E8 Markets is a was founded in 2021 as a forex prop firm, and meanwhile operates out of Dallas, Texas covering CFD-based trading of forex, crypto and commodities, but also futures. The company runs under two legal entities: E8 Funding LLC, incorporated in the United States at 4101 McEwen Rd #205, Dallas, TX 75244, and E8 Markets Ltd, incorporated in Saint Lucia (registration number 2025-00347) at Ground Floor, The Sotheby Building, Rodney Village, Rodney Bay, Gros-Islet, Saint Lucia. E8 Markets Ltd operates the MT5 platform, while E8 Funding LLC operates TradeLocker, cTrader, and Match-Trader.
E8 Markets describes itself as a SaaS educational simulation platform built for skills training, data collection, and analytical modelling. All accounts (challenge and performance) are simulated. Traders pay an enrolment fee to access the simulation, and payouts are described by E8 as discretionary cash incentives contingent on E8’s acceptance and licensing of the trader’s performance data. No deposits are taken and no live capital is at risk.
The firm offers three asset class tracks (Forex/CFD, Crypto CFD, and Futures) and two account models: E8 Signature and E8 One. E8 Signature is available across all three tracks. E8 One is available for Forex/CFD and Crypto CFD only.
E8 Markets states it has registered more than 300,000 clients since 2021 and has paid out over $71 million in cash incentives to date.
Account Types & Pricing
E8 Signature
E8 Signature is available for Forex/CFD, Crypto CFD, and Futures. The pricing is identical across all three markets. All fees are one-time challenge enrolment fees; there is no activation fee and no recurring monthly charge.
| Account Size | Retail Price |
|---|---|
| $25,000 | $110 |
| $50,000 | $150 |
| $100,000 | $260 |
| $150,000 | $390 |
No activation fee applies on transition to the performance stage.
E8 One
E8 One is available for Forex/CFD and Crypto CFD only; it’s not offered as a Futures product. E8 One is a customisable account: traders choose their drawdown level (4%, 6%, 8%, 10%, or 14%) and payout share (80%, 90%, or 100%) at checkout, and the price adjusts accordingly. The prices below reflect the preset default configuration (4% Dynamic Drawdown, 80% payout share). Higher drawdown tiers and higher payout shares are available at higher prices.
| Account Size | Retail Price (4% Drawdown, 80% Payout) |
|---|---|
| $5,000 | $40 |
| $10,000 | $72 |
| $25,000 | $154 |
| $50,000 | $235 |
| $100,000 | $398 |
| $200,000 | $650 |
| $400,000 | $1,301 |
| $500,000 | $1,627 |
No activation fee applies on transition to the performance stage.
Challenge Structure
Phase Overview
Both E8 Signature and E8 One use a 1-step challenge structure. You complete the SimFi™ Challenge account by hitting the profit target while staying within the drawdown rules, and you then advance to the SimFi™ Performance account. Both stages are fully simulated; there is no live capital involved at any point.
Profit Target
The profit target is 6% of the starting balance for all products and all account sizes, expressed as a fixed dollar amount.
| Account Size | Profit Target |
|---|---|
| $25,000 | $1,500 |
| $50,000 | $3,000 |
| $100,000 | $6,000 |
| $150,000 | $9,000 |
For E8 One, the profit target scales with the drawdown level selected at checkout; a larger drawdown means a larger profit target. At the preset 4% drawdown, the 6% target applies in the same way.
Challenge Rules
The two account models use different drawdown mechanics during the challenge, so they’re covered separately below.
E8 Signature (Forex/CFD, Crypto CFD, and Futures, challenge stage):
There is no daily loss limit during the E8 Signature challenge. The only risk rule in effect is the EOD Dynamic Drawdown. There is no time limit; unlimited trading days apply, with the requirement that at least one trade is placed and closed every 60 days (Forex/Crypto) or every 7 days (Futures). There is no consistency rule during the challenge.
E8 One (Forex/CFD and Crypto CFD, challenge stage):
E8 One applies both a daily drawdown and a dynamic drawdown during the challenge. There are no minimum trading days and no time limit; unlimited trading days apply with the same 60-day inactivity requirement. There is no consistency rule during the challenge.
