% of the profit target is achieved on each day). In practice, 3 or more trading days are the standard minimum.
• There is no maximum time limit to complete the 1-Step challenge.

FTMO Challenge: 2-Step:

• Minimum 4 trading days required to pass Phase 1 (FTMO Challenge). Days do not need to be consecutive.
• Minimum 4 trading days required to pass Phase 2 (Verification). Days do not need to be consecutive.
• Total minimum: 8 trading days across both phases combined.
• There is no maximum time limit to complete either phase.

FTMO Account (funded stage): No additional consistency requirements apply beyond maintaining sustainable risk management practices.

The Discipline Score (visible in Account MetriX) evaluates day-to-day consistency as an informational metric only. It does not affect evaluation outcomes or funded account standing in any way.

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Leverage

Standard account (all stages): Maximum leverage up to 1:100. Cannot be increased.

Swing account (FTMO Challenge: 2-Step only): Maximum leverage up to 1:30.

Account Type	Max Leverage	Max Lot Size (per trade)	Max Lot Size (total open)
Standard (all stages)	1:100
Swing (2-Step only)	1:30

FTMO reserves the right to reduce leverage or position size limits for individual accounts based on risk assessment. Platform servers have a 200 orders at a time and 2,000 max positions per day limitation. If an EA causes hyperactivity on a platform server, FTMO may alert the trader and request adjustments to the EA logic or parameters.

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Trading Hours

Evaluation phase (both 1-Step and 2-Step, Standard and Swing): No restriction on holding positions overnight or over the weekend during the evaluation. Traders may keep positions open at all times while the market is open.

FTMO Account, Standard account type: Traders are required to close all positions shortly before markets close for the weekend or if a rollover (market break) lasts longer than 2 hours. This rule applies equally to traders who qualified via 1-Step and 2-Step.

FTMO Account, Swing account type (2-Step only): No restriction on holding positions overnight, over the weekend, or during news releases.

Weekend trading: Trading on weekends is permitted if the specific symbol is tradable at that time. Traders are directed to the Symbols page and Trading Updates page for current trading hours per instrument.

Platform server time: MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 servers operate at GMT+2 with DST applied. cTrader uses customised time as per the trader’s own settings.

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News Trading

Evaluation phase (both 1-Step and 2-Step): News trading is fully permitted during the evaluation process. No restrictions apply.

FTMO Account, Standard account type: A full ban within a defined window applies to selected macroeconomic news events:

• No new orders may be opened or closed within a window of 2 minutes before and 2 minutes after a selected high-impact macroeconomic news release. Activating or closing pending orders (including Stop Loss and Take Profit orders) within this window is also considered a violation.
• Traders may hold positions that were opened more than 2 minutes before the restricted event. However, if a Stop Loss or Take Profit is triggered within the restricted window, this may be treated as a breach of the FTMO Account Agreement.
• The restriction applies only to targeted instruments linked to the specific news currency. Non-targeted instruments are not restricted during the same event (for example, during the US NFP release, EURGBP may be traded freely, but USDJPY and GBPUSD may not).

Affected instruments and events:

Affected Currency/Instrument	Macroeconomic Announcement
USD (Forex, Gold, US Indices, DXY)	Federal Funds Rate and Statement; Non-Farm Employment Change, Unemployment Rate, and Wages; Advance GDP q/q; FOMC Meeting Minutes; CPI y/y
EUR (Forex only)	Main Refinancing Rate
GBP (Forex only)	Official Bank Rate and MPC Votes; CPI y/y
CAD (Forex only)	Overnight Rate/BOC Rate Statement; CPI m/m; Employment Change/Unemployment Rate
AUD (Forex only)	Cash Rate and RBA Statement; Employment Change/Unemployment Rate; CPI q/q; GDP q/q
NZD (Forex only)	Official Cash Rate and RBNZ Rate Statement; Employment Change

FTMO Account, Swing account type (2-Step only): No news trading restrictions apply. Swing accounts are fully exempt from the news restriction rule.

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Multiple Accounts

• There is no limit on the number of simultaneous accounts a trader may hold across FTMO Challenge: 1-Step and 2-Step.
• A maximum capital allocation of $400,000 per trader or strategy applies across all accounts combined (prior to any scaling). This limit applies across both 1-Step and 2-Step accounts combined.
• Equivalent limits in other currencies: €320,000; £280,000; CAD 480,000; AUD 520,000; CHF 320,000; CZK 8,000,000.
• Traders with Prime Status have the capital allocation limit increased to $600,000.
• Traders with Supreme Status have the capital allocation limit extended to $1,000,000.
• Holding multiple accounts through different registrations is not permitted. If identically traded strategies are detected across multiple FTMO accounts and the total capital exceeds $400,000, FTMO reserves the right to suspend the affected accounts.

