55% OFF + 120% Refund + BOGO
Limited Time
Code:
GUNTER
Discover how to become a prop trader with our step-by-step guide. Learn the skills and strategies you need to succeed in proprietary trading!
.jpeg)
Many traders dream of becoming a prop trader, but few know how to break into this niche. Prop trading, or proprietary trading, involves trading a firm's capital instead of your own. The allure of prop trading is that it can help traders go from trading for themselves to trading for a firm, which can accelerate a trader’s career, provide valuable resources and tools, and help them achieve their financial goals. One of the first steps for prop trading can be to secure a funded trading account, which can help you transition into prop trading by simulating the trading process with a firm’s capital. This blog will explain how to become a prop trader and how the best funded trading accounts can help you achieve your goals.
AquaFunded’s funded trading program allows traders to achieve a funded trading account while trading independently. The program provides a structure that allows traders to demonstrate their skills and earn a live account with a proprietary trading firm.
.jpeg)
Proprietary trading, or prop trading, occurs when a financial firm or commercial bank trades:
This trading strategy allows the firm to earn a return on its own investment rather than commission fees from trading on behalf of someone else. Financial firms that engage in prop trading do so because they believe they have an edge that will enable them to outperform standard market returns.
.jpeg)
To put it simply, prop firms make money when traders lose. The more traders lose, the more money prop firms make. And unfortunately, the structure of prop trading makes it very difficult for traders to succeed.
The challenge model is a common way for prop firms to assess a trader's skill level before giving them access to a funded account. These challenges can be tough, and prop firms make money when traders fail the challenge.
While these models can allow traders to prove themselves, they are structured to benefit the firm. Traders must pay an upfront fee, which can be several hundred dollars or more, just to take the challenge. This fee is non-refundable.
Traders are given a specific amount of virtual capital with which to trade. They must meet specific profit targets to pass the challenge and receive a funded trading account with real capital. Most traders will not be able to comply with the strict rules and will either lose the virtual capital or fail to meet the profit targets in time.
While passing the challenge can allow traders to demonstrate their skills, the model is designed to allow prop firms to profit from traders who fail.
Once a trader passes the evaluation phase, they will be subject to a profit-sharing plan with the prop firm. This agreement will dictate how profits are split between the trader and the firm. Typically, the prop firm will first take a larger share of the profits.
For example, the firm might take 70% or more of the profits while the trader only receives 30%. Established prop trading firms may offer more favorable splits, such as 80% or 90% to the trader.
The larger the upfront fees to join the prop firm, the better the profit splits. Traders can negotiate for a larger share of the profits as they continue to meet targets and follow risk management procedures. It is also common for profit-sharing plans to improve over time.
For instance, a trader might start with an 80/20 split that eventually improves to 90/10. In another example, a new trader might begin with a 50/50 split that slowly improves to a 25/75 split in favor of the trader.
While the percentage of profits taken by prop firms can vary, it usually falls somewhere between 10% and 50%. So, if a trader makes $10,000 in profits, the prop firm may take a 30% cut, leaving the trader with $7,000.
Most prop firms charge membership fees to their traders. These fees provide the firm with a steady stream of income that is not dependent on the performance of their traders. This is important because it gives the firm a reliable source of income to cover expenses such as rent, utilities, salaries, and other costs.
It also allows the firm to reinvest in its business by developing new trading platforms or expanding its research and development capabilities. Additionally, membership fees help cover the cost of supporting traders, such as educational resources and customer service. All of these factors contribute to a prop firm's overall profitability.
Traders must also pay the membership fees monthly or annually to the prop trading firm to renew their membership. The agreement between the trader and the firm may be terminated if this fee is not paid. Therefore, while assessing the profit from trading with the prop firm, traders must consider the effect of the membership fee.
Educational fees are another source of income for many prop firms. These fees are charged for:
While some of these resources may be free, many prop firms offer premium content that requires a fee. This educational content can range from basic trading strategies to more advanced topics like market analysis and risk management. By charging for this educational content, prop firms can make money while providing valuable services to their traders.
Most prop firms also earn money through commissions, which are fees charged for each trade executed. These commissions are usually paid to the broker who executes the trade, and then a portion of those commissions is passed on to the prop firm.
The exact amount of the commission varies depending on the type of trade, the size of the trade, and the specific broker used. For example, a prop firm might charge a commission of $1 per contract for stock options, while futures contracts might have a commission of $3 per contract. These commissions add up over time, and while they may not be significant, they also add to the prop firm's source of income.
Prop firms also make money through interest-on-margin loans. Margin loans are loans given to traders so that they can make larger trades than they would be able to with their own capital. These loans are secured by the securities in the trader's account, and they are typically offered at higher interest rates than traditional loans.