Drawdown Rules (Challenge)
Drawdown Values
E8 Signature uses an EOD Dynamic Drawdown. The drawdown level is calculated from the highest end-of-day balance achieved. The values below apply to the preset configuration:
| Account Size | EOD Dynamic Drawdown |
|---|---|
| $25,000 | $1,000 (4%) |
| $50,000 | $2,000 (4%) |
| $100,000 | $3,000 (3%) |
| $150,000 | $4,500 (3%) |
E8 One uses a Dynamic Drawdown based on the highest closed balance. The preset configuration is 4% Dynamic Drawdown. At the $100,000 account size, for example, the starting loss level is $94,000 and rises only as closed profits accumulate.
Daily Loss Limit
E8 Signature: No daily loss limit applies during the challenge stage.
E8 One: A 3% daily drawdown applies throughout both the challenge and performance stages. This is a hard breach; if your floating or closed loss from the starting balance of the day reaches 3%, the account is violated. At the $100,000 account, that’s $3,000 maximum daily loss.
Drawdown Calculation Method
E8 Signature uses EOD trailing: the drawdown level only updates at the end of each trading day based on the highest closing balance achieved. Intraday equity spikes do not move the level.
E8 One uses intraday trailing based on closed profits only: the drawdown level rises whenever you close a profit, but it does not move on unrealised gains. Once your closed profit equals the drawdown amount, the drawdown locks and becomes fully static.
Drawdown Lock
E8 Signature: The EOD Dynamic Drawdown locks and becomes fully static once the account’s closed profit equals the initial EOD drawdown amount; once the loss level reaches the starting balance, it stops trailing.
E8 One: The Dynamic Drawdown locks at the starting balance level once cumulative closed profits equal the drawdown amount. After that point it is static and will not move further.
Challenge Structure (Futures)
Phase Overview
E8 Signature Futures is a 1-step challenge. You complete the SimFi™ Challenge by reaching the profit target while staying within the EOD Dynamic Drawdown. Passing advances you to the SimFi™ Performance account. Both stages are fully simulated. There is no time limit, but all Futures accounts are subject to a 7-day inactivity rule; after 7 consecutive days without placing and closing at least one trade, the account is closed.
Profit Target
| Account Size | Profit Target |
|---|---|
| $25,000 | $1,500 (6%) |
| $50,000 | $3,000 (6%) |
| $100,000 | $6,000 (6%) |
| $150,000 | $9,000 (6%) |
Challenge Rules
No daily pause or daily loss limit applies during the E8 Signature Futures challenge stage. The only risk rule active during the challenge is the EOD Dynamic Drawdown. There is no consistency rule during the challenge.
Drawdown Rules (Challenge, Futures)
Drawdown Values
| Account Size | EOD Dynamic Drawdown |
|---|---|
| $25,000 | $1,000 (4%) |
| $50,000 | $2,000 (4%) |
| $100,000 | $3,000 (3%) |
| $150,000 | $4,500 (3%) |
Daily Loss Limit
No daily loss limit applies during the E8 Signature Futures challenge stage.
Drawdown Calculation Method
EOD trailing: the drawdown level updates only at the end of each trading day based on the highest end-of-day balance achieved. Intraday equity movements do not move the level.
Drawdown Lock
The EOD Dynamic Drawdown locks and becomes fully static once the account’s closed profits equal the drawdown amount; at that point the loss level has reached the starting balance and stops trailing.
Funded Account Rules
The performance stage at E8 Markets is the SimFi™ Performance account. It remains a fully simulated environment. Rules at this stage differ from the challenge for E8 Signature (a daily pause is introduced), while E8 One carries its challenge rules forward unchanged.
Drawdown Rules (Funded)
Drawdown Values
The EOD Dynamic Drawdown values at the funded stage are identical to the challenge stage for all E8 Signature products. For E8 One, the Dynamic Drawdown values are also unchanged from the challenge.
E8 Signature Forex/Crypto (performance stage):
| Account Size | EOD Dynamic Drawdown |
|---|---|
| $25,000 | $1,000 (4%) |
| $50,000 | $2,000 (4%) |
| $100,000 | $3,000 (3%) |
| $150,000 | $4,500 (3%) |
E8 One (performance stage): 4% Dynamic Drawdown on the preset account, trailing from highest closed balance.
