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138![We've Lifted The5ers' Yellow Card: Two Successful Payouts, But the Interview Clause and Bulk-Trading Ban Still Stand [Updated September 2026]](/og/en/the5ers-yellow-card-2026-07.png)
We've Lifted The5ers' Yellow Card: Two Successful Payouts, But the Interview Clause and Bulk-Trading Ban Still Stand [Updated September 2026]
This site issued The5ers a yellow card in July 2026, and lifted it on September 25, 2026. Both payouts from the owner's $100K High Stakes funded account went through with no interview required, and none of the conditions for a red-card downgrade have occurred. That said, the clause requiring an interview to be scheduled and completed within 5 business days — or pending payouts get denied — is still in the September 23, 2026 version of the terms. The single biggest cause of bans is bulk trading (opening multiple positions at once) and copy trading, so don't use copy tools. The six warning signs from July are kept below as background.
TradeDay Expected Value, Calculated (September 2026) | At Zero Edge, Quick Pay Intraday Nets +$2,522/Year - But Gains Plateau, and VPS Is Banned
We ran a one-year Monte Carlo simulation from evaluation to payout for TradeDay's $50K plans (Quick Pay Intraday, Quick Pay EOD, Fast Pass EOD), a futures prop firm. Confirmed against the official pricing card and help center on September 25, 2026. The monthly fee only applies during evaluation and stops once you pass; there's no activation fee and no daily loss limit. At 0.30 lots and zero edge, Quick Pay Intraday comes out best among Category B firms (self-built automation only) at +$2,522/year. That said, the profit split is 50%, and the sim account is capped at $10,000 in cumulative profit, so even with edge you're looking at only around +$8,000/year. VPS is banned, and so are off-the-shelf bots.
![[September 2026] We calculated Tradeify's expected value | At zero edge all 3 formats give a small profit; with an edge, Select Daily wins](/og/en/tradeify-expected-value-2026-09.png)
[September 2026] We calculated Tradeify's expected value | At zero edge all 3 formats give a small profit; with an edge, Select Daily wins
A one-year Monte Carlo comparison of futures prop firm Tradeify's $50K plans (Growth, Select Flex, Select Daily), run from evaluation through payouts. Confirmed against the official pricing cards and help center on September 25, 2026. All plans are one-time purchases with no activation fee. At 0.30 lots and zero edge, the three are roughly even — Growth +$1,255, Select Daily +$1,132, Select Flex +$1,118 — but with a 'medium' edge, Select Daily, which pays out daily, leads at +$24,218. Running a bot requires proof of ownership (a live video of you personally launching the code), and using the same bot across multiple firms is prohibited.
![[Experience Report] The Full Record of My Funded7 ¥2M Account | A ¥10,530 Fee (Refunded) Turned Into ¥1.15M in Payouts, Then 'Graduation' [September 2026]](/og/en/funded7-2m-account-record-2026-09.png)
[Experience Report] The Full Record of My Funded7 ¥2M Account | A ¥10,530 Fee (Refunded) Turned Into ¥1.15M in Payouts, Then 'Graduation' [September 2026]
This is the record the site owner kept, from starting an evaluation on a Funded7 2-phase ¥2M account in March 2026 with a ¥10,530 fee (half-off coupon, later refunded), through the account's closure in September. Covers how many days it took to pass Phase 1 and 2, the P&L on the two funded accounts, the dates and amounts of all 12 payouts, and the final settlement. The story of choosing the smallest account size on the assumption that "you can only get about ¥1M out of any single firm" -- and ending up ahead of that estimate -- plus why you should operate on the assumption that a prop account will eventually end.
![Funded7's Payout Was Held Under OREF "Rule 1" | Explaining the MIN(median×2.5, Q3+1.5×IQR) Consistency Review With a Real Review Email [September 2026]](/og/en/funded7-oref-rule1-position-sizing-payout-delayed-2026.png)
Funded7's Payout Was Held Under OREF "Rule 1" | Explaining the MIN(median×2.5, Q3+1.5×IQR) Consistency Review With a Real Review Email [September 2026]
A Funded7 payout request came back DELAYED for failing "Rule 1 (Consistency): Position Sizing" R1A. We break down the official FAQ's allowable threshold — MIN(median×2.5, Q3+1.5×IQR) — using real figures from a review email sent to this site's owner (median ¥1,240,946, IQR ¥17,094, threshold ¥1,274,058, largest position ¥1,294,723). Covers why keeping your lot size too consistent shrinks the threshold, why a fixed-lot BTC EA gets caught, how it differs from Rule 2/Rule 3, why profit isn't confiscated, and how to think about passing on the next review.
BrightFunded, Measured: The Cheapest Loss-Room Unit Price on This Site — But That's the Price Before Add-Ons
Dubai-based BrightFunded, measured directly against the official comparison table and checkout across 3 plans and all 6 sizes on September 23, 2026. 2-Step Classic's fee per $1,000 of loss room is $57.0 — the cheapest of any plan listed on this site. But that price is before add-ons: +20% of the fee for a 90% profit split, +25% for weekly payouts, and stacking everything brings the total to 1.8x. On top of that, billing is in euros, and Trustpilot's rating is suspended while the official site keeps displaying '4.5.'
