Funded Academy - Prop Firm Review
- CFD/forex prop firm (Funded Academy Ltd, Saint Lucia, launched May 2026) trading simulated capital on MT5 and cTrader — unregulated
- 85% split on 1-Step, 80% on 2-Step, rising to 95% through scaling — earned, not paid for
- 8% trailing drawdown on 1-Step; 10% static on 2-Step
- The Pro Flex vs Standard choice is locked at checkout and decides weekend/news holding — no upgrading later
- The “Academy” is free optional education, not a paid bundle. Not open to US or UK traders
Funded Academy: the short version
- What it is: a CFD/forex prop firm (Funded Academy Ltd, Saint Lucia, launched May 2026) trading simulated forex, indices, commodities and crypto on MetaTrader 5 and cTrader. 1-Step and 2-Step challenges.
- The split: 85% on 1-Step, 80% on 2-Step, rising to 95% through the scaling plan — earned, not paid for.
- The drawdown: 8% trailing on 1-Step; 10% static on 2-Step. Daily loss limits of 4% and 5%.
- The catch: the Pro Flex vs Standard choice, locked at checkout, decides whether your funded account can hold over weekends and trade news — and you can never upgrade Standard to Pro Flex.
- The name: the “Academy” is a free, optional, no-signup education primer — not a paid mentoring bundle. Funding and learning are separate.
- Best for: non-US, non-UK traders who want no consistency rule, no time limit and a low $100 payout minimum — and who pick Pro Flex at checkout if they need to hold positions.
Last reviewed: 15 July 2026. Checked against Funded Academy’s official FAQ, pricing and Terms. Figures below reflect the products on sale at the time of review; prop firm rules change often, so always confirm on the firm’s own pages before you buy.
Company, regulation and the “Academy” name
Funded Academy is operated by Funded Academy Ltd, registered in Saint Lucia (registration 2025-00736), and it launched publicly in May 2026 — so it is a young firm. It is not regulated, and says so directly: “Funded Academy is not a broker, investment advisor, financial institution, custodian, or exchange… All fees paid are service fees… and do not constitute deposits, investments, or client funds.”
The name invites a fair question: is this an education-plus-funding bundle? It is not. The “Academy” is a free, self-serve, nine-lesson primer of about 45 minutes, with no sign-up required. There is no paid course and no forced mentoring — in fact the Terms say the opposite: “The Services are not designed for beginners, and the Company does not provide personalized training or investment guidance.” So treat the education as a free extra, and judge the funding product on its own terms.
The accounts are simulated. The Terms are explicit: “All trading activity conducted during the Evaluation stages is performed in a simulated environment. The funds displayed within the platform are entirely fictitious… No real trades are executed in live financial markets.” Payouts are real money paid against simulated performance.
One thing to check before you buy: Funded Academy does not accept traders from the US or the UK (among other restricted countries). If you are in either, this firm is not open to you.
The products, pricing and drawdown
Two evaluation models, with the 2-Step available in a Standard or a Pro Flex variant.
| Model | Target | Drawdown | Daily loss | Base split | Sizes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-Step | 10% | 8% trailing | 4% | 85% | $5k–$100k |
| 2-Step Standard | 7% then 5% | 10% static | 5% | 80% | $5k–$200k |
| 2-Step Pro Flex | 7% then 5% | 10% static | 5% | 80% | $5k–$200k |
Fees run from about $50 for a $5k account to roughly $1,081 for a $200k 2-Step, with a “Swap Free” option costing a little more. Notably, per the firm’s own pricing, 2-Step Standard and Pro Flex cost the same — the difference between them is purely a rules choice, not a price tier (more on that below).
The 1-Step drawdown is an 8% trail that adjusts up on new highs; the 2-Step uses a 10% static floor fixed from your starting balance. Both models have a daily loss limit (4% and 5%). The split rises to 95% through the scaling plan — and that is earned through consistent growth, not a paid add-on, which is the right way round.
The rule to decide at checkout: Pro Flex vs Standard
This is Funded Academy’s genuinely distinctive mechanic, and it is a decision you make before you buy that you cannot fully reverse later.
Most firms either charge more for the freedom to hold positions overnight and through news, or bake it into a single rule set. Funded Academy instead makes it a model choice locked at purchase. Only a 2-Step Pro Flex funded account can hold over weekends and trade news without a blackout window. A 1-Step account is permanently Standard — no overnight holding on the funded account at all — and a 2-Step Standard sits in between.
The catch is the one-way door: “you can never upgrade Standard to Pro Flex” — you can only downgrade Pro Flex to Standard, and only by contacting support. Since the two 2-Step variants cost the same, there is little reason not to choose Pro Flex if there is any chance you will want to hold positions. But if you pick Standard, or buy a 1-Step, and later find you need to swing-trade or hold through news, you are stuck — and your only route to the freedom is to buy a fresh Pro Flex challenge. Decide this deliberately at checkout, not by default.