E8 Signature Futures (performance stage): Same EOD Dynamic Drawdown values as the challenge stage above.
Daily Loss Limit / Daily Pause
E8 Signature Forex/Crypto and E8 Signature Futures introduce a 2% Daily Pause at the performance stage. This is a soft breach; if your floating or closed loss from the starting balance of the day reaches 2% of the initial account balance (expressed as a fixed dollar amount), trading is paused until 00:00 server time. The account is not violated; you can resume trading the next day. The fixed dollar pause amount is calculated from the initial balance and does not change during the account’s life.
For E8 Signature Futures, the Daily Pause values per account size are:
| Account Size | Daily Pause Amount |
|---|---|
| $25,000 | $500 |
| $50,000 | $1,000 |
| $100,000 | $2,000 |
| $150,000 | $3,000 |
E8 One retains the 3% Daily Drawdown at the performance stage; this is a hard breach throughout, not a soft pause.
Drawdown Calculation Method
E8 Signature (all markets): EOD trailing at the performance stage, same as the challenge.
E8 One: Intraday trailing from highest closed balance, same as the challenge.
Drawdown Lock
The drawdown lock behaviour is identical to the challenge stage for all products. Once the loss level reaches the starting balance, the drawdown becomes fully static.
Consistency Rule (Funded)
E8 Signature (Forex/Crypto and Futures): A 35% Best Day Rule applies at the performance stage. No single trading day can account for more than 35% of your total generated profits when requesting a payout. This rule does not apply during the challenge.
E8 One: A 40% Best Day Rule applies at the performance stage. No single trading day can account for more than 40% of your total generated profits when requesting a payout. This rule does not apply during the challenge.
Lot Size Limits (Funded)
Maximum ticket size: 50 lots per order for Forex, commodities, and indices. A maximum of 100 orders can be open simultaneously. E8 Markets does not publish a minimum lot size for E8 One.
Contract Limits (Funded): Futures
E8 Signature Futures limits the number of contracts based on a margin allowance per account size. The allowed margin and resulting contract capacity per instrument varies based on that instrument’s margin requirement.
| Account Size | Allowed Margin | Max Contracts (example: ES @ $10,000/contract) |
|---|---|---|
| $25,000 | $20,000 | 2 |
| $50,000 | $40,000 | 4 |
| $100,000 | $80,000 | 8 |
| $150,000 | $120,000 | 12 |
For instruments with lower margin requirements (for example, micro contracts at $1,000/contract) the same margin allowance yields a proportionally higher number of contracts. The full margin schedule per instrument is published in the E8 Markets help centre.
Leverage
Leverage does not change between the challenge and performance stages for any product.
E8 One and E8 Signature Forex/Crypto:
| Asset Class | Leverage |
|---|---|
| Forex | 1:30 |
| Indices | 1:15 |
| Metals | 1:15 |
| Energies | 1:15 |
| Crypto (E8 One) | 1:1 |
E8 Signature Crypto:
| Asset Class | Leverage |
|---|---|
| Bitcoin | 1:5 |
| Ethereum | 1:5 |
| Other crypto instruments | 1:2 |
E8 Signature Futures does not use leverage in the traditional sense. Position sizing is governed by the margin allowance per account size as described under Contract Limits above.
Profit Split
E8 Signature (all markets): 80% profit split. This is fixed and does not change across payout cycles.
E8 One: Up to 100% profit split, depending on the payout share tier selected at checkout. The default preset is 80%. Traders can purchase 90% or 100% payout share at a higher enrolment fee.
Payout Rules
First Payout Requirements
Before requesting any payout, you must accumulate 5 profitable days since your last payout (or since account activation for the first payout). A profitable day is defined as a day where realised closed PnL equals 0.3% or more of the account balance. You must also satisfy the relevant consistency rule (35% or 40% Best Day Rule depending on product) and meet the payout buffer requirement.
Subsequent Payout Requirements
The same conditions apply for every subsequent payout: 5 profitable days accumulated since the previous payout request, Best Day Rule satisfied, and payout buffer maintained. After each payout request, the profitable day counter resets to zero.
