City Traders Imperium (CTI) was founded in 2018 by Daniel Martin, a forex trader with over 20 years of professional trading experience, and co-founder Martin Najat, who has over 7 years of experience in prop firm operations. The forex prop firm was founded in London, UK, and describes itself as having grown from a London startup into an international proprietary trading firm.
CTI operates through two legal entities. Educational services are provided by CTI FZCO (company number DSO-FZCO-21340), registered at Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai, UAE. Trading platforms and simulated demo trading services are provided by City Traders Imperium Limited, incorporated under the laws of the Comoros Union (company number 15969, License Number L15969/CTI), with a management office at Algaroud Center, 2nd Floor, Office 101-05, Algaroud, Dubai, UAE.
CTI holds an International Brokerage and Clearing House License regulated in the Union of the Comoros. The firm states it does not provide brokerage services to the public and does not act as a broker, financial institution, or custodian. All funded trader relationships are contractual in nature, with traders acting as independent Market Analysts. All accounts operate within a simulated demo trading environment.
CTI’s asset class focus covers forex (majors and minors), commodities, indices, and cryptocurrency. The firm offers four funding program types: the 1-Step Challenge, the 2-Step Challenge, the 3-Step Challenge, and Instant Funding (with a Pro variant). Technology is provided by PropFintech.com.
Account Types & Pricing
CTI offers four distinct funding program types. All fees listed below are retail (full) prices.
1-Step Challenge
The 1-Step Challenge is a one-time fee product. The fee is fully refunded when you hit a 10% profit target on your funded account. Account sizes and retail fees are as follows.
| Account Size | Retail Fee |
|---|---|
| $2,500 | $39 |
| $5,000 | $59 |
| $10,000 | $109 |
| $25,000 | $199 |
| $50,000 | $399 |
| $100,000 | $589 |
2-Step Challenge
The 2-Step Challenge is also a one-time fee product with the same full fee refund policy; you receive 100% of your sign-up fee back when you hit your first 10% profit target on the funded account.
| Account Size | Retail Fee |
|---|---|
| $2,500 | $49 |
| $5,000 | $69 |
| $10,000 | $139 |
| $25,000 | $249 |
| $50,000 | $449 |
| $100,000 | $689 |
3-Step Challenge
The 3-Step Challenge is positioned as CTI’s most affordable entry point, starting from $1. A full retail price table for each account size is not published on CTI’s site.
Instant Funding
The Instant Funding program bypasses any challenge phase entirely, providing access to a funded account from day one. It launches you at Level 1 of the Instant Funding scaling plan. There is no traditional fee refund: instead, when you hit the 10% profit target at Level 2, you receive your Level 1 profit share (50%) for the profits generated at that level. The starting balance shown below reflects the Level 1 account; doubling occurs once the 10% target is hit.
| Fully Funded Balance | Starting Balance | Retail Fee |
|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $1,250 | $89 |
| $5,000 | $2,500 | $159 |
| $10,000 | $5,000 | $309 |
| $20,000 | $10,000 | $559 |
| $40,000 | $20,000 | $1,059 |
| $80,000 | $40,000 | $1,879 |
Instant Funding Pro
Instant Funding Pro skips Level 1 and places you directly at Level 2 of the Instant Funding scaling plan, with on-demand payouts available from the start. There is no fee refund for this program.
| Starting Balance | Retail Fee |
|---|---|
| $5,000 | $329 |
| $10,000 | $659 |
| $20,000 | $1,319 |
| $40,000 | $2,639 |
| $80,000 | $5,279 |
Challenge Structure
Phase Overview
CTI offers three challenge formats. The 1-Step Challenge consists of a single phase. The 2-Step Challenge requires two phases. The 3-Step Challenge requires three phases. All challenge accounts and funded accounts operate within a simulated demo trading environment. There is no real capital on the line at any stage; the firm explicitly states that results within the simulated environment do not translate to actual financial gains or losses.
