Is City Traders Imperium The Best Prop Firm For You?
Honest review of City Traders Imperium — payouts, trading rules, real trader feedback & exclusive promo deals you won't find anywhere else.
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Key Features
Max Funding
$440,000
Profit Split
100%
Time Limit
Unlimited
Leverage
1:30
Max Drawdown
10%
Daily Drawdown
5%
Payout
Weekly
Scaling Plan
Yes
KYC Required
No
Instant Funding
Yes
Crypto Trading
No
Platforms
MT5, MATCHTRADER
Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- High maximum funding up to $440,000
- Multiple program options
- Comprehensive educational resources
- Flexible scaling opportunities
- Multiple platform options
- Monthly salary program available
❌ Cons
- Higher initial fee compared to competitors
- Strict drawdown rules
- Limited to 2 devices without approval
- Lower leverage (1:30) compared to some competitors
About City Traders Imperium
City Traders Imperium (CTI) is a UK-based prop firm offering various funding programs up to $2M. Founded by Daniel Martin and Martin Najat, CTI emphasizes strong trading psychology and smart money concepts to help undercapitalized traders succeed.
Trading Rules
- Challenge Programs require minimum 3 profitable days (0.5% profit each)
- 1-Step Challenge has trailing maximum drawdown (5% of highest balance achieved)
- 2-Step Challenge has static maximum drawdown (10% of initial balance)
- Trailing drawdown locks once the profit target is hit
- Instant Funding allows up to $80,000 per account
- Scaling up available upon reaching profit targets
- Violating rules results in challenge failure
- Withdrawals available after 14 days minimum
Additional Information
CTI's Trading Environment
City Traders Imperium provides a professional trading environment with access to multiple financial markets and instruments. Their platform includes advanced trading tools, real-time analytics, and comprehensive risk management features to support traders' success.
Understanding CTI's 1-Step Funded Program
The CTI 1-step funded program is designed to identify skilled traders while providing a realistic path to funding. Their process includes clear profit targets, reasonable trading rules, and comprehensive support throughout the evaluation phase.
Risk Management and Absolute Drawdown
CTI emphasizes proper risk management with clear guidelines on position sizing, absolute drawdown limits, and risk per trade. Their system is designed to protect both the trader and the firm while allowing for profitable trading opportunities.
Trading Style Flexibility
CTI offers flexible trading rules that accommodate various trading styles. Their system allows for different strategies, including scalping, swing trading, and news trading, while maintaining proper risk management and account protection measures.
Profit Sharing and Account Growth
CTI's profit sharing model is designed to reward successful traders while maintaining sustainable growth. As traders demonstrate success, they can qualify for larger account sizes and better terms, creating a clear path for account growth.
What Traders Are Saying
"just purchased an 100k 2 step account today and started the challenge. experience so far: things i like: 1. good and fair rules. 2. backed by taurex. 3. tight spread. things need to improve: 1. customer service in discord bit slow might be due to small customer base, so they dont have a dedicated cs staff at the moment. 2. their social presents are small, need to do more events to expand their industry presents. will update when i experience more. but so far, so good."
Available Evaluation Plans
1-Step
| Account Size | Max Drawdown | Daily Drawdown | Leverage | Profit Target | Profit Split | Fee | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | 5% | 5% | 1:30 | 10% | 80 | $79.00 | |
| $5,000 | 5% | 5% | 1:30 | 10% | 80 | $49.00 | |
| $10,000 | 5% | 5% | 1:30 | 10% | 80 | $79.00 | |
| $25,000 | 5% | 5% | 1:30 | 10% | 80 | $149.00 | |
| $50,000 | 5% | 5% | 1:30 | 10% | 80 | $249.00 | |
| $100,000 | 5% | 5% | 1:30 | 10% | 80 | $449.00 |
2-Step
| Account Size | Max Drawdown | Daily Drawdown | Leverage | Profit Target | Profit Split | Fee | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | 10% | 5% | 1:30 | 10% / 5% | 80 | $39.00 | |
| $5,000 | 10% | 5% | 1:30 | 10% / 5% | 80 | $59.00 | |
| $10,000 | 10% | 5% | 1:30 | 10% / 5% | 80 | $99.00 | |
| $25,000 | 10% | 5% | 1:30 | 10% / 5% | 80 | $179.00 | |
| $50,000 | 10% | 5% | 1:30 | 10% / 5% | 80 | $329.00 | |
| $100,000 | 10% | 5% | 1:30 | 10% / 5% | 80 | $519.00 |
Instant Funding
| Account Size | Max Drawdown | Daily Drawdown | Leverage | Profit Target | Profit Split | Fee | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,500 | 6% | - | 1:30 | - | 80 | $69.00 | |
| $5,000 | 6% | - | 1:30 | - | 80 | $129.00 | |
| $5,000 | 6% | - | 1:30 | - | 80 | $299.00 | |
| $10,000 | 6% | - | 1:30 | - | 80 | $249.00 | |
| $10,000 | 6% | - | 1:30 | - | 80 | $599.00 | |
| $20,000 | 6% | - | 1:30 | - | 80 | $449.00 | |
| $20,000 | 6% | - | 1:30 | - | 80 | $1199.00 | |
| $40,000 | 6% | - | 1:30 | - | 80 | $849.00 | |
| $40,000 | 6% | - | 1:30 | - | 80 | $2399.00 | |
| $80,000 | 6% | - | 1:30 | - | 80 | $1499.00 | |
| $80,000 | 6% | - | 1:30 | - | 80 | $4799.00 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes City Traders Imperium's evaluation model unique compared to other prop firms?