Payouts, trading rules and fees
Funded Academy keeps the funded-stage rules relatively light, which is part of its appeal:
- Minimum payout: $100, with the first payout available on demand once eligibility is met.
- Cycle: two-week trading cycles that begin when you place your first trade, processed within 24 hours.
- Methods: cryptocurrency and the RISE payroll service. Accounts are USD only.
- No consistency rule and no time limit — both advertised as headline features, and both genuinely absent from the rules.
- Minimum trading days: 4 per phase.
- Scaling: demanding but real — at least 10% growth over four consecutive months, three performance rewards, and a profitable most-recent cycle, growing the account 40% per step up to $1,000,000.
On strategy, the firm is restrictive. Its FAQ prohibits Expert Advisors, copy trading, VPS use, hedging, high-frequency and grid trading, tick scalping and arbitrage — a wide net that rules out most automated and short-horizon approaches. Note one documented inconsistency: the FAQ permits news trading on challenge accounts, while the binding Terms list news trading among prohibited practices. Where marketing and Terms disagree, the Terms are what you can be held to, so confirm the current position with support before you build a strategy around news.
Platforms are MetaTrader 5 and cTrader, with leverage up to 1:100 on forex (2-Step Standard), 1:50 on Pro Flex and 1:30 on 1-Step. Commissions are $5 a lot on forex and commodities, zero on indices, and 0.04% on crypto. There is a reset option at a fixed 10% discount on challenge accounts (funded accounts cannot be reset), and no recurring monthly fee on funded accounts — a single one-time evaluation fee is the model.
Verdict
Funded Academy is a clean, straightforward evaluation with several trader-friendly touches: no consistency rule, no time limit, a low $100 payout minimum, 24-hour processing, a strong 85% base split on 1-Step, and a genuinely free education primer with no upsell attached. For a non-US, non-UK trader who wants simple rules, it is an easy firm to understand.
The things to weigh: it is young and unregulated, the accounts are simulated, and the Pro Flex versus Standard choice is locked at checkout — get it wrong and you cannot add weekend or news-holding rights without buying a new challenge. There is also a documented mismatch between the marketing and the binding Terms on news trading (the FAQ permits it on challenges, the Terms list it among prohibited practices), so if news trading matters to you, confirm the current position with support before you rely on it. A promising, tidy product from a new operator — worth trying with eyes open on the caveats.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Funded Academy regulated?
No. Funded Academy is operated by Funded Academy Ltd, registered in Saint Lucia, and it states plainly that it is not a broker, investment advisor, financial institution, custodian or exchange, and that fees paid are service fees rather than deposits or client funds. It is unregulated, and it launched only in May 2026, so it is a young firm.
Does Funded Academy include education or mentoring?
Not as a paid bundle. Despite the name, the Academy is a free, self-serve, nine-lesson primer of about 45 minutes with no sign-up required. There is no paid course and no forced mentoring, and the Terms state that the service does not provide personalised training or investment guidance. Learning and funding are entirely separate.
What is the Funded Academy profit split?
The base split is 85% on 1-Step accounts and 80% on 2-Step accounts. Through the scaling plan it can rise to 95%, and that higher split is earned through consistent growth rather than bought as a paid add-on.
What is the difference between Funded Academy Standard and Pro Flex?
It is a rules choice locked at checkout. Only a 2-Step Pro Flex funded account can hold positions over weekends and trade news without a blackout window. A 1-Step account is permanently Standard, with no overnight holding on the funded account, and a 2-Step Standard sits in between. You can never upgrade Standard to Pro Flex, only downgrade, so choose deliberately at purchase.
How does the Funded Academy drawdown work?
The 1-Step challenge uses an 8% trailing maximum drawdown that adjusts upward as the account reaches new highs. The 2-Step challenge uses a 10% overall drawdown that is fixed from the starting balance and does not trail. The daily loss limit is 4% on 1-Step and 5% on 2-Step, and breaching either fails the challenge.
Are Funded Academy accounts simulated or live?
Simulated. The Terms state that all trading during the evaluation stages is performed in a simulated environment with fictitious funds, and that no real trades are executed in live markets. Payouts are real money paid against your simulated performance.
How do Funded Academy payouts work?
The minimum withdrawal is $100, and the first payout can be requested on demand once eligibility conditions are met. Trading runs in two-week cycles that begin when you place your first trade, payouts are processed within 24 hours, and withdrawals are made via cryptocurrency or the RISE payroll service. There is no consistency rule and no time limit.
Can US or UK traders use Funded Academy?
No. Funded Academy does not accept traders from the United States or the United Kingdom, among other restricted countries. If you are based in either, the firm is not open to you, so check the restricted-countries list before purchasing.
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