Account merging: Accounts may be merged on request, subject to the following conditions:

For unused FTMO Accounts (no trade executed):

1. Accounts are denominated in the same base currency.
2. Accounts originate from the same product type (1-Step accounts cannot be merged with 2-Step accounts).

For active FTMO Accounts (where trading has already taken place), a Reward must first be withdrawn, after which the following conditions apply:

1. Accounts are not in drawdown.
2. No reward is pending for withdrawal.
3. All accounts share the same risk setup.
4. All accounts are denominated in the same base currency.
5. All accounts originate from the same product type.

Additional merging rules:

• Swing accounts may be merged, provided the combined balance does not reach the size threshold at which the Swing option is not offered. If it does, the merge is processed as a Standard account.
• If a Swing account is merged with a Standard account, the result is a Standard account.
• Merges are irreversible.
• To qualify for Supreme Status, the required $400k FTMO Account must be formed by merging at least two $200k FTMO Accounts (or by purchasing a $400k Challenge directly with Prime Status). Four $100k accounts cannot be merged to create the $400k account required for Supreme Status eligibility.
• 1-Step accounts cannot be merged with 2-Step accounts under any circumstances.

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Prohibited Conduct

FTMO identifies the following prohibited or restricted practices. Traders are directed to the Forbidden Trading Practices page for the complete list.

• News trading violations: Opening or closing trades (including pending order activation, Stop Loss, and Take Profit triggering) within the 2-minute restricted window before or after a targeted macroeconomic event on an FTMO Account (Standard type).
• EA hyperactivity: If an EA or trading strategy causes hyperactivity on platform servers (exceeding 200 simultaneous orders or 2,000 positions per day), FTMO may alert the trader and request adjustments to EA logic or strategy parameters.
• Third-party EAs with shared strategies: Using a third-party EA already in use by many other traders risks breaching the maximum capital allocation rule if the combined identical strategies across multiple accounts exceed the $400,000 threshold. FTMO may deny an FTMO Account in such cases.
• Multiple registrations: Holding multiple accounts under different registrations to circumvent capital limits is prohibited.
• Gambling-like behaviour: Practices resembling gambling rather than legitimate trading are prohibited.
• VPN/VPS restriction: Use of VPN or VPS is generally permitted. Traders must not log in to MetaTrader or cTrader from within the United States, and must not change geolocation to the United States when using MetaTrader or cTrader via VPN/VPS.

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Firm Rules (General)

Minimum trading days:

• 1-Step: Best Day Rule (50% cap per day) means at least 2 days are required; 3 or more is the practical standard.
• 2-Step Phase 1: Minimum 4 trading days (non-consecutive permitted).
• 2-Step Phase 2 (Verification): Minimum 4 trading days (non-consecutive permitted).

Maximum time limit: No maximum time limit applies to any phase of either the 1-Step or 2-Step product.

Account sizes:

• Maximum per individual account: up to $200,000.
• Maximum capital allocation per trader/strategy: $400,000 (standard).
• Prime Status: increases to $600,000.
• Supreme Status: increases to $1,000,000.

Tradable instruments: Forex, Indices, Commodities (including Metals and Energy), Stocks, and Crypto. Full symbol list: https://ftmo.com/en/symbols/.

Platforms: MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and cTrader are supported across all stages (1-Step, 2-Step, and FTMO Account). Platform is selected at the time of ordering. Platform changes are permitted before the first trade is executed on the current account. For FTMO Accounts, platform changes may be processed after each Reward withdrawal.

Age requirement: Minimum age 18.

KYC/KYB:

• 1-Step: FTMO Identity becomes available after all Trading Objectives are met and evaluation results are reviewed.
• 2-Step: FTMO Identity becomes available after both the FTMO Challenge and Verification phases are passed and results are reviewed.
• Three identity types: Natural Person (KYC), Entrepreneur (KYB), Company (KYB).
• KYC verification: typically less than 1 business day for personal registrations; up to 3 business days for company registrations.
• The identity type can be changed once only and is locked thereafter.
• Legal entity status is based on the option selected at first order purchase. A change may be requested once, after passing the challenge or following a Reward payment, but before the next trading cycle begins.

Country restrictions: FTMO does not provide services to:

• Nationals and residents of Iran, Syria, Myanmar, and North Korea.
• Individuals on international sanction lists.
• Individuals with a criminal record related to financial crime or terrorism.
• Persons previously banned due to a breach of contract.
• Corporate clients structured as company trusts.