For example, a trader might be able to borrow $50,000 with a margin loan, but depending on the agreement between the trader and the firm, they would be charged an interest rate of 10% or more. The prop firm then earns money by collecting interest on the loan.
AquaFunded is a Dubai-based funded trading program that allows traders to access large capital accounts and earn up to 95% profit splits. The company provides a unique funding model with easy-to-achieve 8% profit targets and fast bi-weekly payouts, with an option for the first payout in just 7 days.
AquaFunded caters to traders of all experience levels, from beginners to those with a few years of experience, who want to trade with reduced risk using the firm's capital instead of their own. With its competitive features and UAE-based operations, AquaFunded aims to stand out in the crowded prop trading market and provide a trustworthy platform for traders looking to scale their profits.
Get started with AquaFunded's funded trading program today!

There's no way around it: You must learn how to trade the market to become a prop trader. It would be ridiculous to think that someone can just hop in and make a profit. If that were true, then everyone would be a prop trader. It’s essential to understand the different markets and what drives them.
Depending on their inclinations, a prospective prop trader can choose between:
You should spend a significant amount of time tracking these markets. Understanding the movements based on technical and macroeconomic factors is also crucial. A trader should know when to enter and when to exit. This is the first and most vital step.
Every market has its set of rules that traders need to adhere to. For example, a prop trader investing in the equity markets in the US should be aware of the timing. Futures and derivatives contracts would require initial and maintenance margins to be tracked and settled daily. There are circuit breakers that may vary from stock to stock.
Prop traders should not use material non–public information, and any such trades would be deemed illegal. Other legislation, like the Volcker rule, may apply to prop traders who accept deposits in financial institutions. Each broker also has rules like a maximum position size or daily loss limit that should not be breached.
There are numerous indicators that a prop trader can use. Across all of them, the trader has multiple strategies to choose from. Suppose an inexperienced trader relied on the Simple Moving Average (SMA) to execute his trades. Depending on his needs, the prop trader can choose 50-period SMA or 100-period SMA within this technical indicator.
It should be noted that no single strategy can assure profitability, and it is a good practice to supplement a technical indicator with other measures. An SMA may indicate that the stock is overbought, but if the quarterly earnings are robust, we could expect further price appreciation in the company's shares.
As we stated before, no technical indicator can guarantee 100% profitable trades. Historical trends may not be a good predictor of future prices. Every trader will recommend using adequate risk management to limit losses. This is particularly relevant for a prop trader because their positions generally use leverage.
This means that they can take a position of $100,000 by just putting in $10,000 of capital. When markets are not favorable, chances are high that the losses could exceed $10,000. Stop losses and hedging are useful measures to manage the amount of risk taken.
Before trading on a firm’s capital, prop traders often receive a simulator account on a trading platform to demonstrate their abilities. This is a learning step for the prop trader, and it also acts as a way of assessing his abilities.
Most firms recruit a trader only when he has performed well in paper trades. It allows the company to gauge the person’s trading strategies and risk management practices. It is also a good way for traders to browse the online platform’s features. Many brokers provide this facility at a minimal cost.
After obtaining the necessary skills to become a prop trader, an individual can register for an online evaluation to begin the process. AquaFunded is one such program.

It takes time to become a funded trader. Most traders will take around 4-5 months to become a prop firm-funded traders if they are consistently profitable. Some traders can achieve this goal much faster by using increased risk. The likelihood of failing the challenges would be increased.
Becoming a prop firm trader is a much faster way to pull larger profits out of the markets than if you were just to trade your funds. Most traders come into the markets with just a few thousand dollars, which isn’t enough capital to make considerable profits or trade for a living.
Prop firm funding can be incredibly appealing. Most prop firms require traders to undergo a trading challenge to prove their market profitability and weed out unprofitable traders. Although these could be passed in just a few days, they rarely are, and nor should they be! Often, traders who obtain their funded accounts very fast are the traders who lose their accounts very fast, too. As it is with trading personal funds, longevity is the name of the game in forex.
The groundwork for becoming a funded trader is to become a profitable trader. If you are not consistently profitable on your small trading capital, having £100,000 in invested capital doesn’t make you suddenly profitable overnight. Therefore, the precursor should be trying to become profitable. It is not profitable for a week or two, but it is profitable over months. Once you’re at this stage, passing a trading challenge should be business as usual.
Becoming profitable isn’t something that happens overnight. It usually takes traders around 12 months to become profitable. This is due to the complex nature of the markets, risk management, and psychology. Having a subjective (not rule-based) trading strategy also increases the learning curve, meaning it takes much longer to learn to trade if you do not have an objective system to use.
