One Prop Trader a Day – Meet Kevin Pinto: The Indian Scalper Trading for Freedom, Not Riches
One Prop Trader a Day – Episode 18
About Kevin
Nelson Kevin Pinto is a 24-year-old Forex scalper from Karnataka, India. He focuses exclusively on three major pairs — EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and USD/JPY — trading pullbacks in trending markets during the London and New York sessions. After failing over 20 funded challenges and blowing his own brokerage accounts along the way, Kevin found his edge in a simple, repeatable system: 0.5–1% risk per trade, a 5-point stop, a 15-point take profit, and the discipline to wait for setups. He has been funded since November 2023 and now trades with The 5%ers and For Traders, motivated less by money than by the freedom to live life on his own terms.
Funded sinceNovember 2023
Primary assetsEUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY
Timeframe15-minute
Lives inKarnataka, India
Originally fromIndia
Q Quick intro – Who are you, where are you from, and what do you trade?
A My name is Nelson Kevin Pinto. I’m 24 years old, from Karnataka, India. I’m a Forex trader focused mainly on scalping during the London and New York sessions.
Q When did you become a funded trader? What changed for you at that point?
A I got my first funded account on 23 November 2023. At that moment, everything felt easier. It honestly felt like I had finally cracked trading. After all the struggles and failures, becoming funded made me believe I could truly become a successful trader.
Q How did you feel when you became a funded trader for the first time?
A It felt like I had finally made it. I was really excited, and proud of myself.
Q How many times did you fail before getting funded? What kept you going?
A I failed more than 20 times before finally getting funded. What kept me going was the hunger to become a successful trader. I wanted freedom — I didn’t want to work for someone else. That vision kept pushing me after every failure.
“I wanted freedom — I didn’t want to work for someone else. That vision kept pushing me after every failure.”Kevin Pinto
Q What was your lowest point in trading? Did you ever consider quitting?
A Yes. After blowing multiple funded accounts and my own brokerage accounts, I started feeling like trading was a scam and that retail traders could never really make money. Nothing seemed to work consistently. Every time I thought I had finally found a strategy that worked, I would end up failing again. That was probably the lowest point in my journey.
Q Did trading ever affect you mentally or emotionally?
A All of the above — stress, overtrading, self-doubt. Trading tests you in ways nothing else does.
Q What does your trading style look like today?
A I trade only currencies and focus on three pairs: EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and USD/JPY. My main timeframe is the 15-minute chart. The strategy is simple: I trade pullbacks in trending markets. I risk around 0.5% to 1% per trade, with a 5-point stop loss and around a 15-point take profit.
Q What’s a typical trading day for you?
A As an Indian trader, I focus on the London and New York sessions. I wake up around 7am and finish my home responsibilities — cooking, cleaning, other work — by about 12pm. Then I prepare for trading before the London session opens at 12:30pm IST. I wait patiently for my setup. If I don’t get one during London, I wait for New York. Once I’m in a trade, I set my stop and take profit and walk away from the screen — either continuing my work at home or watching trading psychology videos on YouTube.
Q Do people around you understand what you do? How do they react?
A Some people appreciate it, others don’t really understand. Many think trading is gambling. Very few people actually know about my journey, and I don’t talk about it much — I’d rather focus on the work than worry about opinions. The only two who truly appreciated it were my mom and my girlfriend.
Q How has trading impacted your lifestyle?
A Trading has made me more confident and improved the way I think and handle situations. It also showed me the reality of the game. Before the positive changes, I went through negative phases — early on I was chasing the “get rich quick” mindset. Over time I understood that trading is more about discipline, patience, and consistency than fast money.
Q What keeps you motivated to continue trading?
A Of course I want to be successful and make a lot of money, but money isn’t my real goal. My real goal is freedom — to live like a free bird and have control over my own life and time. Money has chained many people into living the same routine every day. Trading may not pay consistently every month, but if you’re disciplined and you truly understand your system, it can reward you with life-changing opportunities over time. That belief is what keeps me going.
“You can’t realistically turn $100 into $1,000 overnight, but you can make $100 from a $1,000 account.”Kevin Pinto
Q What advice would you give your younger self when you first started trading?
A Trading is not a get-rich-quick scheme or a lottery ticket. It takes years to build the skill. Focus on learning instead of dreaming about millions from one trade. Consistency is the key. Learn risk management and master one simple strategy. All strategies can work — it only depends on your personality and what suits you best. Trading can’t fully be taught by anyone; it has to be learned through experience. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a mentor — you should, it’s like learning to drive. After that, you’re on your own. And last but not least: you can’t realistically turn $100 into $1,000 overnight, but you can make $100 from a $1,000 account. Hope you get it.
Q If I gave you a $1,000,000 funded account today, what would you do in the first 7 days?
A I’d be happy to trade it. I’d risk 0.5% or less and wait for my setups in those 7 days. That’s it — no profit guaranteed.
Kevin’s Funded Certificates