Conditional exceptions for nationals of Iran, Syria, or Myanmar: accepted only if they hold valid documentation confirming EEA residency and a verifiable bank account held in their name at a traditional bank operating within an EEA country.

Additional countries excluded for business/risk management reasons: Afghanistan, Anguilla, Antarctica, Antigua and Barbuda, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bouvet Island, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Cook Islands, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Holy See (Vatican City State), Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niger, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Russian Federation, 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, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine (restricted to: Crimea, Sevastopol, Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia), Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Western Sahara.

Bank transfer payments and withdrawals are not available for clients in Venezuela, Cuba, Sudan, and Ukraine.

US and Australia: US clients are served via https://ftmo.oanda.com. Australian clients are served via https://ftmo.com/au/.

Free trial: FTMO offers a free trial account available to all clients. It is an abridged version of the FTMO Challenge experience intended for practice only. Passing a free trial does not grant automatic eligibility for an FTMO Account. Only one free trial per client is permitted at a time. The free trial provides access to the Statistical Application, Account MetriX, Trading Journal, and a shortened version of Account Analysis.

FTMO Points (hub credit system): FTMO Points function as internal vouchers valued at 1 Point = 1 Euro. Earned by:

• Converting Reward payouts (whole or partial) into Points during Reward processing.
• Converting the fee refund (2-Step only; 1-Step fees are non-refundable) into Points in full at the time of the first Reward withdrawal.
• Receiving Points through promotional campaigns.

FTMO Points cannot be withdrawn as cash. They can be used exclusively for purchasing FTMO products and services (for example, toward a new Challenge fee). Points have an expiration date visible in the Client Area.

Additional Rules

• Account modification: Platform changes and (for 2-Step accounts) account type changes from Swing to Standard are only possible before the first trade is executed on the current account. For FTMO Accounts, modifications may be processed after each Reward withdrawal. Change from Standard to Swing is never permitted at any stage.
• Discipline Score: Informational metric in Account MetriX with no effect on evaluation or funded account outcomes.
• Stop-loss requirement: FTMO does not require traders to place stop-loss orders.
• Trading style: Discretionary, algorithmic, and EA-based trading are all permitted, subject to the conditions on third-party EAs and hyperactivity described in Prohibited Conduct.

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Account Types / Programs

FTMO offers two evaluation products and two funded account sub-types:

FTMO Challenge: 2-Step

• Two-phase evaluation: Phase 1 (FTMO Challenge) and Phase 2 (Verification).
• Minimum 4 trading days per phase (non-consecutive permitted); no maximum time limit.
• Profit split: 80% to the trader initially; increases to 90% upon reaching Prime Status or satisfying Scaling Plan conditions.
• Swing account type available (no overnight, weekend, or news restrictions on funded account).
• Standard account type available (overnight/weekend close requirement and news trading restrictions apply on funded account).
• Fee is refunded with the first Reward withdrawal.
• Reward rollover (retaining profits to build the drawdown buffer) is permitted.

FTMO Challenge: 1-Step

• Single-phase evaluation.
• Best Day Rule: no single day may contribute more than 50% of the profit target.
• No maximum time limit; theoretical minimum of 2 trading days.
• Profit split: 90% from the start of trading on the FTMO Account.
• Swing account type is not available.
• Fee is not refunded after passing.
• Reward rollover is not available.

Account sub-types (FTMO Account stage):

Feature	Standard	Swing (2-Step only)
Overnight holding	Must close if rollover exceeds 2 hours	Permitted
Weekend holding	Must close before weekend market close	Permitted
News trading restriction	Yes (2-min window rule on targeted instruments)	None
Leverage	Up to 1:100	Up to 1:30
Availability	1-Step and 2-Step	2-Step only

Switching account sub-types:

• Standard to Swing: never permitted at any stage.
• Swing to Standard: permitted before each new trading cycle (after each Reward withdrawal, or after signing the FTMO Account Agreement and before placing the first trade).

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Challenge Fee Policy

FTMO Challenge: 2-Step:

• One-time fee covering both phases. No recurring fees.
• Fee is refunded with the first Reward withdrawal, paid via the original payment method.
• The fee refund may alternatively be converted to FTMO Points in full (not partially).

FTMO Challenge: 1-Step:

• One-time fee for the single evaluation phase. No recurring fees.
• Fee is not refunded after passing.

