One Prop Trader a Day – Episode 138
Rana Das
Rana Das is a 38-year-old trader from Bangladesh, founder and CEO of ForexWaveExpert.com, who has traded since 2011 and builds his analysis on Elliott Wave Theory. He now trades mostly gold (XAUUSD) intraday, was given the Fastbull Best Mentor Award in Vietnam in 2024, and has mentored more than 200 students in Bangladesh. Here is his story, in his own words.
FirmFunded Trading Plus FirmCity Traders Imperium FirmFTMO FirmThe5ers FirmWeMasterTrader
What do you do when a gold trade runs nearly 750 pips into profit and still ends in a loss? Rana Das, a 38-year-old trader from Bangladesh and the founder of ForexWaveExpert.com, trades intraday gold, first got funded with Funded Trading Plus in 2023, and has taken more than a dozen accounts across different firms since. In this interview, he explains why he now locks in break-even and books partial profits, why most of his failures came from rushing to pass a challenge, what he does when trading takes a mental toll, and how he rates The5ers, WeMasterTrade, Funded Trading Plus, FTMO and City Trader Imperium.
Intro & Origin
My name is Rana Das, 38, from Bangladesh. I started my trading journey in 2011, and after diving deep into Elliott Wave Theory in 2013, I built ForexWaveExpert.com from the ground up, launching it officially in 2018, though the groundwork, including my first course, goes back to 2016. Today I trade mostly gold (XAUUSD), and in 2024 I was honored with the Fastbull Best Mentor Award in Vietnam for my work mentoring traders.
Beyond my own trading, community has always been at the center of what I do. I’ve personally mentored over 200 students in Bangladesh, at one point regularly running free courses for them, including a free Pro Trader Course I launched in March 2023 specifically for Bangladeshi traders. I write blogs in Bengali on my website, and I’ve also published a book in Bengali to make trading knowledge accessible in our own language.
My funded trading journey started with Funded Trading Plus. I passed that first account and managed a few withdrawals from it, but the next account I took hit a trailing drawdown. I then failed roughly five to six accounts before getting funded again, while also trading with my own personal investment alongside my prop firm accounts. Eventually I passed an account with City Trader Imperium and kept receiving withdrawals from it for several months. In 2026, I took an instant funded account with WeMasterTrade and have withdrawn from it multiple times; that account is still active today. Earlier this year, I also passed a The5ers 100,000 dollar account, which is currently running, and I’m currently working through Phase 1 of an FTMO 100,000 dollar challenge. Between 2023 and 2026, I’ve taken more than a dozen accounts across different firms; most of the failures came down to one thing: rushing to pass a challenge and pushing my risk too high instead of sticking to steady money management, which is also the most expensive lesson I’ve paid for. It wrecks your trading psychology.
The Grind
Trading does take a mental toll on me at times. When that happens, I stop trading for a few days rather than trying to fight my way back on the same account. I come back fresh with a new account and a clear head, because trying to “recover” losses in the moment is exactly the mentality that gets people into trouble.
How You Trade Now
I’ve traded with Funded Trading Plus, City Trader Imperium, FTMO, The5ers, and WeMasterTrade. In a firm, what I look for most is fair rules, consistent payouts, and clear communication, with no hidden clauses that trip you up after you’ve already passed.
These days I trade intraday, almost entirely gold (XAUUSD). Most of my trading happens during the US session, a few focused hours where I don’t put myself under too much pressure, and occasionally I’ll also take trades during the London session. I typically run 50,000 dollar accounts across most firms, though my live account with The5ers is a 100,000 dollar account, and I’m currently working through Phase 1 of an FTMO 100,000 dollar challenge.
One trade still stands out to me. I had a gold buy that ran nearly 750 pips into profit; my account only needed around 8,200 dollars more to pass. But instead of locking anything in, the price reversed and started coming back toward my entry. Rather than taking break-even, I added more buys lower, hoping for another push up. The trade ended in a loss that brought me right up against my daily drawdown limit. That was the moment I stopped fighting the market. Now, even if price doesn’t reach my exact target, I lock in break-even and book partial profits along the way instead of holding out and hoping.
As for milestones, passing that 100,000 dollar live account with The5ers is one of the biggest so far, and I’m working toward adding FTMO to that list next.
Life & Reflection
These days, no one around me sees my trading negatively anymore. Early on some people did, but not now, since trading is what covers all of my expenses and my family’s. What separates me from someone who quits after a third failed challenge is simple: I don’t repeat the same mistake. I identify exactly what went wrong and make sure it doesn’t happen again. That’s the whole difference.
If I were handed a fresh 100,000 dollar funded account today, the first thing I’d do is go through every single rule of that company in detail. Once I know the boundaries, I’d start trading exactly the way I already trade: no changes, no shortcuts, just sticking to my process.
My take on the firms
The5ers
The5ers has been one of my best experiences among the prop firms I’ve traded with. No overly harsh rules, and like most firms they simply aim to keep out reckless, gambling-style traders rather than punishing normal trading. My only suggestion would be to speed up withdrawal processing; ideally payouts within 24 hours would make it even better.
WeMasterTrade
WeMasterTrade offers instant funding, which comes with its own set of rules. The one I found frustrating is the 1-hour interval rule, which discourages traders from holding two accounts at once. I also wasn’t happy to find a minimum 2-minute trade hold requirement that isn’t clearly disclosed anywhere on their website; that should be stated upfront.
Funded Trading Plus
My overall experience trading with Funded Trading Plus was good. The one drawback is their trailing drawdown rule, and I also found their pricing a bit on the higher side.
FTMO
FTMO is a solid firm, but their challenge packages are priced quite high compared to others in the market.
City Trader Imperium
City Trader Imperium requires stop-losses to be placed within just 1 minute of entry, which I feel is too tight; a minimum of 5 minutes would be more reasonable. They do allow news trading, but the spreads and slippage around news events are wide enough that I’ve missed hitting profit targets because of it.
Verified funded – the receipts
About the writer – Rana Das
Rana Das is a 38-year-old trader from Bangladesh, founder and CEO of ForexWaveExpert.com, who has traded since 2011 and builds his analysis on Elliott Wave Theory. He now trades mostly gold (XAUUSD) intraday, was given the Fastbull Best Mentor Award in Vietnam in 2024, and has mentored more than 200 students in Bangladesh.
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