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City Traders Imperium: the dossier
City Traders Imperium is an education-led prop firm (since 2018) with a tiered payout model that can reach 100% splits and an optional monthly-salary track.
Short verdict
City Traders Imperium stands out for flexible tiered payouts and a salary option, held back by limited platform/instrument disclosure and a scaling-based headline; watch out for 'Up to $4M' is a scaling/multi-account headline, not a single-account size.
The Prop Examiner verdict-in-brief
Flexible tiered payouts and a salary option, held back by limited platform/instrument disclosure and a scaling-based headline.
100%
Profit split (up to)
$39
Entry price (from)
$100K
Max funding (headline)
Scorecard
Five dimensions, scored 0–5
4.0
avg
- Pricing & value
- 4.0/5
- Profit split
- 4.0/5
- Payout speed
- 4.0/5
- Rules flexibility
- 4.0/5
- Transparency
- 4.0/5
Advertised vs verified
At a glance
Advertised claims vs what we could verify. “Up to” figures are maximums; rows flagged verify before launch are unconfirmed.
- Founded
- 2018verified
- Headquarters
- Not stated on pages reviewed (UK-associated per third parties)verified
- Instruments & platforms
- Forex emphasised; full instrument list and platforms not disclosed on pages reviewedverify before launch
Every figure traces to the cited & dated sources below.
What actually binds you
Key trading rules
Where challenges are won or lost — sourced from City Traders Imperium’s own pages. Rules vary by product; the per-plan breakdown follows.
| Phase / model | Rule | Published value |
|---|---|---|
| 2-Step | Profit target | ~10% then 5% (Step 1 / Step 2) |
| Instant Funding | Profit target | 10% target to scale |
| 2-Step | Daily loss limit | Per-step limits ($125–$5,000 by size) |
| 1-Step | Daily loss limit | Not explicitly stated on pageverify |
| Most models | Max overall loss | Up to 10% (1-Step capped 5%; Instant 6%) |
| All | Minimum trading days | 3 profitable days (per step where applicable) |
| All | Consistency | Not explicitly detailed on pages reviewedverify |
| 1-Step | Prohibited styles | Unusually permissive (martingale, news, 3rd-party EAs referenced as allowed) |
Rules verified from CTI's homepage and payouts guide on the access date. The 1-Step daily-loss figure, consistency rule, and the prohibited-style list on programs other than 1-Step were not confirmable.
EAs, algos, bots & copy trading
Automation & AI policy
MIXED — very permissive on the 1-Step Challenge (any EA, martingale, news, VPS), but stricter EA-ownership requirements on 2-Step/Instant programs, plus HFT/arbitrage/hedging and the 60-second visible-stop-loss rule.
| Policy area | What the firm states |
|---|---|
| Expert Advisors (EAs) | Limited (program-dependent) — On the 1-Step Challenge, any EA is allowed including personal, commercial, and third-party bots, with no ownership/source-code requirement. On other programs (2-Step, Instant Funding), EAs are restricted to ones you developed yourself or for which you hold ownership documentation (purchased/downloaded EAs need proof of legal acquisition). Every EA-placed trade must have a visible stop-loss within 60 seconds. |
| Algorithmic trading | Limited — algorithmic programs allowed (most permissive on 1-Step); core restriction is they must not be used to copy others' trades, and HFT exploiting broker latency/errors is barred. |
| Copy trading | Limited — you may run the same EA across multiple accounts you personally manage; sharing/renting your EA, running it on accounts managed by others, and using copy-trading signals from other traders are prohibited (cross-account copying between different owners banned). |
| HFT / tick scalping | Banned — HFT exploiting broker latency/errors prohibited; gap trading near market closures prohibited; firm T&Cs prohibit HFT/tick scalping, arbitrage, and group hedging (Section 9.2 of the official Terms & Conditions). [UNVERIFIED full T&C §9.2 wording — PDF not fetched.]verify |
| Trading bots / AI | Bots allowed (broadest on 1-Step; ownership rules apply on other programs); AI/ML not specifically addressed. |
| News trading | Allowed — news trading (and overnight holds) permitted on the 1-Step Challenge; proper risk management required. |
| Automation platforms | Not disclosed on the EA policy page reviewed (platform list not specified).verify |
Verbatim policy from City Traders Imperium. Items flagged verifyare unconfirmed — check the firm’s terms for your product. Educational information, not trading advice.
Looking to compare automation rules across firms? See our best prop firms for AI, algo & EA trading ranking.
What you trade on & what binds the funded account
Platforms & funded-account rules
What binds a funded account: platforms, post-funding consistency, scaling, refunds, time and position limits, weekend / news rules. Each value links its ↗ source; = explainer; verify = unconfirmed.
