IC Funded – the IC Markets broker joins the prop-trading trend

It's rising IC Funded – international broker IC Markets expands its operations by proptrading. Surprised? We do not. At the end of February 2024, we published an article with the title “Forex brokers are getting into proptrading. A new trend visible in the industry". We pointed out a trend that is becoming more and more clear and mentioned several brokers who have already entered the business of funded accounts. And it didn't take long for other big players to join this race.

What is proptrading?

This is a model of cooperation between a proptrading company and a trader, where the prop company provides access to tools, a platform and, above all, capital, in exchange for a share in the profits that the trader generates on the company's account. The division of profits often reaches 80-90% to the trader, however, the condition is the need to undergo a form of selection, which is most often the so-called investment challenge (challenges). Participation in the challenge requires a fee, although more and more companies guarantee a refund of the initial fee after successfully completing the verification stage.

CHECK: Proptrading companies – List of the best offers 2024

IC Funded – start of IC Markets proptrading soon

IC Markets is one of the largest retail Forex brokers in the world. The company is extremely popular, especially in Asia (recently also IC Trading, which has an identical offer and is appreciated by traders from Europe). Now, in addition to its CFD trading brokerage activities, the company is challenging rivals in the prop trading industry. A new domain has been created - ICFunded.com – where customers can already register, although only in Beta mode for now. Is this likely to work? Of course. Individual traders are increasingly interested in cooperation with prop trading companies, which will provide them with access to much more capital in exchange for a share of profits. In the case of brokers, the task is much easier because not only do they already have a customer base, but they can also act as intermediaries in concluding these transactions. This is a classic win-win situation.

Despite the fact that the proptrading sector is developing very quickly and at the same time there is no shortage of scandals (e.g. MetaQuotes forced brokers to end cooperation with some props), it remains in a regulatory gray zone. Most service providers only offer demo accounts, which are not subject to any top-down regulations. Large players who have an established position on the market, credibility and even guaranteed solvency benefit from all this. Regulation of this market seems to be inevitable in the long term, and brokers with human resources and capital should again gain an advantage. Will smaller prop-trading companies have to go on the offensive? Probably yes, and traders will certainly benefit from this.