Payment methods for purchasing a challenge:

Payment Method	Transfer Time	Fee
Credit/Debit card (Visa, Mastercard, Diners, Discover)	Instant	Free
Apple Pay	Instant	Free
Google Pay	Instant	Free
Skrill	Instant	3%
Cryptocurrency (BTC, ETH, LTC, USDT, USDC)	Up to 24 hours	3%
Bank transfer	2 to 5 business days	Various

Bank transfers are not available for clients in Venezuela, Cuba, Sudan, and Ukraine.

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Commissions and Spreads

All information about the commission and spread structure can be found here: https://ftmo.com/en/symbols/

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Payout Policy

Terminology: FTMO refers to payouts as “Rewards” or “Reward withdrawals.”

Profit split:

• FTMO Challenge: 1-Step: 90% to the trader from the first Reward.
• FTMO Challenge: 2-Step: 80% to the trader initially; increases to 90% once Scaling Plan conditions are met or Prime Status is reached.

First payout eligibility:

• Rewards can be requested after a minimum of 14 days from the first day of trading on the FTMO Account.
• The account must be in positive profit with no open positions or pending orders at the time of the request.

Processing time:

• Reward withdrawals are processed within 1 to 2 business days after the invoice is confirmed.

Minimum payout amount:

• Minimum closed profit required: $20 for bank wire withdrawals; $50 for cryptocurrency withdrawals (to cover transfer fees).

Payout methods:

• Bank wire transfer
• Instant transfer via Visa Direct / Mastercard Send (up to $20,000)
• Skrill
• Cryptocurrency (https://ftmo.com/en/crypto-withdrawals/)

Fees: FTMO does not charge additional commissions for Reward withdrawals.

Rollover (retaining profits in account):

• Available for FTMO Challenge: 2-Step traders only.
• Not available for FTMO Challenge: 1-Step traders.

Immediate payout: Available exclusively to traders who have reached Supreme Status.

FTMO Points as payout alternative: Traders may choose to convert all or part of a Reward to FTMO Points instead of a cash withdrawal.

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Scaling Plan

Eligibility: Available on the FTMO Account stage for traders from both 1-Step and 2-Step.

How to request: A scale-up can only be requested during the Reward withdrawal process, directly in the Client Area. If approved, a scaled-up FTMO Account is provided for the next trading period.

Interaction with Premium Programme: The Scaling Plan and Premium Programme are independent and can be used simultaneously.

Profit split under Scaling Plan:

• 2-Step traders: reaching Scaling Plan conditions increases the profit split from 80% to 90%.
• 1-Step traders: the split is already 90% from the start.

Named elite tiers:

Prime Status:

• Available to traders from both 1-Step and 2-Step.
• Qualification criteria:
  • No failed FTMO Account within the last 4 months.
  • No Aggressive FTMO Account active.
  • At least 4 Reward withdrawals on a single order, each with at least 4% profit before the profit split (90% split in the case of a Scaling Plan account). Withdrawals do not need to be consecutive; only new profit generated counts (rollover from a previous account is excluded).
  • Accounts with contracts signed before 2023 are excluded from qualification counting.
  • No specific account size requirement; all account sizes are eligible.
• Benefits (identical for 1-Step and 2-Step, with the exception noted):
  • 1 free FTMO Challenge of the same size as the approved FTMO Account.
  • Capital allocation limit increased to $600,000.
  • Access to the $400,000 FTMO Challenge (or currency equivalent) at a 10% discount.
  • 90% reward split (1-Step traders already receive this from the start).
  • 10% discount on all new purchases.
  • 5% rollover bonus on the subsequent FTMO Account (withdrawable after 30 calendar days), available for 2-Step only.
  • 15% discount on the FTMO e-shop.
• Retention: Not time-limited, but lost if: a Premium Programme FTMO Account fails; three accounts in total fail across any product or stage; or contractual requirements are breached.

Supreme Status:

• Includes all Prime Status benefits, plus:
  • Capital allocation extended to $1,000,000.
  • Certificates and badges.
  • No Maximum Daily Loss.
  • Immediate payout.
  • Possibility to join the Quantlane team (upon passing an assessment), with a dedicated seat and institutional trading desk at FTMO’s Prague offices and a competitive salary.
• Qualification criteria:
  • No failed FTMO Account within the last 4 months.
  • Active $400k Prime FTMO Account.
  • At least 3 completed Reward cycles on the $400k Prime FTMO Account, each with a profit of at least 4% of the Initial Simulated Capital. Cycles do not need to be consecutive.
  • The $400k account must be formed by merging at least two $200k FTMO Accounts, or by purchasing a $400k FTMO Challenge directly (available to Prime Status holders) and meeting Prime Status conditions.
  • Merging a Prime account with a regular (non-Prime) account causes loss of Prime Status and requires re-qualification.