City Traders Imperium (CTI) offers two distinctive evaluation paths: the Evaluation Program and the Direct Funding Program. The Evaluation Program features a single-phase challenge with a 10% profit target and no time limit, focusing on consistency rather than speed. Their Direct Funding Program is truly unique, allowing experienced traders with verifiable track records to bypass evaluations entirely and receive immediate funding of up to $100,000 after a detailed application review. CTI also stands out with their absolute drawdown model (calculated from starting balance rather than floating equity) and their allowance of news trading, which many other firms prohibit.
What are CTI's specific drawdown rules and how are they calculated?
CTI uses an absolute drawdown model rather than the more restrictive relative drawdown used by most prop firms. Their maximum drawdown is 10% calculated from the starting account balance, not floating equity. This means only closed trades affect drawdown calculations, and unrealized losses in open positions don't count against drawdown limits. CTI implements a 5% daily loss limit and a unique 'progressive drawdown' system where traders who maintain profitability for 4 consecutive months can have their drawdown limit increased by 2%, up to a maximum of 16%. Their platform includes a real-time drawdown calculator to help traders monitor their risk exposure.
How does CTI's profit-sharing and scaling program work for successful traders?
CTI's profit-sharing starts at 70% for traders and increases based on performance and account longevity. After 4 months of consistent profitability (minimum 5% monthly return), the split increases to 80%. Their scaling program allows account size increases of 25% after every 10% profit achieved with proper risk management. There's no cap on scaling, with accounts potentially growing to $2 million+. CTI also offers a unique 'Capital Boost' program where exceptional traders (achieving 20%+ returns over 3 months with max drawdown under 7%) can request double-sized scaling jumps of 50% instead of the standard 25%.
What specific trading instruments and markets are available with CTI?
CTI provides access to over 90 trading instruments across multiple asset classes. This includes 45+ forex pairs (all majors, minors, and select exotics), 18 global indices (including US30, NASDAQ, S&P500, DAX, FTSE), commodities (gold, silver, platinum, oil, natural gas), bonds, and 12 cryptocurrency pairs. Their platform offers institutional-grade liquidity with average spreads of 0.1 pips on EUR/USD during peak hours. CTI is one of the few prop firms offering access to exotic currency pairs like USD/TRY and USD/ZAR, as well as specialized instruments like Brent/WTI oil spreads for traders with specific market expertise.
What are CTI's rules regarding news trading and high-impact economic events?
Unlike many prop firms that restrict trading during news events, CTI explicitly allows news trading across all instruments and economic releases. However, they implement specific risk management guidelines: position sizes during high-impact news events cannot exceed 3% of account equity (vs. the standard 5% limit), stop losses must be set at least 20 pips away from entry during news events, and traders must document their news trading strategy in their monthly reports. CTI's platform includes an economic calendar with volatility forecasts to help traders prepare for high-impact events and manage risk appropriately.
What trading strategies are prohibited at CTI?
CTI prohibits fewer strategies than most prop firms, but still restricts: arbitrage between instruments or platforms, excessive scalping (positions held under 30 seconds), martingale strategies that increase position sizes after losses, trading during weekend gaps, and using expert advisors without prior approval. They have a unique 'strategy disclosure' requirement where traders must document their primary trading approaches in their application. CTI also restricts holding correlated positions that collectively exceed position size limits, but offers a 'correlation calculator' tool to help traders stay compliant.
How does CTI handle payouts and what is their withdrawal process?
CTI processes payouts monthly with a minimum withdrawal threshold of $200. First-time withdrawals require comprehensive KYC verification including government ID, proof of address, and a live verification call. Processing typically takes 3-5 business days, with options for bank transfers, crypto payments (Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT), or e-wallets (Skrill, Neteller). CTI offers a unique 'Profit Lock' feature where traders can secure 50% of their monthly profits for guaranteed withdrawal regardless of subsequent performance. Traders who maintain funded accounts for over 12 months qualify for CTI's 'Priority Withdrawal' program with faster processing times and reduced fees.
What trading platforms does CTI support and what are their unique features?
CTI primarily supports MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, with both platforms featuring CTI's proprietary suite of trading tools. Their MT4/MT5 implementation includes the 'Imperium Suite' with 18 custom indicators and tools focusing on risk management, trade execution, and performance analytics. Unique features include their 'Smart Entry' tool for precise entry timing, 'Risk Calculator' for position sizing, and 'Performance Analytics Dashboard' that provides detailed insights into trading patterns and behaviors. CTI also offers VPS hosting for traders using automated strategies and maintains dedicated servers to ensure execution speeds below 12ms.