Profit Target
Profit targets differ by program and by phase. The 1-Step profit target is 8% of the account balance. For the 2-Step Challenge, the target is 10% in Phase 1 and 5% in Phase 2. The 3-Step Challenge requires 3% in Phase 1, 5% in Phase 2, and 7% in Phase 3.
In dollar terms, profit targets for the 1-Step and 2-Step challenges are as follows.
1-Step Challenge: Profit Target (Phase 1)
| Account Size | Profit Target |
|---|---|
| $2,500 | $200 |
| $5,000 | $400 |
| $10,000 | $800 |
| $25,000 | $2,000 |
| $50,000 | $4,000 |
| $100,000 | $8,000 |
2-Step Challenge: Profit Targets
| Account Size | Phase 1 Target | Phase 2 Target |
|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $250 | $125 |
| $5,000 | $500 | $250 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 | $500 |
| $25,000 | $2,500 | $1,250 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 | $2,500 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 | $5,000 |
Phase 1 Rules
Rules differ across the three challenge types, so check your program column carefully.
1-Step Challenge, Phase 1
- Max trailing drawdown: 5% of initial account balance, trailing from the highest account balance achieved
- No daily loss limit
- Minimum profitable days: 3
- Time limit: none
2-Step Challenge, Phase 1
- Max static drawdown: 10% of initial account balance
- Max daily drawdown: 5% of start-of-day balance
- Minimum profitable days: 3
- Time limit: none
3-Step Challenge, Phase 1
- Max trailing drawdown: 4% of initial account balance
- Max daily drawdown: 2%
- Minimum profitable days: 3
- Time limit: none
Phase 2 Rules
(Applies to the 2-Step and 3-Step challenges only.)
2-Step Challenge, Phase 2
Rules are identical to Phase 1: 10% max static drawdown, 5% max daily drawdown, minimum 3 profitable days, no time limit.
3-Step Challenge, Phase 2
Rules are identical to Phase 1 of the 3-Step: 4% max trailing drawdown, 2% max daily drawdown, minimum 3 profitable days, no time limit. The profit target increases to 5%.
Phase 3 Rules
(Applies to the 3-Step Challenge only.)
Rules are identical to Phases 1 and 2 of the 3-Step: 4% max trailing drawdown, 2% max daily drawdown, minimum 3 profitable days, no time limit. The profit target increases to 7%.
Drawdown Rules (Challenge)
Drawdown Values
Drawdown limits during the challenge differ by program. All values are calculated against the initial account balance.
| Program | Max Drawdown | Daily Loss Limit |
|---|---|---|
| 1-Step Challenge | 5% trailing | None |
| 2-Step Challenge | 10% static | 5% |
| 3-Step Challenge | 4% trailing | 2% |
In dollar terms for the 2-Step Challenge, the max drawdown values per account size are as follows.
| Account Size | Max Drawdown ($) | Daily Loss Limit ($) |
|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | $250 | $125 |
| $5,000 | $500 | $250 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 | $500 |
| $25,000 | $2,500 | $1,250 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 | $2,500 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 | $5,000 |
For the 1-Step Challenge, the trailing drawdown in dollar terms per account size during the challenge is as follows.
| Account Size | Max Trailing Drawdown ($) |
|---|---|
| $2,500 | $125 |
| $5,000 | $250 |
| $10,000 | $500 |
| $25,000 | $1,250 |
| $50,000 | $2,500 |
| $100,000 | $5,000 |
Daily Loss Limit
The 1-Step Challenge has no daily loss limit. The 2-Step Challenge applies a daily loss limit of 5% of the start-of-day balance; this is calculated using balance (not equity) to set the limit, but your equity (balance plus floating losses) is what triggers the stop-out. The 3-Step Challenge applies a daily loss limit of 2%. The daily drawdown resets at midnight platform time: GMT+2 on MT5, GMT+0 on Match-Trader.
Drawdown Calculation Method
The drawdown methods differ across programs.
The 1-Step Challenge uses an EOD trailing method; CTI describes it as a balance-based trailing drawdown. The drawdown level trails from the highest account balance achieved, but it moves only when closed trades update the balance, not based on open/floating equity. The stop-out level is calculated as: (Highest Account Balance − Last Withdrawal) − MTD. Open trades affect your equity, but the trailing level itself only moves when the balance updates.