Payout Frequency
Payouts can be requested on demand; any time you meet all the requirements, you can submit a request. There is no waiting period between payouts beyond the requirement to accumulate 5 qualifying profitable days.
Payout Buffer
E8 Signature (all markets): Before requesting any payout, you must maintain a buffer in your account equal to the EOD Dynamic Drawdown amount. This buffer cannot be withdrawn. Its purpose is to prevent traders from depleting the account to a level where the EOD drawdown would immediately be violated.
| Account Size | Payout Buffer |
|---|---|
| $25,000 | $1,000 |
| $50,000 | $2,000 |
| $100,000 | $3,000 |
| $150,000 | $4,500 |
E8 One: No fixed buffer applies in the same way. However, because any payout amount you request is deducted from your balance while the Dynamic Drawdown loss level does not reset, you must ensure sufficient balance remains above the loss level after the payout. If your profit is below the Dynamic Drawdown amount, you can request the full profit without issue. If your profit equals or exceeds the Dynamic Drawdown amount, the drawdown has locked at the starting balance; at that point, withdrawing your full profit would bring your balance to exactly the loss level and violate the account. E8 recommends leaving at least 2–3% of profit in the account as a reserve.
Daily Progression Rule
No separate daily progression rule applies beyond the 5 profitable days requirement described above. A profitable day is counted when realised closed PnL equals 0.3% or more of the account balance on that day.
Payout Caps & Limits
The minimum payout is $100 gross. At an 80% profit split, you need at least $125 in net profit to request. At 100% payout share, $100 is the minimum.
E8 Signature (Forex/Crypto and Futures): Payout caps limit the maximum single payout request and increase after the fifth payout:
| Account Size | Payouts 1–2 | Payouts 3–4 | Payout 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| $25,000 | $1,000 | $1,250 | $1,500 |
| $50,000 | $1,250 | $2,250 | $3,250 |
| $100,000 | $2,250 | $3,250 | $4,250 |
| $150,000 | $3,250 | $4,250 | $5,250 |
E8 One has no payout caps.
Scaling Plan
E8 Markets does not offer a performance-based scaling plan for any product. Maximum account allocation limits apply per household; for E8 Signature products (Forex, Crypto, and Futures), you can hold up to 5 active performance accounts simultaneously. For E8 One, the total simulated capital across all active performance accounts is capped at $500,000.
Live Account Pathway
E8 Markets does not offer a live capital pathway. All accounts at both the challenge and performance stages are simulated. The company explicitly states it does not act as a broker, does not accept deposits, and does not manage client funds.
Trading Rules & Restrictions
Permitted Instruments
Forex/CFD and Crypto CFD (E8 Signature and E8 One): Traders can access Forex pairs, indices, commodities, metals, energies, and cryptocurrencies. All instruments are traded as CFDs. Accounts use raw spreads plus commissions. A swap-free account option is available for an additional fee, selectable at checkout. The full instrument list with current spreads and commissions is published on the E8X dashboard.
E8 Signature Futures: The following futures exchanges and asset classes are available via Tradovate:
CME Equity Futures, including E-mini S&P 500 (/ES), Micro E-mini S&P 500 (/MES), E-mini NASDAQ 100 (/NQ), Micro E-mini NASDAQ 100 (/MNQ), E-mini Russell 2000 (/RTY), Micro E-mini Russell 2000 (/M2K), Nikkei (/NKD), Micro E-mini Bitcoin (/MBT), and Micro E-mini Ether (/MET).
CME Foreign Exchange Futures, including Australian Dollar (/6A), British Pound (/6B), Canadian Dollar (/6C), Euro FX (/6E), Japanese Yen (/6J), Swiss Franc (/6S), Mexican Peso (/6M), New Zealand Dollar (/6N), and their respective micro equivalents.
CME Agricultural Futures: Live Cattle (/LE) and Lean Hogs (/HE).
NYMEX Futures: Crude Oil (/CL), Micro Crude Oil (/MCL), E-mini Crude Oil (/QM), Natural Gas (/NG), E-mini Natural Gas (/QG), RBOB Gasoline (/RB), and Heating Oil (/HO).
CBOT Commodity Futures: Corn (/ZC), Wheat (/ZW), Soybeans (/ZS), Soybean Meal (/ZM), and Soybean Oil (/ZL).
