City Traders Imperium (CTI): Rules, Fees & Payouts

CTI offers Instant Funding from $79, Direct Funding from $229, payouts processed within 24 hours and a scaling path up to $4M. Its four programs are the 1-Step Challenge, 2-Step Challenge, Instant Funding and Direct Funding, covering FX, indices, metals and crypto.

Ordane accounts operate on simulated capital. No live funds are traded and no deposits are accepted. Ordane sells one product, the Ordane Instant Account: direct access, no evaluation phase and no challenge, on simulated capital.

In one sentence: CTI offers instant funding from $79, a fully funded Direct Funding track from $229, payouts processed within 24 hours, and a scaling path up to $4M.

This article is for information only and is not investment, financial, or tax advice. Payouts depend on simulated performance under Rulebook v1.4; no level of performance is typical or assured.

This article breaks down the concrete rules, fees and payout conditions of the CTI prop firm: the four funding programs, the instant-funding structure and its rules, what the entry fee buys, the payout processing claim and the restrictions that gate a withdrawal, so you can decide whether it fits your trading style.

What is City Traders Imperium (CTI)?

On its own site, CTI describes a UK-based proprietary trading firm selling four funding programs: the 1-Step Challenge, the 2-Step Challenge, Instant Funding and Direct Funding (City Traders Imperium, retrieved 2026-10-06). The two Step programs are evaluation challenges with targets to pass; the Instant and Direct programs are the straight-to-funded track this article focuses on.

Diagram showing the four CTI funding programs: 1-Step Challenge with an 80% split, 2-Step Challenge, Instant Funding from $79 and Direct Funding with sizes up to $100K — CTI offers four funding paths, from evaluation challenges with an 80% split to direct funding sizes up to $100K.

The evaluation pair follows the classic one-step vs two-step evaluation trade-offs, and the instant pair collapses the difference between an instant account and an evaluation prop firm: you pay and you trade.

Across the programs, CTI's marketing lists funded trading in FX, indices, metals and crypto, covering most of what you can trade on a prop firm account. Program rulebooks differ per program on deadlines, drawdown definitions and style restrictions, so the current program terms at signup are the authoritative source for any rule detail.

What does CTI pricing from $79 include?

CTI offers instant funding that goes straight to funded from $79, with no evaluation to pass (City Traders Imperium, retrieved 2026-10-06). The pricing page presents its fees as one-time payments rather than monthly subscriptions; confirm the billing terms at signup. For the pricing tricks that exist across the industry, the prop firm hidden fees checklist is the general reference.

Chart showing how a $40K Instant Funding account starts at $20K, reaches $22K at the 10% milestone and doubles to the full $40K — Instant Funding starts at 50% of account size; a 10% milestone on the starting balance doubles the account.

What the $79 entry fee covers

The $79 price is the entry point of the Instant Funding lineup on CTI's pricing page: the fee buys the smallest instant account bracket, with no evaluation to pass. Nothing rebills afterwards, and there is no advertised monthly charge to keep the account active. The fee is also a product price rather than margin, a distinction whether prop firms require a deposit explains in full.

What 'no evaluation, no challenge' means for your costs

Because there is no evaluation phase, you are not paying repeatedly for retakes of a challenge you may fail: the one-time fee buys the account itself. A slow month costs nothing beyond your own trading results, and once the fee is paid the account persists as long as you respect the program's rules, whatever the current program terms specify.

What rules apply to a CTI instant account?

The verified ledger for this article supports the instant-funding structure itself: what the $79 fee buys, the fully funded positioning of Direct Funding, and the scaling path. The finer rule set, drawdown type and size, consistency requirements, style restrictions and size brackets, lives in CTI's current program terms, and that fine print is exactly where pre-purchase attention belongs: an audit checklist of any firm's rulebook is the reference to run before paying.

Bar chart comparing drawdown rules: instant 6% static, 1-phase 5% trailing, 2-phase 10% static plus 5% daily — Drawdown types vary by program: static buffers on 2-Phase and instant, trailing on 1-Phase.