The 2-Step Challenge uses a static drawdown. The drawdown level is fixed at 10% of the initial account balance and never moves, regardless of profits made. CTI refers to this as “Absolute Drawdown” or “Max Absolute Drawdown (MAD).”
The 3-Step Challenge uses an EOD trailing method identical in structure to the 1-Step, with the trailing percentage set at 4%.
Drawdown Lock
No drawdown lock applies to any challenge program; there is no point at which the trailing drawdown stops trailing.
Funded Account Rules
Once you pass the challenge (or upon purchasing Instant Funding/Instant Funding Pro), you move to the funded stage. Drawdown rules at the funded stage match those of the challenge for each program.
Drawdown Rules (Funded)
Drawdown Values
| Program | Max Drawdown | Daily Loss Limit |
|---|---|---|
| 1-Step (Funded) | 5% trailing | None |
| 2-Step (Funded) | 10% static | 5% |
| 3-Step (Funded) | 4% trailing | None confirmed |
| Instant Funding | 6% static | None |
| Instant Funding Pro | 6% static | None |
The 2-Step funded account carries a 5% max daily drawdown and a 10% max static drawdown. The Instant Funding and Instant Funding Pro use a 6% static (absolute) drawdown on the initial balance, which never moves regardless of profits.
Daily Loss Limit
The 1-Step funded account carries no daily loss limit. The 2-Step funded account retains the 5% daily loss limit from the challenge. Instant Funding and Instant Funding Pro have no daily loss limit.
Drawdown Calculation Method
The 1-Step and 3-Step funded accounts use the same EOD trailing method as their respective challenge stages. The 2-Step funded account uses static drawdown. Instant Funding and Instant Funding Pro both use static drawdown.
Drawdown Lock
No drawdown lock applies to any funded program.
Consistency Rule (Funded)
The 1-Step Challenge and 2-Step Challenge do not require a consistency score to pass the challenge or to qualify for payouts at the funded stage. A consistency score does apply within the Instant Funding program; specifically, a 20% consistency score is required to qualify for scaling from Level 2 or higher. The score is calculated as: the absolute value of the most profitable or losing day divided by the sum of the absolute P&L values of all trading days. A lower score indicates better consistency. This rule applies to scaling eligibility, not to payout eligibility.
Leverage
Leverage is uniform across all four CTI programs. It differs by asset class as follows.
| Asset Class | Leverage |
|---|---|
| Forex | 1:30 |
| Indices | 1:10 |
| Commodities | 1:10 |
| Metals | 1:5 |
| Crypto | 1:1 |
Profit Split
The base profit split across all challenge-based programs (1-Step, 2-Step, 3-Step) is 80% to the trader at the funded stage. For the Instant Funding program, the profit split at Level 1 is 50%. From Level 2 onwards, it rises to 70%, and from Level 3 it increases to 80%. Instant Funding Pro starts at Level 2 with a 70% profit split.
The CTI VIP Program provides a path to higher splits for all programs. Once a trader qualifies for Bronze status, the split rises to 90%. At Silver status, it becomes 100%.
Payout Rules
First Payout Requirements
For 1-Step and 2-Step challenge funded accounts, you can request your first payout on demand at any time once you’ve completed at least 7 profitable trading days and generated a minimum net profit of 2% or $100, whichever is higher. A profitable trading day counts when you close trades generating a net profit of at least 0.5% of your initial balance on that day.
For the 3-Step Challenge funded account and Instant Funding (from Level 2) and Instant Funding Pro, the first payout is available on demand once you’ve completed at least 5 profitable trading days and generated a minimum net profit of 2% or $100, whichever is higher.
For Instant Funding at Level 1: you can only request the Level 1 profit share (50%) when you hit the 10% profit target at Level 2.
A separate KYC verification is required before your first payout. You’ll need a valid photo ID, proof of address dated within 3 months, and a live selfie with ID.