CBOT Equity Futures: Mini-DOW (/YM) and Micro Mini-DOW (/MYM).
CBOT Financial/Interest Rate Futures: 2-Year Note (/ZT), 5-Year Note (/ZF), 10-Year Note (/ZN), 30-Year Bond (/ZB), Ultra-Bond (/UB), Ultra-Note (/TN), and 30 Day Fed (/ZQ).
COMEX Futures: Gold (/GC), Micro Gold (/MGC), Silver (/SI), Copper (/HG), Platinum (/PL), and Palladium (/PA).
All Futures traders must trade the Front Month Contract on every instrument at all times. The Front Month Contract is defined as the contract with the highest volume and liquidity.
Trading Hours & Overnight Policy
E8 Signature Forex/Crypto: All open positions are automatically closed at 23:00 server time daily. Trading reopens at 00:15 server time. Overnight holding is not permitted. Weekend trading (crypto only) is subject to the same daily close; positions are closed at 23:00 server time and reopen at 00:15.
E8 One / E8 One Crypto: Overnight holding and weekend holding are permitted on all stages. Forex pairs, indices, and commodities carry gap risk over weekends, and E8 Markets states that any violation resulting from a gap or slippage is the trader’s responsibility.
E8 Signature Futures: Permitted trading hours are 17:00 to 15:10 CT. All open positions are force-closed every day at 15:10 CT. Overnight holding is not possible.
Server time for Forex/Crypto accounts is UTC+3 (adjusts to UTC+2 in autumn).
News Trading Policy
E8 Signature (Forex/Crypto and Futures): News trading is permitted without restrictions during both the challenge and performance stages. E8 Markets notes that slippage can occur around high-impact news events, as it would in a live market, and recommends that traders be aware of this.
E8 One / E8 One Crypto, challenge stage: News trading is permitted without restrictions.
E8 One / E8 One Crypto, performance stage: A prohibition period is enforced around high-impact news releases. Trading is prohibited for 5 minutes before and 5 minutes after any scheduled high-impact event. During this 10-minute window, opening trades, closing trades, modifying stop-loss/take-profit orders, and placing buy stop/sell stop orders are all prohibited. Any profits earned during a prohibited window are subject to removal, without account violation.
Expert Advisors & Copy Trading
E8 Signature Forex/Crypto and E8 One: EAs are permitted. Third-party EAs can be used provided that no two users are running the same strategy; E8 enforces a one-strategy-per-user rule. If multiple users are identified executing the same EA, accounts may be terminated. Arbitrage EAs of any kind are prohibited. The server accepts a maximum of 2,000 TP/SL modifications or order modifications per day. The maximum number of open positions at any time is 2,000.
E8 Signature Futures: Automated trading (including bots, AI tools, and EAs) is prohibited. All trading must be manual.
Copy trading: Permitted for Forex/CFD and Crypto CFD products across all accounts as long as all accounts being copied belong to the same user. Copy trading across accounts belonging to different users is prohibited. Copy trading is prohibited on Futures accounts.
HFT: For Forex/CFD accounts, no more than 50% of trades can be held for under one minute. For Futures accounts, HFT is defined as more than 300 trades per day and is explicitly prohibited. A minimum of 50% of all Futures profits must come from trades with a holding period of at least 10 seconds (tick scalping prohibition).
Prohibited Practices
All products:
- Cross-account hedging: opening opposing positions on the same asset across multiple accounts, including accounts belonging to the same trader, is prohibited.
- All-or-nothing trading: risking the full daily drawdown on a single trade is not permitted.
- Irresponsible trading: executing large-volume trades without a coherent strategy or without proper risk management.
- Exploiting market imperfections: strategies that take advantage of gapped markets, illiquid market conditions, or slow data feeds.
- Exploiting platform errors: any strategy that benefits from price display errors or data feed delays.
Futures-specific additional prohibitions:
- Automated trading of any kind (bots, EAs, AI tools).
- Tick scalping: less than 50% of profits from trades held under 10 seconds.
- Holding a position within 2% of a product’s lock limit.
- Trading the incorrect contract month: all trades must be on the Front Month Contract.
- Cooperation with other traders, including copy trading and hedging.
