Most Famous Proprietary Traders That Made a Fortune

Proprietary trading, or prop trading for short, has been around for years and some traders have managed to build up a fortune and achieved financial self-sufficiency doing so.

Proprietary trading firms allow clients to access increased levels of funding in exchange for a fixed or monthly fee and funding levels can reach as high as $1 million and more.

Successful traders often choose the social media route to go on podcasts and create content of their own to tell their stories and inspire novice traders by their strategies and give some advice on how to be a successful prop trader.

While it is impossible to say that anyone can build a fortune with prop trading, the most successful traders do highlight a few key factors that increase your odds of success.

Is it possible to make a fortune with proprietary trading?

Before we dive into the list of the most successful prop traders, it is important to understand more about what prop trading is and how it differs from trading with your own capital .

A proprietary trading firm is a company that has access to capital and hires traders to fund them in exchange for a cut of their returns. The typical profit agreement is a 90/10 split in favor of the trader, but this can vary greatly among prop firms.

However, this funding comes at a fee, which is charged as a one-time account fee, or a recurring monthly fee, depending on your prop firm, which also imposes some restrictions on how much drawdown you can have and what your percentage profit target is for the period.

If you manage to comply with the requirements set by the firm and deliver desired returns, you can pass the evaluation stage and get real funding, which is where the money starts to come in.

Now let’s look at some of the most successful prop traders – who they are, which firms they trade with, and how much they have earned as prop traders.

Pasquale Jungwirth (@pasquale_m_j)

Pasquale Jungwirth is a renowned name in the prop trading space. Born in Munich, Germany, Pasquale has managed to break performance records at several proprietary trading firms, which includes high-profile ones like FTMO and My Forex Funds.

The trader has appeared on numerous podcasts and has collaborated with other prop traders and has stated that his total payout from prop firms has exceeded $2.5 million.

When telling his story on The Way of The CPT podcast, Pasquale told the backstory of how he got into prop trading and how he lost his first $70,000 and spent 16 hours a day researching markets and trading intensively.

Pasquale is known for purchasing dozens of challenges and deploying different strategies on each of them as a method of diversifying his prop strategy, as the risk/return tradeoff is favorable if even a handful of the account manage to make it to funded status.

Pasquale’s Instagram account is also dedicated to trading and has over 13,000 followers. He has hinted at a possible entry into the prop trading space himself and his Instagram bio also features a link to his own prop firm Funded Peaks, which has not yet been released to the public and promises to address some of the pressure points that have been inconveniencing prop traders in the past. What the new firm will offer remains a mystery but interested parties can sign up to the waiting list using their email address.

Noman Iqbal (@limitless_nouman)

Noman Iqbal, known by his moniker Limitless Nouman, is another successful prop trader that has managed to amass a fortune with prop firms and has since launched his own proprietary firm – FundedLions.

Iqbal has managed to achieve a combined funding across multiple accounts of $7.5 million and has made a name for himself as a self-made millionaire.

His Instagram account also states that he has achieved payouts of over $1 million, which is an impressive feat.

Noman Iqbal is also known for going on podcasts and taking all things prop trading and wealth accumulation, seeking to inspire young traders like him to take advantage of their opportunities and become completely financially independent.

Noman also has a youtube channel with roughly 8,000 subscribers where he posts videos about various forex strategies that can lead to greater payouts and less missed opportunities.

Noman has also stated that he has been banned by some prop trading firms due to his ultra-profitable trading strategy and has not been very secretive about how he structures his strategies. More details on his strategy can be found on his YouTube and Instagram accounts.

Kyle Ng (@jadecapfx)

Kyle Ng, also known as JadeCapFX, is a proprietary trader and Instagram influencer that also runs a Discord room with fellow pro trading success Palden Bhutia, better known as Paladin.

Kyle is another prop trading millionaire that has not shied away from publicity and sharing his knowledge of the prop trading scene to newcomers.

His YouTube channel with the same name has 15,000 subscribers and he uploads videos about his strategies and how he has managed to generate $1.2 million with prop trading from a total funding amount of $5 million. His videos are typically short-form and easy to follow, and he discusses which instruments to focus on, how to set up a trading strategy and how to avoid disqualification when dealing with prop firms.