Trading platforms provided
Payouts & timing
Payout frequency
By VIP tier — Funded: monthly · Bronze: weekly · Silver/Gold: on-demand (any-time payouts). Tier rises with payout history.
First payout
First payout after 10 days (firm: "1st payouts after 10 days"); cadence thereafter set by VIP tier.
Payout methods
Bank wire (2–5 business days, ~$20–$30 cost), e-wallet (typically fee-free), and crypto (network fee).
Payout speed
Bank wire arrives in 2–5 business days; e-wallet and crypto are faster (network/processing dependent). verify
Profit-split scaling
VIP-tier progression — Funded 80% (monthly); Bronze 90% (weekly); Silver 100% (on-demand); Gold 100% + potential 1-year monthly salary. Instant Funding starts lower (70% Level 2, 80% Level 3, 90% Bronze, 100% Silver/Gold).
Payout / profit cap
No maximum payout/profit cap stated; minimum payout $100; first payout after ~10 days; scaling capacity up to $4,000,000.
Refundable fee
Evaluation fee is refundable upon passing the evaluation phase; no refund once trading activity has started. verify
Funded consistency rule
Instant Funding — 20% Consistency Score required (alongside 10% net profit on initial balance) to scale. 1-Step / 2-Step funded accounts — no explicit funded-stage consistency rule confirmed on official pages (2-Step references maintaining a consistent strategy / no aggressive swings, which can block scaling). verify
Funded-account rules & cost
Cost
Cheapest entry ~$27–$39 ($2,500 1-Step, regular $39 / post-discount ~$27); range up to ~$1,299 (Instant tiers).
Payment methods (to buy)
Credit/debit card, crypto (BTC, ETH, USDT on various networks, USDC), and bank wire transfer (by prior contact). PayPal is offered for payouts but not listed as a purchase method. verify
Time limit
None — no time limit on the evaluation or funded account (firm: "no time limits"); only the 30-day inactivity rule applies.
Inactivity rule
Must place ≥1 trade every 30 days or the account is terminated/suspended; traders may email support to freeze the account for up to 2 months. verify
Max position / lot limit
No fixed maximum lot size stated — governed by risk-management policy (over-leveraging / all-or-nothing / >150% margin level prohibited). verify
3 plans · per-plan detail
Rules by account plan
Every plan’s model, rules and size/price matrix. = explainer · ↗ source = firm’s page · verify = unconfirmed. Compare against other firms →
1-Step Challenge
One-step evaluation with up to 100% profit split, a 8% profit target and on-demand payouts — suited to confident traders who want funding quickly without a second phase.
Sizes & price
| Account size | Entry price |
|---|---|
| $2,500 | $39 regular / $27 (30%-off example) |
| $5,000 | $59 regular / $41 (30%-off example) |
| $10,000 | $109 regular / $76 (30%-off example) |
| $25,000 | $199 regular / $139 (30%-off example) |
| $50,000 | $399 regular / $280 (30%-off example) |
| $100,000 | $589 regular / $412 (30%-off example) (card also shows $449) |
Starting-from price advertised as $27 (post-discount). CORRECTION: the 1-Step uses a 5% TRAILING drawdown (per the firm's dedicated 1-step-challenge-trailing-drawdown page), NOT static/balance-based — the firm's blanket 'balance-based DD across all programs' line does not apply to the 1-Step. Scaling: account doubles at each 10% profit milestone; scales up to $4,000,000 (50% balance increase per the program page). Current live promo is MATCHDAY15 15%, not 30%.
Rules sourced from official pages — 1-Step Challenge rules hub. Promo terms change; confirm at checkout.
2-Step Challenge
Two-step evaluation with up to 100% profit split, a 10% profit target and on-demand payouts — suited to steady, risk-controlled traders happy to prove consistency over two phases.
Sizes & price
| Account size | Entry price |
|---|---|
| $2,500 | $49 regular / $34 (30%-off example) |
| $5,000 | $69 regular / $48 (30%-off example) |
| $10,000 | $139 regular / $97 (30%-off example) |
| $25,000 | $249 regular / $174 (30%-off example) |
| $50,000 | $449 regular / $314 (30%-off example) |
| $100,000 | $689 regular / $482 (30%-off example) |
Advertised "starting from $34" (post-discount). Scaling: doubles at each 10% milestone up to $4,000,000.
Rules sourced from official pages — 2-Step Challenge rules hub. Promo terms change; confirm at checkout.
Instant Funding (and Instant Pro)
Instant funding with up to 100% profit split, a 10% profit target and on-demand payouts — suited to traders who want to skip the challenge and start on funded rules straight away.
