City Traders Imperium review
City Traders Imperium (CTI) is a prop trading firm founded in London in 2018 by Daniel Martin and Martin Najat, making it one of the longer-running brands in the category. Its original UK company was later renamed and has since been dissolved; CTI now operates through a Comoros-registered legal entity (City Traders Imperium Limited, license L15969/CTI) alongside CTI FZCO in Dubai and an operating office in Costa Rica. It sells 1- and 2-step CFD evaluations plus an Instant Funding track, on $2,500-$100,000 accounts, with unusually permissive rules for the category - no consistency requirement and news, weekend and overnight trading all allowed. Profit splits start at 80% on Challenge accounts (only 50% on Instant Funding) and scale toward 100% through a VIP tier system. As with the category generally, it is not financially regulated and accounts are simulated.
City Traders Imperium key facts
- Website: citytradersimperium.com
- Category: Prop trading firm
- Founded: 2018 (London, UK)
- Headquarters: Comoros entity; Costa Rica office; Dubai FZCO
- Model: 1- or 2-step Challenge, or Instant Funding
- Account sizes: $2.5K-$100K (scaling to $2M-$4M)
- Profit split: 80% base (50% on Instant), up to 100%
- Trustpilot: ~4.3/5 from 1,600+ reviews
- CEO: Daniel Martin
- FYI Score: 76.8/100 (ranked #41 of the 63 prop trading firms we track)
Rules and risk
- Drawdown is calculated on balance rather than equity across all programs, and CTI states there are no hidden consistency rules on top of the profit target and drawdown limits.
- News trading, weekend holding and overnight holding are all permitted - a more permissive stance than many category peers that restrict news trading.
- Personal expert advisors are allowed on Challenge accounts (third-party EAs are not), and martingale strategies are prohibited across the board.
Payouts and scaling
- Profit split starts at 80% on Challenge accounts (only 50% on Instant Funding) and climbs to 100% through a Bronze/Silver/Gold VIP tier system.
- Funded accounts scale aggressively: balance doubles at each 10% profit milestone, up to $2,000,000 per account or $4,000,000 combined across two accounts.
- First payout typically lands within 5-7 days of qualifying; minimum withdrawal is $100.
City Traders Imperium evaluation challenges
| Challenge | Steps | Profit target | Max drawdown | Profit split | Price |
|---|
| 1-Step Challenge | 1-step | 8% | 5% | 80% | from $29 · $2.5K-$100K |
| 2-Step Challenge | 2-step | 10% | 10% | 80% | from $39 · $2.5K-$100K |
| Instant Funding | — | — | 6% | 50% | from $79 · $2.5K-$80K |
Markets
Forex, Commodities, Indices, Crypto
Platforms
MetaTrader 5, Match-Trader
Who City Traders Imperium is for
A reasonable fit for a trader who values a permissive rule set (news trading and weekend holding allowed, no consistency rule) and a firm with a longer track record, and who is comfortable with Instant Funding's lower 50% starting split. The 2-Step's 10% first-phase target is on the harder end of the category.
Pros
- One of the longer operating histories in the category - founded in 2018 with a multi-year, independently-reviewed payout track record.
- Permissive rule set: no consistency requirement, and news, weekend and overnight trading are all allowed.
- Well-corroborated Trustpilot reputation, sitting around 4.3/5 across 1,600+ reviews on several independent trackers.
- Aggressive account scaling - balances can double at each 10% profit milestone up to $2M per account.
Cons
- Its original UK company (City Traders Imperium Limited) has since been renamed and dissolved; the firm now runs through a Comoros-registered entity with a Costa Rica office address, a less transparent structure than the London-founded brand story implies.
- Not financially regulated, and accounts are simulated rather than live brokerage trading.
- Instant Funding starts traders at only a 50% profit split and half the stated account balance - a much lower entry point than the firm's 'up to 100%' headline suggests.
- Some trader reports cite withdrawal delays and slow customer-service responsiveness.
City Traders Imperium FAQ
Is City Traders Imperium legit?
CTI is a real, operating firm that has been running since 2018 under founders Daniel Martin and Martin Najat, with a well-corroborated Trustpilot rating around 4.3/5 across 1,600+ reviews. Its original UK-registered company has since been renamed and dissolved, and it now operates through a Comoros-registered legal entity with offices in Costa Rica and Dubai.
What evaluation options does CTI offer?
A 1-Step Challenge (8% target, no daily loss limit), a traditional 2-Step (10% then 5%, with a 5% daily and 10% max drawdown), and an Instant Funding track that skips the evaluation but starts the trader at half the stated account size and a 50% profit split.
Is City Traders Imperium regulated?
No. Like the rest of the prop-firm category, CTI is not authorised by a financial regulator and its accounts are simulated evaluation and funded environments rather than live brokerage accounts.
How does the profit split and scaling work?
Challenge accounts start at an 80% split; Instant Funding starts lower, at 50%. Both scale toward 100% through a Bronze/Silver/Gold VIP tier system. Funded balances also scale automatically, doubling at each 10% profit milestone up to $2,000,000 per account.
Compare City Traders Imperium with other prop trading firms
See all prop trading firms ranked by FYI →
Affiliate program terms
Home · CFD Brokers · Brokers · Crypto · Prop firms · Prediction markets · Media · Influencers · Solutions