His channel also frequently features other successful prop and day traders that share their experiences and talk about the technical and psychological factors that can doom some traders, while netting others millions of dollars in returns.

Palden Bhutia (@thelifeofpaladin)

Perhaps the most popular prop trading influencer, Palden Bhutia, better known as Paladin, is an experienced prop trader and entrepreneur that also runs his own proprietary trading firm – Skilled Funded Traders.

With over 100,000 Instagram followers and the same number of YouTube followers, Paladin’s content revolves around all things prop trading, such as:

• The basics of prop trading and how the process works
• Proven and tested strategies that deliver high returns
• Tips on how to beat evaluation stages at different prop firms
• Step-by-step funding challenges

Paladin’s YouTube account states that he manages a prop trading portfolio of 7 figures, with multiple 6-figure cashouts to his name. However, the exact amounts are unknown to the viewer.

While a successful prop trader in his own right, Paladin has made more of a name for himself as a trading influencer that frequently collaborates with fellow prop traders and day-traders – discussing strategies, market dynamics, issues with pro trading firms, etc.

His YouTube channel ‘Paladin’ is a great place for beginners to learn more about prop trading and how the process works in practice.

Stan Gluzman (@ciocanatrader)

Stan Gluzman is a popular X-based influencer who writes blog posts on various day-trading topics, which includes prop trading as well.

Gluzman is a successful prop trader that has generated millions of dollars in payouts and is a frequent guest at many trading-related YouTube channels, such as ‘Investors Underground’ and ‘Chat With Traders’, where he discusses different strategies, his journey in prop trading, how firms operate in the industry, and many other topics of interest for proprietary traders.

Stan is a prop trader at Seven Points Capital and has often highlighted the role mental fortitude and preparedness plays in developing a healthy risk tolerance and an ability to pick yourself up after an unsuccessful trade.

Mr Gluzman is more active on X.com, where you can find him under the @CiocanaTrader handle where he posts regularly, with the account being a mix of his personal life and prop trading.

Jason Graystone (@j_graystone)

Jason Graystone is one of the most successful prop traders in the world, with a total funding amount exceeding $25 million.

Jason is active on both Instagram and YouTube, with 40,000 followers and 210,000 subscribers, respectively.

Jason’s content revolves around various prop trading topics and platforms, industry insights, tips on how to get the most out of a funded account, and much more.

However, his YouTube channel is not solely dedicated to prop trading and also includes setups and tips on how to build market-beating day-trading strategies.

The channel can be a good source of information for novice prop traders that want to know more about how it works and how to become consistently profitable and Jason Graystone gives an inside scoop on how to beat challenges and reach the ultimate goal of seven-figure accounts and hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars in profit.

Eshan Balapatabendi (@ebfinance)

Eshan Balapatabendi, often shortened to Eshan Bala, is a YouTuber and prop trader that manages over $2,2 million in prop trading balances and makes video content about prop trading – how it works, how to beat challenges, and what difficulties traders often come across when engaged in prop trading.

Eshan’s YouTube channel has over 17,000 subscribers and he often collaborates with fellow finance YouTubers to discuss a wide range of topics – from day training setups to prop trading challenges and firms.

He has also discussed his personal success story on the channel and tips on how to manage multiple accounts to their full potential. Eshan has also talked about using a Trade Copier to manage accounts on multiple prop firms without running the risk of disqualification.

He often interviews other successful prop traders, as well as CEOs and founders of prop firms to discuss how the industry is doing, what challenges and opportunities there are and what new traders can learn from those who have already achieved success in the industry.

Conclusion

While prop trading may seem challenging at first, plenty of traders seem to have seen success doing it and plenty of content is available on the internet that can help complete beginners learn the ropes and get some insider information about the industry and how it operates.

It is worth noting that some of the most successful prop traders have now opened their own firms, trying to capture a competitive advantage and offer something new based on their experience as traders.

Each of the traders discussed have obtained funding in excess of $1 million and most of them had used multiple prop trading firms to do so. Therefore, beginners should consider the terms and offerings of individual prop firms to make the most of their accounts, accumulating more funds after every successful evaluation.

FAQ on Proprietary Traders That Made a Fortune