Subsequent Payout Requirements
For 1-Step and 2-Step challenge funded accounts, subsequent payouts after the first can be requested monthly, during the last 5 days of each calendar month.
For the 3-Step Challenge and Instant Funding (Level 2 and above) and Instant Funding Pro, subsequent payouts are available bi-weekly on the 14th/15th and the last 2 days of each calendar month.
Payout Frequency
Standard payout frequency is monthly for 1-Step and 2-Step challenge funded accounts, and bi-weekly for 3-Step and Instant Funding programs. VIP program upgrades accelerate this: Bronze status unlocks weekly payouts (every Friday), and Silver status unlocks on-demand payouts at any time.
Payout Caps & Limits
The minimum payout (withdrawal from wallet) is $100. Crypto payouts via USDT (TRC-20) are capped at $1,000 per client per month. No maximum payout cap per request applies to bank transfer withdrawals. The sign-up fee refund for challenge programs is triggered when you hit your first 10% profit target on the funded account; this is a separate credit, not a payout from trading profits.
Scaling Plan
Challenge Programs (1-Step, 2-Step)
The scaling plan for challenge-based funded accounts works as follows. Each time you meet the scaling objectives, your account balance increases by 50% of its original starting balance, up to a balance of $100,000. Once you reach $100,000, the scaling continues as follows.
| From | To | Increase |
|---|---|---|
| $100,000 | $112,500 | +12.5% of original balance |
| $112,500 | $125,000 | +12.5% of original balance |
| $125,000 | $150,000 | +25% of original balance |
| $150,000 | $175,000 | +25% of original balance |
| $175,000 | $200,000 | +25% of original balance |
Maximum funded capital per account is $200,000, with a total allocation cap of $400,000 across 2 accounts. To qualify for scaling, you must achieve at least +10% net profit overall in the last 4 months (withdrawals don’t affect this target), be profitable in at least 2 of those 4 months, and have a positive balance at the time of scaling.
For the 2-Step Challenge, to be eligible for a second $100,000 account, you must already be funded on your first $100,000 account and have received at least one payout.
The scaling tables shown on the challenge page (account sizes $2,500 through $100,000 with corresponding scaling paths) confirm what each starting account size can scale toward up to the $200,000 maximum.
Instant Funding & Instant Funding Pro
The Instant Funding scaling model doubles your account balance every time you hit a 10% net profit target on the initial account balance. Payouts don’t affect the target. A 20% consistency score is also required from Level 2 onwards. The account doubles at each level with no confirmed cap below $2,000,000 per account, and a maximum total allocation of $4,000,000 across 2 accounts.
Live Account Pathway
CTI does not offer a live-capital funded stage in the traditional sense. All accounts operate within a simulated demo trading environment. The CTI VIP Gold level mentions “institutional level trading conditions” and “funding conditions tailored to you,” but no transition to real capital trading is confirmed at any tier.
Trading Rules & Restrictions
Permitted Instruments
CTI offers trading across four asset classes on all funding programs with no instrument restrictions between challenge and funded stages.
Forex Majors: EUR/USD, GBP/USD, NZD/USD, AUD/USD, USD/CHF, USD/CAD, USD/JPY
Forex Minors: EUR/NZD, GBP/NZD, NZD/AUD, AUD/CHF, CAD/CHF, EUR/AUD, GBP/AUD, NZD/CHF, AUD/CAD, CAD/JPY, EUR/CHF, GBP/CHF, NZD/CAD, AUD/JPY, CHF/JPY, EUR/CAD, GBP/CAD, NZD/CAD, NZD/JPY, EUR/JPY, GBP/JPY, EUR/GBP
Commodities: Gold, Silver, Oil
Indices: S&P500, NASDAQ, DowJones, DAX, FTSE100, F40, JP225, EUR50, AUS200, CHC50, ES35, N25, SWI20, RUS2000
Crypto: BTCUSD, ETHUSD, LTCUSD, XRPUSD, SOLUSD, ADAUSD
Trading Hours & Overnight Policy
Holding trades overnight is permitted across all programs. Holding trades over the weekend is permitted across all programs. Swaps are charged for overnight positions at rollover, which occurs at 00:00 server time (GMT+2 on MT5, GMT+0 on Match-Trader). To account for weekend rollover, swaps are tripled on specific days: Wednesday for Forex, Commodities, and Metals; Friday for Indices and Cryptocurrencies. Swap-free (Islamic) accounts are available on MT5 only, by request before any trades are placed, subject to proof of Muslim faith.