Once you’re a profitable trader, the next step would be to undertake a trading challenge with your prop firm of choice. Trading challenges are straightforward. You’ll need to return X% without violating the maximum loss rules. There will most likely be daily and total loss limits. You will become a funded trader once you hit the profit target, provided the loss rules were not violated.
Different prop firms have different rules, of course. Some prop firms have two trading challenges, whereas some offer accounts with just one challenge. How long this challenge takes to pass depends on so many factors. This includes:
It would be naive to assume that you can pass these challenges overnight. For most profitable traders, this will still take between 4-5 months of trading.
Once you’ve passed the trading challenge, you’ll be funded! This isn’t the end of the road, though you need to keep your trading account and not violate any rules if you’re hoping to receive payouts. At this point, going slowly and steadily is crucial. Most traders look to decrease their risk at this point.
You don’t want to spend six months obtaining £200,000 in trading capital only to lose it within two weeks with some bad trades. At this point, it’s smart to trade with multiple prop firms to increase your monthly profits and hedge your risk exposure to individual firms.

AquaFunded, a Dubai-based proprietary trading firm, stands out among funded trading programs for its unique features. The firm offers access to large capital accounts and an opportunity to earn up to 95% profit splits.
This program is excellent for beginners because it has easy-to-achieve profit targets and fast bi-weekly payouts, with an option for the first payout in just seven days. AquaFunded also has a user-friendly approach that helps traders reduce risk using the firm's capital instead of their own.
Apex Trader Funding is a proprietary trading firm that specializes in futures trading. With Apex Trader, you’ll trade mini or micro contracts in the evaluation period, and once the evaluation has been passed, you’ll move to a funded account.
You’ll receive 100% of your first $25,000 earned per account, with up to 20 accounts active at once and 90% after that, meaning this platform pays the most of any futures prop trading account. You can use Rithmic or Tradovate and can choose from one of several different accounts that will come with a particular number of contracts, a profit goal, a trailing threshold and more.
Some of the best features of Apex Trader include:
While Apex Trader has some excellent features, it also has a few drawbacks, such as:
Founded in 2017, Earn2Trade is a futures trading education and evaluation company. It provides flexible funding programs to help traders of all skill levels start trading futures professionally and scale their accounts. The company offers single-step evaluations in a simulated environment to test traders’ proficiency, discipline, and risk management skills. Successful candidates receive a guaranteed funding offer from their partner proprietary trading firm.
Earn2Trade supports traders from the evaluation stage through to post-evaluation success. Funded traders enjoy easy profit withdrawals, while candidates benefit from access to free educational materials and advanced trading tools.
Sme of the best features of Earn2Trade include:
While Earn2Trade has many positive features, it also has a few drawbacks, such as:
Funder Trading claims our top position in our best proprietary trading firm rankings due to its user-centric strategy for traders. Most traders using some of these prop trading companies often know how complicated they can be. Prop trading firms may offer:
These are among some of the commonly-named drawbacks of prop trading. Funder’s day trading platform is designed for the everyday trader by regular traders. We especially like that Funder Trading is the only prop firm in 2024 offering options funding without certification or upfront trading capital. That’s a pretty big deal for this form of trading, especially given its popularity over the last few years.
Some of the features we like about Funder Trading include:
Despite its many positive qualities, Funder Trading also has a few downsides, such as:
FXIFY is a proprietary trading firm that offers access to up to $400,000 for those who pass the assessment. With profit shares as high as 90%, you can scale your account up to $4 million. Trading is available on MetaTrader 4 (MT4) or MetaTrader 5 (MT5) and assorted trading platforms through the firm’s partnership with FXPIG. FXIFY offers instant payouts, no consistency rules, unlimited trading days and a 125% refund on your assessment fee with your first payout.
Some notable features of FXIFY include:
FXIFY has a few drawbacks, such as:
TopStep is one of the most established prop trading firms in the industry. The two-phase evaluation, consisting of a trading combine and a funded account stage, is rigorous but fair, ensuring that only skilled traders can access the funded capital for this trading pit.
Although most of this is an additional charge, one notable highlight of Topstep is its focus on education and performance coaching. Traders can access a wealth of educational resources to improve their trading experience. The performance coaching services also provide personalized advice to help traders develop strategies and manage risks effectively.
Some of the best features of TopStep include:
While TopStep has some excellent features, it also has a few drawbacks, such as:
Established in 2022, Trade the Pool prioritizes providing you with robust risk management tools and caters to a diverse range of trading styles, including day trading, swing trading, and professional trading needs.
With support for trading stocks and CFDs, the platform welcomes traders of varying experience levels, offering guidance and assistance to inexperienced traders. They offer access to over 12,000 stocks and ETFs, the platform aims to diversify trading options and provide educational resources to enhance users’ trading knowledge.
