City Traders Imperium was founded in 2018 by Daniel Martin and a team of London-based traders with backgrounds in institutional finance. The firm was created with the dual mission of funding talented traders and educating aspiring ones. Unlike most prop firms that focus purely on the evaluation and funding mechanism, CTI invests significantly in trader education, offering free courses on technical analysis, risk management, and trading psychology.
CTI distinguishes itself from the pack through its direct funding option (no evaluation needed), its educational ecosystem, and its London-based pedigree. The firm is smaller than giants like FTMO or FundedNext, but it has built a loyal community of traders who value the mentorship and personal touch. CTI's maximum account size of $100K is lower than many competitors, which limits its appeal for traders seeking larger capital immediately.
Challenge Evaluation (Two-Phase): Phase 1 requires a 10% profit target within 30 days. Phase 2 requires 5% within 60 days. Daily loss limit is 5% and maximum drawdown is 10%. Minimum 10 trading days per phase. These targets are higher than the industry standard 8%/5%, making the evaluation slightly more demanding.
Direct Funding (Instant): No evaluation required. You receive a live funded account immediately. Starting sizes are $2,500, $5,000, or $10,000. The profit split starts at 50% and increases through the scaling plan. This is CTI's signature offering and appeals to traders who want to skip the evaluation entirely.
Classic Challenge (One-Phase): A single-phase evaluation with a 10% target and unlimited time. Maximum drawdown is 5%. Minimum 30 trading days. This is a more relaxed option that removes time pressure but has a tighter drawdown.
- Direct Funding $2,500 — ~$109
- Direct Funding $5,000 — ~$199
- Direct Funding $10,000 — ~$379
- Challenge $10,000 — ~$109
- Challenge $25,000 — ~$209
- Challenge $50,000 — ~$349
- Challenge $100,000 — ~$549
The challenge fees are competitive and the direct funding entry point ($109 for $2,500 live capital) is one of the lowest in the industry. The CTI8 code provides 8% off any program.
- Daily loss limit: 5% on Challenge accounts. Not separately enforced on Direct Funding (only max drawdown).
- Maximum drawdown: 10% on Challenge (static). 5% on Direct Funding and Classic (relative).
- Minimum trading days: 10 days per phase on Challenge. 30 days on Classic. No minimum on Direct Funding.
- News trading: Allowed on all programs. No restrictions around economic events.
- Weekend holding: Allowed on Direct Funding and Classic. Restricted on Challenge during evaluation.
- EAs: Allowed with some restrictions — no tick scalping or latency exploitation.
- Leverage: Up to 1:33 on forex. Lower than the 1:100 offered by many competitors.
- Consistency rule: CTI encourages consistent trading but does not enforce a strict mathematical rule.
CTI supports MetaTrader 5 as the primary platform. MT4 is available for some legacy accounts but is being phased out. Instruments include forex pairs (25+ including major, minor, and some exotics), indices (US30, NAS100, DAX40, UK100), commodities (gold, silver, oil), and cryptocurrency CFDs (BTC, ETH). Individual stock CFDs are not available. The instrument range is narrower than larger firms.
Challenge accounts receive a 70% profit split initially, increasing to 80% through scaling. Direct Funding starts at 50% and scales to 70%. Payouts are monthly on Direct Funding and bi-weekly on Challenge accounts. Payment methods include bank transfer and cryptocurrency. The lower profit splits are a notable drawback compared to firms offering 80-90% from the start.
CTI's scaling plan is milestone-based. On Direct Funding, every 10% profit milestone doubles your account size: $2,500 → $5,000 → $10,000 → $20,000 → $40,000 → $80,000 → $160,000. The profit split also increases at each level. Challenge accounts scale by 25% after 3 months of consistent profitability.
The Direct Funding scaling path from $2,500 to $160,000+ is appealing in theory, but requires many months of sustained 10% returns. The low starting capital means meaningful income only comes after significant scaling.
Pros:
- Direct funding available with no evaluation — immediate access to live capital
- Strong educational resources, free courses, and mentorship
- London-based firm with institutional trading backgrounds
- Low Direct Funding entry price ($109 for $2,500 account)
- News trading allowed on all programs
- Good Trustpilot rating (4.3/5)
- Supportive community and personal touch
Cons:
- Maximum challenge account is only $100K — lower than most competitors
- Profit splits are below industry standard (50-70% on Direct Funding, 70-80% on Challenge)
- 10% profit target on Phase 1 is higher than the standard 8%
- Minimum 10 trading days per challenge phase is more than the typical 5
- Lower leverage (1:33) compared to firms offering 1:100
- Direct Funding starts with very small accounts ($2,500-$10,000)
- MT5 only — no cTrader or MT4 for new accounts
- Smaller firm with less liquidity and community size than major competitors
City Traders Imperium is ideal for developing traders who value education and mentorship alongside their funded account. If you are relatively new to prop trading and want guidance, CTI's courses and community provide genuine value that most firms do not offer. The Direct Funding path is perfect for traders who hate evaluations and are willing to start small and scale patiently.
Experienced traders seeking large starting capital ($200K+), high profit splits (85%+), or multiple platform options will find CTI limiting. The firm is best for traders who think of prop trading as a career development path rather than a quick route to large payouts.
★★★★☆ 4.3 / 5 — based on 1,682 reviews on Trustpilot.
City Traders Imperium has a solid Trustpilot rating. Positive reviews consistently praise the educational content, responsive support, and the Direct Funding concept. Common criticisms include the lower profit splits compared to industry norms, the small starting account sizes on Direct Funding, and the higher evaluation targets (10% Phase 1). Overall, CTI is well-regarded by traders who value the educational component, while those focused purely on financial terms may find better options elsewhere.