OANDA to Transfer Prop Trading Unit to FTMO Group by March 2026

OANDA will transfer its proprietary trading division, OANDA Prop Trader, to the FTMO Group, separating its regulated brokerage business from evaluation-based prop trading activities.

The transition will begin on March 2, 2026, and conclude on March 31, 2026. During this period, existing OANDA Prop Trader clients will be invited to migrate to FTMO’s standalone platform. Traders who decline the transfer may be eligible for refunds depending on account status. Accounts that do not migrate will be closed by the end of the transition window.

The move follows FTMO’s earlier acquisition of OANDA and consolidates all proprietary trading operations under the FTMO structure. After the transition, OANDA will focus exclusively on its regulated brokerage business.

Regulatory Separation

OANDA operates as a regulated broker under authorities including the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the National Futures Association (NFA), and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Its brokerage activities include spread-based trading revenue, contracts for difference (CFDs), and institutional data services, subject to capital requirements and client fund segregation rules.

Evaluation-based proprietary trading models differ structurally. Participants pay fees to attempt to meet predefined profit targets within drawdown limits. A minority qualify for funded accounts and receive profit splits, commonly structured at 80/20 or 90/10. Revenue is primarily generated from evaluation fees rather than live trading performance.

Operating both models within a regulated brokerage framework can create regulatory and disclosure complexities. Separating the businesses reduces compliance overlap and legal exposure.

​FTMO’s Business Model

FTMO, founded in 2015 in Prague by Otakar Šuffner and Marek Vašíček, built its model around paid trader evaluation programs. The company uses simulated trading environments during evaluation phases, centralized risk controls, and fee-based participation.

The retail prop trading sector expanded during the 2020–2021 surge in retail market participation. Regulatory scrutiny intensified in subsequent years. In 2023, the CFTC filed charges against My Forex Funds over alleged misconduct linked to its evaluation program, drawing attention to the marketing and supervision of simulated funding models.

Centralizing proprietary trading under FTMO isolates the evaluation model from OANDA’s regulated balance sheet and places challenge rules, payout policies, and enforcement processes within a single operational framework.

Impact on Traders and Industry Context

Following the transition, migrating traders will operate under FTMO’s standardized rules, including defined profit targets, daily loss limits, scaling conditions, and payout structures. After March 31, 2026, OANDA will no longer operate a proprietary trading program.

The restructuring reflects broader industry trends. Since 2023, retail prop firms have faced increased regulatory scrutiny, particularly regarding marketing practices and account classification. Payment providers have also tightened oversight of higher-risk financial services categories.

Upon completion of the migration, OANDA will remain a regulated brokerage serving retail and institutional clients, while FTMO will retain full control over the group’s challenge-based proprietary trading operations.