Sizes & price
| Account size | Entry price |
|---|---|
| $2,500 | $159 regular / $111 (30%-off example) |
| $5,000 | $309 regular / $216 (30%-off example) (or $229 @20%) |
| $10,000 | $559 regular / $391 (30%-off example) (or $399) |
| $20,000 | $1,059 regular / $741 (30%-off example) (or $999) |
| $40,000 | $1,879 regular / $1,315 (30%-off example) (or $1,999) |
| $80,000 | $3,999 (20% example; regular figure inconsistent on page)verify |
Advertised "starting from $62" (post-discount). Instant Pro is excluded from the MATCHDAY15 promo. Scaling: doubles at each 10% milestone: $2,500 → $5,000 → ... → $80,000 → $160,000 → $320,000 → $640,000 → $1M → $2M → $4,000,000 max. $80k regular price unverified — page values inconsistent.
Rules sourced from official pages — Instant Funding (and Instant Pro) rules hub. Promo terms change; confirm at checkout.
Rule glossaryEvery term on this page, in plain English
- Profit target
- The percentage gain a trader must achieve on a challenge or evaluation account to advance to the next phase or become funded. It is usually measured against the starting balance and must be met without breaching any loss limit.
- Max daily loss
- A cap on how much an account may fall within one trading day, measured from either the day's starting balance or starting equity. Breaching it typically fails the account, even if the overall loss limit is untouched.
- Max overall loss
- Also called maximum total loss or overall drawdown — the furthest an account may fall from its baseline before it is failed. Whether the baseline is fixed or moves with profits depends on the drawdown type.
- Static drawdown
- A maximum-loss level calculated once from the starting balance and held fixed for the life of the account. Profits do not raise it, so the buffer below your equity grows as you gain.
- Trailing drawdown
- A maximum-loss level that follows the account upward as it reaches new equity or balance highs, locking in some gains. Once it ratchets up it usually does not fall back, so giving back profits can still breach it.
- End-of-day (EOD) drawdown
- A trailing drawdown that recalculates from the highest end-of-day balance rather than intraday peaks. Open-trade spikes during the day do not move the limit — only the closing figure does.
- Minimum trading days
- A requirement to place trades on a set number of distinct days before an account can pass a phase or request a payout. It discourages passing on a single lucky trade.
- Consistency rule
- A limit on how concentrated profits may be — for example, no single day may account for more than a set percentage of total profit. It is meant to reward steady performance over one-off windfalls; breaching it can delay a payout or block a pass.
- Profit split
- The percentage of profits a funded trader keeps, with the rest retained by the firm (e.g. an 80% split means the trader keeps 80%). Advertised "up to" splits are usually ceilings reached only at higher tiers or after scaling.
- Scaling plan
- A structured path that increases a funded trader's account size (and sometimes profit split) after meeting performance and consistency conditions. Terms and timelines vary widely between firms.
- Leverage
- The ratio between position size and the capital backing it (e.g. 1:100 means $1 controls $100 of exposure). Higher leverage amplifies both gains and losses against your drawdown limits.
- Evaluation / challenge
- A simulated trading test — sometimes called a challenge — where a trader must hit a profit target without breaking the rules to earn a funded (or simulated-funded) account. It usually carries a one-time fee.
- Instant funding
- A product that skips the evaluation and grants a funded account immediately, typically for a higher upfront fee and often with stricter rules, lower initial splits, or tighter drawdown than evaluation paths.
- 1-step
- An evaluation that funds a trader after one phase, requiring a single profit target to be hit within the loss limits. Fewer phases can mean a tighter target or drawdown.
- 2-step
- An evaluation split into two phases, each with its own profit target, before funding. The two-phase structure is the most common model across the industry.
- 3-step
- An evaluation with three sequential phases before funding, usually with lower per-phase targets spread across the stages. More phases can mean a longer path but gentler individual targets.
- Payout / withdrawal cycle
- The schedule and conditions for withdrawing funded profits — for example, on-demand, bi-weekly, or monthly, sometimes after a minimum profit or a set number of trading days. Early-payout terms and minimums vary by firm.
- Prohibited strategies
- Approaches a firm bans in its rules — breaching them can void profits or fail an account. Commonly restricted styles include martingale, grid, certain hedging or arbitrage, high-frequency or tick scalping, news trading, copy trading, and all-in gambling-style bets.
- Martingale
- A strategy that raises trade size after each loss in an attempt to recover prior losses with one win. Firms often prohibit it because it concentrates risk and can blow through drawdown limits quickly.
- Grid trading
- A system that places a ladder of buy and sell orders at fixed intervals regardless of direction. It is frequently restricted because it can build large, correlated exposure that strains risk limits.
- Hedging
- Opening opposing positions in the same or correlated instruments to offset risk. Some firms allow internal hedging but prohibit hedging across accounts or between traders to game evaluations.
- Arbitrage
- Profiting from price discrepancies between brokers, feeds, or instruments, including latency arbitrage. It is commonly banned because it can exploit a firm's simulated pricing rather than reflect genuine market skill.