News Trading Policy
News trading is allowed with no restrictions on all CTI funding programs, across both challenge and funded stages. This applies to the 1-Step, 2-Step, 3-Step, Instant Funding, and Instant Funding Pro programs.
Expert Advisors & Copy Trading
EA permissions differ between programs.
On the 1-Step Challenge and 3-Step Challenge, you can use any third-party EA, including those you don’t own the source code for. CTI notes that using a widely distributed EA may trigger a coordinated trading flag if its signals closely match other CTI traders’ activity.
On the 2-Step Challenge, Instant Funding, and Instant Funding Pro, EAs must be fully owned by the trader. You must be able to provide the full source code to CTI upon request, and the EA must reflect your own trading strategy. Rented, shared, or purchased EAs without source code are not permitted on these programs.
Across all programs, the following EA types are prohibited: EAs that exploit price feeds or price feed errors, HFT bots, tick-scalpers, micro-scalpers, emulators, systems sending extremely high order frequencies, latency arbitrage bots, reverse arbitrage, hedge arbitrage, and any system that opens and closes trades instantly during news spikes or rollover.
Copy trading is permitted only when a CTI account is the master account; you can copy from your CTI account into a personal account or other prop firm accounts, and you can copy between multiple CTI accounts with one acting as master. What is not permitted: copying trades from any external source (personal accounts, other prop firms, social trading platforms, signal services) into a CTI account. Sharing EAs with other traders is also prohibited.
Prohibited Practices
The following are explicitly prohibited across all CTI programs:
- Hedging: including opening opposite positions on the same or correlated instruments, hedging across multiple CTI accounts, and coordinated hedging with other traders. Hedging on correlated instruments such as EURUSD vs DXY or US30 vs SPX500 is also prohibited.
- Group trading / coordinated trading: organising trades with other traders to manipulate outcomes.
- Bracketing strategies: placing Buy-Stop and Sell-Stop orders simultaneously above and below market price.
- Martingale trading: adding to losing positions as the market moves against the original trade. This is prohibited on the 2-Step Challenge, Instant Funding, and Instant Funding Pro. It is permitted on the 1-Step Challenge and 3-Step Challenge.
- Grid trading: placing multiple buy and sell orders at set price levels above and below the current market price.
- One-sided bets: repeatedly placing trades in only one direction without proper analysis or consideration of market conditions.
- Gambling behaviour / over-leveraging: using excessive risk on a single trade idea, risking the entire drawdown limit in one trade, or overleveraging.
- Account sharing, reselling, or management: sharing dashboard access with third parties, selling your account, or using a funded account pass service.
- VPN usage: VPNs, proxies, and IP-masking services are not permitted. VPS usage is permitted only for running an approved EA or for approved copy trading setups, and requires pre-approval from CTI.
Additional Rules
Stop Loss Requirement
All trades must have a stop loss placed within 60 seconds of trade entry. The stop loss must be visible on the platform; stealth stop losses are not allowed. Failing to place a stop loss within 60 seconds is a soft breach: CTI will automatically close the trade, and any profit from that trade will not count toward your profit target.
30-Day Inactivity Rule
You must place at least one trade every 30 days to keep your account active. If you go 30 days without trading, your account is suspended. Terminated accounts cannot be reactivated. CTI will send reminder emails on Day 28 and Day 30. If you plan a break longer than 30 days, you can either open a small trade before Day 30 or email CTI in advance to freeze your account for up to 2 months.
