IQ Capital review
IQ Capital is a young, crypto-native prop firm founded by Christoph Radecker (co-founder of The Trading Pit). It sells one-step Challenges and instant funding across crypto, CFDs and futures, on $50K-$200K accounts with a flat 90% profit split and a public, unusually detailed rulebook. The caveats are structural: it is unregulated, trades in a simulated environment, runs through an offshore entity (Beyond IQ Capital LTD, Saint Lucia), is very new with a short track record, and leans hard on permanent-looking discounts.
IQ Capital key facts
- Website: www.iqcapital.io
- Category: Prop trading firm
- Founded: 2025
- Legal entity: Beyond IQ Capital LTD (Saint Lucia)
- Model: One-step Challenge or Instant Funding
- Account sizes: $50K–$200K (scaling to $2M)
- Profit split: 90% flat
- CEO: Christoph Radecker
- FYI Score: 83.1/100 (ranked #113 of the prop trading firms we track)
Trading rules and risk
- End-of-day trailing drawdown: at each New York close a line is set ~5-6% below your highest prior-day equity and only ever moves up; breaching it ends the account.
- A per-market risk cap — 1% of starting balance on Challenges, 0.5% on funded accounts — where all positions in the same instrument (e.g. all BTC/USDT) count as one trade; the first two breaches are soft (position auto-closed), the third is a hard breach that ends the account.
- Leverage is capped by asset class (up to 50x FX, 25x indices/commodities, 5x BTC/ETH/SOL, 3x other crypto), and futures accounts are intraday-only with no overnight or weekend holds.
- A scalping rule requires at least 50% of trades and 50% of profits to come from positions held longer than 15 seconds.
Payouts and profit split
- Flat 90% profit split to the trader with no threshold — one of the more generous headline splits in the category.
- A 48-hour reward guarantee: IQ Capital says it pays approved rewards within 48 hours or grants a 100% split on that payout.
- Payouts available in USDC and other stablecoins as well as bank transfer and local methods; each request can draw up to 50% of total profits, with per-request caps that rise as you complete more payouts.
- Company-reported figures at the time of writing: 20,000+ funded traders across 52 countries and $3.5M+ paid out — self-reported, not independently audited.
IQ Capital evaluation challenges
| Challenge | Steps | Profit target | Max drawdown | Profit split | Price |
|---|
| CFD + Crypto Challenge | 1-step | 8% | 6% | 90% | — |
| Futures Challenge | 1-step | 6% | 5% | 90% | — |
Markets
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Platforms
MetaTrader 5, Volumetrica, ATAS, Deepchart, Quantower
Who IQ Capital is for
IQ Capital suits an active crypto or futures trader who wants a cheap, fast route into a funded evaluation, values a high 90% split and quick crypto payouts, and is comfortable reading and trading inside a strict per-market risk framework. It is a weaker fit for anyone who wants a regulated counterparty, real (not simulated) market execution, or the reassurance of a long operating history — and anyone comparing prices should look past the discounted headline to the recurring and standing fees.
Pros
- A genuinely detailed, public rulebook — drawdown, per-market risk, consistency, leverage and breach logic are all spelled out with worked examples, which is more transparency than many rivals offer.
- Flat 90% profit split from the first dollar, with no profit threshold before the higher split kicks in.
- Very low effective entry after the standing discounts (headline plans from $199, often shown at $40-$200), and a fast 48-hour payout guarantee with USDC/crypto options.
- Broad market access — 400+ crypto pairs plus CFDs and futures — on established platforms (MetaTrader 5, ATAS, Quantower) rather than a single proprietary tool.
- Founder Christoph Radecker has a visible industry track record (trading-championship finalist, NinjaTrader Europe, co-founder of The Trading Pit).
Cons
- Not financially regulated: IQ Capital's own disclosures describe "simulated evaluation environments or proprietary funded accounts," and it operates through an offshore entity (Beyond IQ Capital LTD, Saint Lucia) whose Cyprus paying agent states it does not carry out regulated financial activity.
- Very new, with a short operating history and a review base still in the hundreds — there is little long-run evidence yet on how it handles scale, disputes or a stressed market.
- Marketing leans on permanent-looking urgency ("80% off", "Get Funded for $1", "#1 in Prop Trading"), so the eye-catching prices are promotional, not the standing $199-$999 rates.
- Costs stack beyond the "one-time fee" framing: a recurring monthly fee ($5-$19) plus activation and (on funded accounts) renewal fees apply.
- The per-market 1% / 0.5% risk cap is strict and easy to trip by scaling into one instrument; three breaches end the account in both the Challenge and the funded stage.
IQ Capital FAQ
Is IQ Capital legit?
IQ Capital is a real, operating firm founded by Christoph Radecker, with a public rulebook, a named offshore legal entity (Beyond IQ Capital LTD, Saint Lucia), and a Trustpilot rating around 4.7 out of 5 across a few hundred reviews. It is, however, a young firm with a short track record, so there is limited long-run evidence on how it handles disputes or scale. Treat its self-reported metrics (20,000+ funded traders, $3.5M+ paid out) as company figures rather than audited numbers.
Is IQ Capital regulated?
No. IQ Capital is not authorised by a financial regulator. Its own disclosures describe trading in "simulated evaluation environments or proprietary funded accounts," and it operates through an offshore structure (Beyond IQ Capital LTD in Saint Lucia, with a Cyprus paying agent that states it does not perform regulated financial activities). You are buying access to a simulated evaluation and funding program, not a regulated brokerage or investment account.
What does IQ Capital actually cost?
Standing plan prices run from $199 for a $50K Challenge to $999 for a $200K Challenge (with lower prices on the futures track), but the site almost always displays a large discount — commonly around 80% off — bringing the shown entry to roughly $40-$200. On top of the one-time fee, a recurring monthly fee ($5 on CFD/crypto plans, $19 on futures) applies, and funded accounts carry activation and periodic renewal fees. The advertised "$1" entry is a promotional hook, not the standing price.
How does the profit split and payout work?
IQ Capital pays a flat 90% of profits to the trader and keeps 10%, with no threshold. It advertises a 48-hour reward guarantee — approved payouts within 48 hours or a 100% split on that payout — and supports USDC/stablecoin payouts as well as bank transfer. Each payout request can take up to 50% of total profits, with the maximum per request rising as you complete more payouts. Funded accounts must also satisfy a 30% consistency rule (no single day above 30% of total profit).
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