Instant Funding Acquires Rival, Forging a New Prop Trading Powerhouse

LONDON, UK – May 26, 2026 – In a landmark move signaling significant consolidation within the proprietary trading industry, London-based Instant Funding today announced its acquisition of rival firm Funded Trading Plus (FTP). The deal, projected to increase the combined group's revenue by a staggering 70%, unites two of the UK's most prominent names in the sector under a single strategic umbrella.

While the financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, the strategic intent is clear: to forge a more dominant, technology-driven, and diversified proprietary trading group. Both the Instant Funding and Funded Trading Plus brands will continue to operate independently, a move designed to ensure continuity for their vast user bases while leveraging shared resources behind the scenes.

A Strategic Consolidation in a Competitive Market

The acquisition arrives at a pivotal moment for the proprietary trading industry, a sector characterized by rapid growth and intense competition. This move by Instant Funding is seen by market observers as a definitive step away from the precarious "race to the bottom," a term used by FTP's own leadership to describe a trend of firms offering unsustainable discounts and conditions, often leading to instability and collapse. By combining forces, Instant Funding and FTP are positioning themselves as a more stable and robust entity capable of long-term growth.

This merger represents a significant concentration of market power. Funded Trading Plus, established in 2021 from the foundations of the 2013 live trade room "Trade Room Plus," has built a formidable reputation. It serves over 60,000 traders across more than 180 countries and has paid out over $19.5 million in rewards. Its success is built on a "trader-first" ethos, pioneering the "No Time Limit" evaluation model that has since become an industry standard.

Instant Funding, led by CEO Lewis Mansbridge since 2020, has carved out its own niche with a focus on speed, accessible capital, and technology-led solutions, earning it the "Fastest Growing Firm" award in 2023. The union of these two London-based powerhouses creates a group with significant operational scale, a diverse product portfolio, and a shared ambition to lead the market through innovation rather than aggressive pricing alone.

What the Merger Means for Traders

For the tens of thousands of traders who use these platforms, the immediate message from the newly formed group is one of stability and enhancement. Both companies have stressed that their respective platforms will continue to operate as normal, with no immediate changes to account terms or trading conditions. The primary goal is to combine the best attributes of both firms to create a superior trading experience.

Traders are poised to benefit from the synthesis of two distinct but complementary philosophies. Funded Trading Plus is renowned for its flexible and trader-friendly environment, offering features like no minimum trading days, flexible drawdown rules, and famously rapid weekly payouts from day one. Their account scaling plan, which allows successful traders to manage up to $2.5 million, is a major draw.

Instant Funding brings its own strengths, particularly in technological innovation and streamlined processes. The firm has been at the forefront of integrating AI-driven tools for traders and is known for its fast, transparent funding solutions. The acquisition will allow the group to accelerate investment in a shared technology stack, potentially leading to more advanced trading platforms like DXtrade, Match-Trader, cTrader, and MT5, a wider array of tradable assets, and more sophisticated analytical tools for all customers.

Lewis Mansbridge, CEO of Instant Funding, commented on the strategic vision, stating, "This acquisition is an important milestone for Instant Funding and represents far more than growth through scale. It strengthens our operational capabilities, expands our product ecosystem, and gives us a stronger foundation to continue innovating for traders."

Building a Future-Ready Trading Group

This acquisition is fundamentally a strategic play for the future. It reflects Instant Funding's ambition to evolve beyond a single-brand proposition into a scalable, multi-faceted business poised for long-term dominance in the global proprietary trading industry. The combined group's stated focus areas underscore this forward-looking approach.

Key priorities include accelerating platform and product innovation, enhancing operational efficiency, and making significant investments in long-term technology and platform development. By sharing infrastructure and operational expertise, the group aims to create a more resilient and scalable business model that can adapt to the evolving demands of the market and its traders.

"Our focus is on building a more efficient, technology-driven and forward-looking trading group that delivers better experiences, stronger infrastructure and more opportunities for traders over the long term," Mansbridge added in the announcement. This long-term perspective is crucial in an industry that has seen its share of fleeting successes and sudden failures.

Navigating the Prop Trading Landscape

The business model of proprietary trading firms like Instant Funding and FTP is unique and often misunderstood. These firms provide traders with access to simulated capital in a virtual environment. Traders who meet specific profit targets and risk management criteria on these simulated accounts are then rewarded with a share of the "profits" generated, which are paid out by the firm. Because they are not managing external client funds or providing regulated investment advice, these firms typically operate outside the direct oversight of bodies like the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), though they must adhere to standard business and anti-money laundering regulations.

This model has democratized access to trading capital, but it also places immense importance on a firm's operational integrity, financial stability, and technological prowess. The merger of Instant Funding and Funded Trading Plus is a calculated move to fortify these very pillars. By creating a larger, better-capitalized, and more technologically advanced entity, the group is not only enhancing its competitive edge but also providing a greater sense of security and opportunity for the global community of traders who rely on their platforms for their professional endeavors. The combined entity is now strongly positioned to navigate the complexities of the global financial markets and lead the next wave of innovation in the proprietary trading space.