IP & Device Restrictions
Only one trader may use a single IP address. Multiple traders cannot use CTI accounts from the same household or office IP. You may trade on a maximum of 2 devices: one PC/laptop and one mobile phone. The same devices must be used across all phases of the same challenge. If you travel internationally and trade from a different country, you must notify CTI in advance with proof of travel.
Account Allocation Limits
For the 1-Step, 2-Step, and 3-Step challenges, you can hold a maximum of 2 × $100,000 accounts simultaneously, or the equivalent in smaller account sizes (for example, 4 × $50,000, or 20 × $10,000). For Instant Funding, the maximum is 2 × $80,000 fully funded accounts or the equivalent in smaller sizes. For Instant Funding Pro, the maximum is also 2 × $80,000 fully funded accounts or the equivalent down to $5,000. Each trader may only have one registered profile, and accounts cannot be merged.
Trading Platforms
Available Platforms
CTI offers two platforms. Non-US traders use MetaTrader 5 (MT5), running on CTI-owned servers under a CTI-owned MetaQuotes license. US-based traders use Match-Trader, a modern platform with integrated TradingView. Both platforms are described as beginner-friendly with advanced trading tools. TradingView integration is available only on Match-Trader. EAs run on MT5; EA compatibility on Match-Trader is not published. Islamic swap-free accounts are available on MT5 only.
CTI does not use third-party brokers. Liquidity is provided by Broctagon, an institutional liquidity provider regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC).
Billing & Account Management
Fee Structure
All CTI programs use a one-time fee model; there is no monthly subscription or recurring charge. The challenge fee is not refundable upfront, but the 1-Step and 2-Step challenges offer a 100% fee refund once you hit your first 10% profit target on the funded account. The Instant Funding program does not offer a cash refund; instead, the Level 1 profit share (50%) is paid out when the 10% target is reached at Level 2. Instant Funding Pro offers no refund of any kind. Giveaway accounts are not eligible for the fee refund on any program.
Resets
If you fail a challenge, you can restart with a discount code sent automatically in your termination email. The retry discount for the 1-Step and 2-Step challenges is 30% off the full retail price. The retry discount for Instant Funding is also 30%. For Instant Funding Pro, the retry discount is 20%. These discounts can be used an unlimited number of times. A reset starts a fresh account; it does not restore a previous account’s balance or progress.
Payouts & Withdrawals
Payment Methods
CTI processes all payouts in USD or USDT. Two payout methods are available: bank transfer and crypto. For crypto payouts, only USDT on the TRC-20 (Tron) network is accepted. A 5% crypto transaction fee applies to cover fiat-to-crypto exchange and transfer costs. All payouts must be sent to an account under the same name as the CTI account holder; third-party payouts are not permitted.
Processing Times
Once you submit a payout request from your trading account to your CTI wallet, the internal transfer is reviewed by CTI’s risk team and processed within up to 2 business days. Once funds are in your wallet, a withdrawal request to your bank or crypto wallet is processed within 1 business day, subject to the 15:00 GMT daily cut-off. Requests submitted after 15:00 GMT on weekdays, or between Friday 15:00 GMT and Sunday, are processed on the next business day or Monday respectively. After CTI processes a bank transfer, your bank may take an additional 1 to 14 days to receive the funds depending on the bank and any intermediary institutions involved.
Tax & Eligibility Requirements
KYC identity verification is required before your first payout or when you pass a challenge phase (whichever comes first). KYC requires a valid passport, national ID, or driver’s license expiring in more than 3 months; a proof of address document dated within 3 months (utility bill, bank statement, or government letter); and a live selfie holding your ID. Verification is handled through SumSub. Only one verified profile is permitted per trader; you cannot create a second profile using the same identity documents.
Restricted Countries
The following countries are not accepted: Cuba, Iran, Libya, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, Venezuela, North Korea, Russia, Belarus, Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson Oblast. Vietnam-based traders cannot access the 2-Step Challenge or Instant Funding Pro, and crypto payouts are not available for Vietnamese traders. Traders must be 18 years of age or older and must register as individuals; company-name registrations are not accepted.