Verified statement	What CTI states	Where it is stated
Instant funding	Straight to funded, from $79	CTI homepage
Direct funding	Advertised as fully funded, from $229	CTI homepage
Payout processing	Approved and processed within 24 hours, bank transfer or crypto	CTI homepage
Scaling	Scaling path up to $4M	CTI homepage
Risk warning	The forex market is volatile and carries substantial risks	CFTC advisory

Direct Funding and the 'fully funded' claim

CTI's Elite Direct Funding is advertised as fully funded, from $229 (City Traders Imperium, retrieved 2026-10-06). Fully funded is the marketing claim; what it covers, from which day and on how much of the balance is defined in the program terms at signup. That definition is the exact question to ask before paying, and it is what separates the two straight-to-funded programs. How the profit split is set and how it scales is published in the current program terms; how prop firm profit splits work is the general background.

The $4M scaling path

CTI advertises a scaling path up to $4 million (City Traders Imperium, retrieved 2026-10-06). The structure of that path and its conditions live in the current program terms: treat the ceiling as the advertised destination and verify the route there at signup before counting on it.

CTI payouts: is the 24-hour processing claim real?

CTI states that payouts are approved and processed within 24 hours of request, and its pages list bank transfer and direct crypto as the payout rails (City Traders Imperium, retrieved 2026-10-06). This is a processing claim from CTI's own marketing, not an independently audited figure: no third party audits the clock. For context, how long prop firms take to pay covers the typical ranges across the industry.

Direct Funding profit share scales from 70% up to 100% through the VIP tiers.

Conditions still apply before any first withdrawal: prop firm withdrawal requirements is the general checklist, and understanding the source of prop firm payout money says more about payout reliability than the advertised clock. If a payout is ever denied, what to do if a prop firm denies your payout is the playbook.

The conditions that matter before your first withdrawal:

Condition	Rule
Payout speed	Within 24 hours
Fee model	Advertised as one-time, no subscription
Evaluation	None on the instant track
Instant Funding entry	From $79
Scaling ceiling	Up to $4M
Regulatory risk note	Forex market risk flagged by the CFTC

What does CTI's marketing not tell you?

The CFTC warns that the forex market is volatile and carries substantial risks (CFTC Customer Advisory, retrieved 2026-10-06). Prop firm marketing, CTI's included, leads with funding sizes and payout speed, so price in the scenario the copy never shows: losing the fee to your own rule breach. Running how to audit a prop firm before paying any firm is the standard checklist, whatever the marketing says. CTI's site also offers a free trial on MT5 or Match-Trader to test execution first.

FAQ: City Traders Imperium (CTI)

What is the CTI prop firm and what fees does it charge?

City Traders Imperium (CTI) describes itself on its site as a UK-based proprietary trading firm selling four programs, the 1-Step Challenge, 2-Step Challenge, Instant Funding and Direct Funding, with funded trading listed in FX, indices, metals and crypto. Its fees are advertised as one-time rather than a subscription, with Instant Funding available from $79.

What are the rules on a CTI Instant Funding account?

Instant Funding gives you straight-to-funded access from $79 with no evaluation, and CTI advertises a scaling path up to $4 million. The detailed drawdown, consistency and style rules live in CTI's current program terms, so verify them at signup before you pay.

How fast are CTI payouts?

CTI states that payouts are approved and processed within 24 hours of request, with bank transfer and direct crypto listed as the payout rails. The 24-hour processing window is the firm's own advertised claim rather than an independently audited figure.

Does CTI publish its drawdown rules?

CTI publishes drawdown rules per program in its program terms rather than as one firm-wide number. This article's verified ledger does not carry those figures, so read the current program terms at signup and compare them against a generic risk checklist before paying.

Are CTI fees a subscription?

No, CTI funding fees are advertised as one-time with no monthly subscription. You pay once for the account or challenge and there is no recurring monthly charge; Instant Funding is available from $79.

Sources

City Traders Imperium citytradersimperium.com Retrieved 2026-10-06.
CFTC Customer Advisory cftc.gov Retrieved 2026-10-06.

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