- Any strategy not replicable under real market conditions.
Additional Rules
Inactivity
Forex/CFD and Crypto CFD: At least one trade must be placed and closed every 60 days. Accounts inactive for 60 days are disabled with no entitlement to a refund.
Futures: At least one trade must be placed and closed every 7 days. After 7 consecutive days of inactivity, the account is closed. This applies to newly purchased accounts with no trading history as well.
Maximum Account Allocation
Challenge accounts: unlimited across all products. Performance accounts: up to 5 active accounts for each of E8 Signature Forex, E8 Signature Crypto, and E8 Signature Futures. E8 One and E8 One Crypto: maximum $500,000 total simulated capital across all active performance accounts. These limits apply per household; multiple users at the same address or IP address collectively cannot exceed these caps.
Single User Profile
Only one user profile is permitted per trader. All accounts must be traded solely by their registered owner. Creating multiple profiles under different emails is a violation of E8 Markets’ terms and conditions and may result in permanent suspension.
Trading Platforms
Available Platforms: Forex/CFD and Crypto CFD
E8 Markets supports the following platforms for Forex/CFD and Crypto CFD accounts: TradeLocker, cTrader, Match-Trader, and MT5. E8 Funding LLC operates TradeLocker, cTrader, and Match-Trader. E8 Markets Ltd operates MT5. Platform selection is made at checkout and can be changed after purchase by contacting support.
Available Platforms: Futures
Tradovate is the only available trading platform for Futures accounts. TradingView can be connected to Tradovate for charting purposes.
Billing & Account Management
Fee Structure
All E8 Markets challenge fees are one-time payments. There are no recurring monthly charges and no activation fees. Traders pay once at the point of purchase for the SimFi™ Challenge account. The fee does not transfer or contribute toward the performance stage; it’s purely access to the simulation.
E8 accepts all major credit and debit cards and cryptocurrencies. Crypto payments are not refundable under any circumstances due to AML compliance requirements.
A refund of the challenge fee is possible if no trades have been placed on the account and the account is no more than 30 days old from the date of purchase. Once trading begins on any product, the fee is no longer refundable.
Resets
Forex/CFD and Crypto CFD: After failing a challenge account, traders can retry via the dashboard. The retry generates a new order at a 10% discount applied to the same account settings.
Futures: After failing a challenge account, traders can retry via the Futures account overview in the dashboard. The retry generates a new order at a 5% discount applied to the same account settings.
Both reset options are accessed through the “Closed accounts” section of the E8X dashboard. There are no free or courtesy resets included with any product.
Payouts & Withdrawals
Payment Methods
Payouts are processed through two third-party providers. WorkMarket provides bank transfers. Riseworks supports both bank transfers and a range of cryptocurrency payment options, all accessible from a single platform. E8 Markets does not charge commissions on payouts. The payout processors may charge their own fees.
Processing Times
Payouts are processed within 1–2 business days (excluding weekends). After processing, funds arrive within a further 1–3 business days. The total end-to-end process takes up to 2–5 business days.
Tax & Eligibility Requirements
All traders are classified as independent contractors, not employees of E8 Markets. Traders are responsible for reporting payout earnings and paying applicable taxes in their own jurisdictions. US-based traders receive a 1099 form via WorkMarket or Riseworks, issued by January 31st each year for the previous tax year. International traders receive a W-8 form automatically from the payout processors.
KYC verification is required before a payout can be received. Traders must be able to onboard with WorkMarket or Riseworks; if a trader cannot complete KYC with either processor, payouts cannot be issued.
Restricted Countries
The following countries are fully restricted and cannot register with E8 Markets: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Myanmar, Burundi, Belarus, Central African Republic, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Midway Islands, North Korea, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Samoa, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Vatican City State, Venezuela, West Bank, Western Sahara, Yemen, and Zambia.
Several countries have limited product access. Bulgaria, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Croatia, Indonesia, Laos, Romania, Taiwan, and Vietnam can access E8 Signature up to $50,000 and E8 Static Crypto up to $50,000 only. India and Kenya can access E8 Signature up to $50,000 and E8 One up to $50,000 only.
Payout availability is also subject to the supported country lists of WorkMarket and Riseworks, which are maintained separately on each processor’s website.