FTMO Futures Complete Guide: Automated Trading and VPS Both Officially Allowed as FX Giant Launches Futures in September 2026
A hands-on check of FTMO's official pages for FTMO Futures, the futures prop program FTMO launched on September 1, 2026. Its forbidden-practices page explicitly states "Automated trading is permitted," making it one of the few firms that also explicitly permits VPS and VPN use. Covers full pricing for every size of Growth and Pro, how EOD trailing drawdown works, the consistency rule that only applies during evaluation, the JST close-out deadline, the three platforms (NinjaTrader, Tradovate, TradingView), and whether it's usable from Japan.
![FTMO Futures vs Topstep: FTMO Wins on Expected Value, Topstep Wins on Monthly Cost. If You're Running a Bot, VPS Access Is the Deciding Factor [September 2026]](/og/en/ftmo-futures-vs-topstep-2026-09.png)
FTMO Futures vs Topstep: FTMO Wins on Expected Value, Topstep Wins on Monthly Cost. If You're Running a Bot, VPS Access Is the Deciding Factor [September 2026]
We re-confirmed the rules on both the futures prop leader Topstep and FTMO Futures, which entered the market in September 2026, on September 23, 2026, and compared them. The monthly fee is less than half at Topstep, but running the same lot size through evaluation to payout for a year gives FTMO Futures Pro the higher expected value ($50K, zero edge: +$4,836 vs. +$2,519). Covers activation fees, the fact that you can only withdraw 50% of the balance, an optional daily loss limit, resets that shift your billing date, VPS eligibility, and running a bot on a live account.
Funded Trader Markets (FTM), Measured Directly | Martingale Officially Allowed and Among the Cheapest Per-Dollar-of-Drawdown, But No Track Record to Back It Up
I measured Dubai-based prop firm Funded Trader Markets directly on September 23, 2026, pulling list prices for 5 programs across every size from the official purchase configurator. The firm officially allows martingale and layering within a single account, permits EAs on every account and every phase, and even allows copying from accounts at other firms — an unusually permissive setup. Its fee per $1,000 of loss allowance on 2 Step Plus is $99.8, among the cheapest of any firm listed on this site. On the other hand, its Trustpilot rating is suspended after fake reviews were removed, its IP/VPN restrictions are among the strictest in the industry, and there are multiple places on its own site where the wording contradicts itself, like 'up to 100% profit' vs. 'Up to 90%.'
![[September 2026] I calculated FundedNext Futures' expected value — VPS and automated trading are explicitly allowed; go Legacy with an edge, Flex without one](/og/en/fundednext-futures-expected-value-2026-09.png)
[September 2026] I calculated FundedNext Futures' expected value — VPS and automated trading are explicitly allowed; go Legacy with an edge, Flex without one
Compared FundedNext Futures' 4 plans (Flex, Legacy, Rapid Pro, Rapid Daily) in a full year of Monte Carlo simulation from evaluation to payout. Confirmed prices, reset costs, max loss, and withdrawal conditions on the official help center on September 23, 2026. All plans are one-time purchases with no activation fee. At zero edge, only Flex $50K comes out positive at +$1,388/year; with an edge, Legacy pulls ahead thanks to its larger withdrawal cap. Covers how Flex and Rapid end an account after 5 payouts, plus a comparison against FTMO Futures and Topstep.
![[Beginner's Guide] Futures Prop Rules Explained From Scratch: Contracts, Trailing DD, Consistency, Activation Fees, and Trading Hours](/og/en/futures-prop-firm-rules-beginners-guide-2026-09.png)
[Beginner's Guide] Futures Prop Rules Explained From Scratch: Contracts, Trailing DD, Consistency, Activation Fees, and Trading Hours
A table-based breakdown of US futures prop rules (Topstep, FTMO Futures, The5ers Futures, and others), aimed at FX traders. Covers how contracts map to lots, the difference between EOD trailing and intraday trailing, consistency rules, monthly fees and activation fees, all forced-close times in JST, and contract counts for gold futures (GC/MGC).
![[2026 Update] Futures Prop Automated Trading Policy Comparison | EA/Bot OK or NG at 9 Firms](/og/en/futures-prop-firms-ea-allowed-2026.png)
[2026 Update] Futures Prop Automated Trading Policy Comparison | EA/Bot OK or NG at 9 Firms
A full breakdown of the EA/bot/algo trading policies at Bulenox, MyFundedFutures, Topstep, Apex, Tradeify, Lucid, TPT, Top One, and YRM Prop. Covers whether a 'set-and-forget EA' is allowed on a funded account, the 10-second rule, and copy-trading support, explained from a Japanese trader's perspective.