Moneta Funded Launches to Challenge Prop Trading Norms with Broker Backing

DOVER, Del. – January 16, 2026 – A new player has entered the high-stakes world of proprietary trading with a model it claims will bring unprecedented stability and transparency to a notoriously volatile industry. Moneta Funded officially launched this week, offering traders access to firm capital of up to $2 million, backed directly by the established, regulated global broker Moneta Markets.

The launch aims to address long-standing criticisms of the prop trading sector, where aspiring traders often face unrealistic evaluation targets and firms with questionable operational stability. By leveraging the infrastructure of a regulated entity, Moneta Funded is positioning itself as a more secure bridge between trading talent and significant capital, removing the need for individuals to risk their personal savings.

A New Standard Built on Regulatory Foundations?

At the core of Moneta Funded's proposition is its direct affiliation with Moneta Markets. Unlike many prop firms that operate as standalone entities relying on third-party liquidity providers—a structure that can lead to execution delays, conflicts of interest, or even sudden shutdowns—Moneta Funded is built on the operational backbone of its parent company.

This distinction is critical. Moneta Markets operates under a multi-regulated framework, holding licenses from top-tier authorities like the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) and the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). It also holds licenses in South Africa (FSCA) and the Seychelles (FSA). This regulatory oversight, particularly from respected bodies like ASIC and the FCA, mandates stringent standards for client fund segregation and operational conduct, providing a layer of security not commonly found in the prop trading space. The recent collapse of major firms like MyForexFunds in 2023, which faced fraud allegations from regulators, has left many traders wary, amplifying the demand for credible, transparent partners.

"Most prop firms rely on external liquidity, which can lead to delays, poor execution, or sudden shutdowns," the company stated in its announcement. By contrast, Moneta Funded promises "cleaner execution, lower costs, and a reliable trading environment" by integrating directly with its broker parent. This model seeks to align the firm's success directly with the trader's performance, a dynamic often missing in models designed to profit from evaluation fees rather than shared trading profits.

Democratizing Capital with Rigorous Evaluations

The fundamental promise of prop trading is to solve the retail trader's biggest challenge: undercapitalization. Moneta Funded leans heavily into this, offering a path to manage accounts as large as $2,000,000 with profit splits reaching up to 88%—a figure that is highly competitive with industry leaders like FTMO, which offers splits up to 90%.

The pathway to this capital is the firm's unique "Phoenix Challenge." This evaluation model is a 10-tier system that notably removes time limits, a common pressure point in many other prop firm challenges. Traders begin with a smaller account, such as $2,500, and must consistently hit a 10% profit target at each level to scale up. While the absence of a ticking clock reduces psychological stress, the requirement to achieve a 10% gain ten times over represents a rigorous and lengthy test of a trader's consistency and risk management.

This structure is designed for what the firm calls "serious traders, people who understand risk, follow plans, and want to scale responsibly." It stands in contrast to challenges that can encourage high-risk, short-term gambling to meet tight deadlines. By rewarding consistent performance over an extended period, the Phoenix Challenge appears to filter for long-term profitability rather than short-term luck.

A Strategic Move into the US Market

Perhaps one of Moneta Funded's most strategic decisions is its approach to platform technology, particularly concerning the lucrative but complex U.S. market. While many broker-backed prop firms have been hesitant to serve U.S. clients due to regulatory ambiguity and platform restrictions, Moneta Funded is tackling the issue head-on.

The firm offers the globally popular MetaTrader 5 (MT5) platform for its international clients. For its U.S. and international traders, however, it provides Match-Trader, a modern, web-based platform that has been rapidly gaining traction in the prop industry. This move is significant following recent events where some prop firms were forced to drop MetaTrader platforms for U.S. clients, leaving many traders scrambling for alternatives.

Match-Trader has emerged as a popular solution, adopted by a growing number of firms, including an estimated 50% of the top 10 prop firms. Its browser-based interface, integrated TradingView charts, and built-in performance analytics make it an attractive alternative that circumvents the licensing and regulatory hurdles associated with other platforms in the U.S. By embracing Match-Trader, Moneta Funded not only ensures compliance but also signals a clear intention to capture a segment of the market that some competitors have been forced to abandon.

While the backing of an award-winning broker like Moneta Markets—recognized in 2025 for its forex trading app and low costs—provides significant initial credibility, the ultimate verdict on Moneta Funded will be written by the traders themselves. As a new entity, it has yet to build a public track record, and independent reviews are only beginning to surface. The reputation of its parent company is generally positive on aggregate review sites, though forum discussions reveal a more mixed picture, a common reality for any large-scale brokerage. The firm's success will hinge on its ability to deliver on its promises of a superior customer experience, fast payouts, and a truly fair and supportive trading environment. For thousands of skilled but underfunded traders, the launch represents a new and promising opportunity, but they will be watching closely to see if this broker-backed model truly marks a new era for proprietary trading.