- HFT / tick scalping
- High-frequency trading and tick scalping involve large numbers of trades held for seconds or less, often automated. Firms frequently restrict them, sometimes via minimum hold-time rules, because they can exploit feed latency.
- News trading
- Opening or holding positions through scheduled high-impact news events to capture volatility. Some firms restrict trading within a window around major releases on evaluation or funded accounts.
- Copy trading
- Automatically replicating one account's trades onto others, or copying signals from a third party. Firms often limit it to a trader's own accounts and prohibit copying between unrelated traders.
- Expert Advisors (EAs)
- Algorithms or robots — often MetaTrader Expert Advisors — that place trades automatically. Policies range from fully allowed to banned; many firms permit personal EAs but forbid shared or exploit-oriented bots.
- Gambling / all-in
- Staking an outsized share of the account on a single trade in hope of a fast pass. Firms restrict it because it relies on luck rather than risk management and undermines consistency rules.
Educational definitions only — not trading advice, and no outcome is guaranteed. The exact meaning of any rule depends on the firm’s own terms for your specific product; always verify there before relying on it.
Want the full reference? See the prop-firm rule glossary.
The field, in bars
How the profit split compares
Headline (“up to”) maximum vs the field — ceilings gated behind tiers or scaling, not what every trader gets.
Profit split — headline maximum (%)
Higher is betterBalanced view
Pros, cons & open risks
Strengths
- Low entry point ($2,500 accounts from $29 promo) and a small-account on-ramp.
- Tiered payout system progressing to on-demand withdrawals and a 100% split at Silver+.
- Optional monthly-salary track (Gold), unusual in the prop space.
- 1-Step program is notably permissive on strategy (EAs/news/martingale referenced as allowed).
- Education/academy resources bundled with funded accounts.
Cons & open risks
- 'Up to $4M' is a scaling/multi-account headline, not a single-account size.
- Trading platforms and the full instrument list are not clearly disclosed on the pages reviewed.
- Higher splits and faster payouts are gated behind tier progression (Bronze → Silver → Gold).
- Drawdown caps differ by model (5% / 6% / 10%), so the rules vary by what you buy.
- Promo-driven pricing makes the standard non-promo cost harder to confirm.
Do this first
What to verify before buying
Confirm each of these for your exact product:
- 01Which trading platform(s) and instruments are available for your account type.
- 02The exact daily-loss limit for the specific program/size you want.
- 03The minimum payout amount and any wire/crypto fees.
- 04The requirements to climb from Bronze to Silver/Gold (and the salary terms).
- 05The post-promo base price and whether the promo applies to your program.
The Prop Examiner
Our verdict
City Traders Imperium pairs a low-cost entry and an education-led brand with a tiered payout model that can reach 100% splits and an optional monthly salary. The main gaps are undisclosed platforms/instruments on the pages reviewed and a headline ($4M) that reflects scaling rather than a single account. The Prop Examiner has no affiliate relationship with City Traders Imperium at this time.
Affiliate link
If City Traders Imperium fits your needs
Common questions
City Traders Imperium FAQ
- What is City Traders Imperium's profit split?
- 80%–100% (Funded 80/20, Bronze 90/10, Silver+ 100/0). Confirm the split for the exact product you buy, as it can vary by model and tier.
- How fast does City Traders Imperium pay out?
- Bronze weekly; Silver on-demand; Gold on-demand + monthly salary. Payout speed and eligibility depend on the product and on meeting the firm's rules; no payout is guaranteed.
- What account sizes does City Traders Imperium offer?
- $2,500 to $100,000 per account ('Up to $4M' is a scaling/multi-account headline). Headline maximums are ceilings reached via scaling, not the size you start with.
- Does City Traders Imperium have a discount code?
- Any current City Traders Imperium promotion is applied at checkout — promo pricing changes frequently, so always confirm the total shown before paying. We do not display or advertise a specific code; check the price on the day you buy.
- Is City Traders Imperium worth it?
- Flexible tiered payouts and a salary option, held back by limited platform/instrument disclosure and a scaling-based headline. Read the rules for your exact product, treat headline numbers as ceilings, and start with the smallest suitable plan — prop challenges are simulated/educational products and most buyers do not reach a payout.
Cited & dated
Sources
Every figure traces to a City Traders Imperium source below, accessed on the date shown. Re-verify before relying on any number — pricing and promos change.
- 1.City Traders Imperium — homepage· accessed 2026-06-17
- 2.City Traders Imperium — funded account payouts guide· accessed 2026-06-17
- 3.City Traders Imperium — EAs on CTI 1-Step Challenge· accessed 2026-06-17
- 4.City Traders Imperium — forex funded trader accounts· accessed 2026-06-17
Platforms & funded-rule references
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