Some of the notable features of Trade the Pool include:
Despite its many benefits, Trade the Pool also has some drawbacks, such as:
MyFundedFutures is a rising star on this list for a variety of reasons, but most notably, it boasts one of the highest pass rates for its evaluation program out of all the futures prop firms on this list. More importantly, MyFundedFutures is a prop trading firm that has gained attention for its accessible approach to funding futures traders.
The firm offers traders a clear path to funding, emphasizing flexible trading strategies and a supportive learning environment. Its rules are much less stringent than those of other prop firms in the space, making it easier to get funded.
Some of the best features of My Funded Futures include:
While the firm has many great features, it also has a few drawbacks, such as:
The 5%ers platform offers a gateway into prop trading, allowing you to access:
The platform supports MT5 trading and offers profit splits of up to 100%, exclusive resources and salary offers on select higher-stakes programs.
The 5%ers offers a demo account for as little as $95. After passing the evaluation, you can enjoy instant trading access, giving you the freedom to develop your own trading strategies without the burden of subscription fees.
Some of the best features of The 5%ers include:
Despite its many benefits, The 5%ers also has a few drawbacks, such as:
At Top One Trader, accessing forex trading is straightforward. With flexible evaluations and conditions, you can secure up to $200,000 in funding, extendable to $5 million with consistent success. No trading day restrictions exist, and weekend and news trading are allowed, even with expert advisors.
.jpeg)
Proprietary trading offers a financial institution or commercial bank many benefits, notably higher quarterly and annual profits. When a brokerage firm or investment bank trades on behalf of clients, it earns revenues through commissions and fees. This income can represent a tiny percentage of the total amount invested or the gains generated. Still, the proprietary trading process allows an institution to realize 100% of the profits from an investment.
The second benefit is that the institution is able to stockpile securities. This helps in two ways.
The final benefit is associated with the second benefit. Proprietary trading allows a financial institution to become an influential market maker by providing liquidity on a specific security or group of securities.

Prop trading, or proprietary trading, can be extremely lucrative. Traders must understand that it comes with immense risks. The profitability of prop trading varies according to several factors, including the following:
Different trading strategies have varying risk and profit profiles. High-frequency trading (HFT) can be profitable but requires advanced technology and capital. Arbitrage is low-risk and can be consistently profitable, but it often involves small margins. Market making tends to be profitable in volatile markets but requires managing risk carefully. Directional trading can offer high potential returns but also higher risk as it depends on market movements.
Market conditions also affect prop trading profitability. Volatile markets often provide more opportunities for profits, but increase risk. In stable markets, profits may be lower, but the risk is generally reduced.
The experience and skill level of traders also play a crucial role in profitability. Skilled traders with a deep understanding of market behavior tend to be more successful. Prop trading firms invest heavily in training their traders to maximize profitability.
Effective risk management is crucial for profitability. Poor risk management can lead to significant losses, even wiping out profits from successful trades. Prop trading firms use various tools and strategies to manage risk, including setting strict limits on losses.
Prop trading firms often use leverage to increase the potential returns on trades. While this can boost profits, it also increases the risk of losses.
Top traders in successful prop trading firms can earn substantial profits, often in the six-figure or even seven-figure range annually. Firms typically take a percentage of the profits as a fee, so traders' take-home profits can vary. The firm itself can be highly profitable if it has a good pool of traders and effective risk management practices.
AquaFunded is a Dubai-based funded trading program that allows traders to access large capital accounts and earn up to 95% profit splits. The company provides a unique funding model with easy-to-achieve 8% profit targets and fast bi-weekly payouts, with an option for the first payout in just 7 days.
AquaFunded caters to traders of all experience levels, from beginners to those with a few years of experience, who want to trade with reduced risk using the firm's capital instead of their own. With its competitive features and UAE-based operations, AquaFunded aims to stand out in the crowded prop trading market and provide a trustworthy platform for traders looking to scale their profits.
Get started with AquaFunded's funded trading program today!
AquaFunded is a funded trading program based in Dubai. The company helps traders access large capital accounts to trade with reduced risk. Instead of using their own money, traders use the firm’s capital to trade and keep a high percentage of the profits. AquaFunded’s unique funding model has easy-to-achieve targets and fast payouts and caters to traders of all experience levels.
AquaFunded offers traders an impressive profit split of up to 95%. After passing the evaluation, traders will receive 100% of the profits until they hit the target for their first payout. After this, traders will receive up to 95% of the profits generated from trading the firm’s capital. The exact profit split depends on the account type chosen by the trader.
AquaFunded has a unique funding model with easy to achieve targets. Traders must only make an 8% profit to receive their first payout, which can occur in as little as 7 days. After this, the targets get progressively easier as traders move up the levels. For example, the next target is 5%, and after this, there are no more targets as traders can simply trade the firms capital for the long term.