Terms and Conditions

Effective Date: [1-1-2025]

1. Agreement Overview

This agreement is made between you, the user (referred to as “you” or “your”), and SFA FX LTD, also known as SFA Funded (referred to as “we,” “us,” or “our”). By accessing and using our services, you agree to comply with and be bound by these terms and conditions. If you do not agree, you must not use our services.

2. Evaluation Objectives and Trading Rules
1. Trading Period
  • Rule: The trading period starts when the first position is opened and continues until the trader:
    • Completes the objectives (profit targets, minimum trading days).
    • Violates any trading rule or objective.
    • Requests account termination.
  • Note: The trading period is specific to the selected model:
    • Instant Funding: Active immediately upon account activation.
    • 1-Step and 2-Step: Initiated when the first trade is placed.
2. Daily Loss Limit (Static)
  • Instant Funding: 3% of the initial account balance based on start-of-day equity.
  • 1-Step: 5% of the initial account balance based on start-of-day equity.
  • 2-Step: 5% of the initial account balance based on start-of-day equity.
  • Explanation: The daily loss is reset at 00:00 CET each day. This ensures traders have a fresh risk allowance daily.
3. Maximum Loss Limit
  • Instant Funding: Trailing 5% of the all-time highest equity record.
  • 1-Step: 7% of the initial account balance.
  • 2-Step: 10% of the initial account balance.
  • Explanation: This rule ensures a cap on the total drawdown allowed during the evaluation phase.
4. Profit Target
  • Instant Funding: Profit is immediately available for withdrawal (profit split: 90%).
  • 1-Step: A profit target of 10% of the initial balance must be achieved to pass.
  • 2-Step:
    • Phase 1: 10% profit target.
    • Phase 2: 5% profit target.
  • Explanation: Traders must close all positions before their account can be evaluated for passing.
5. Minimum Trading Days
  • Instant Funding: 7 profitable trading days required before a payout request.
  • 1-Step & 2-Step: A minimum of 3 trading days is required for evaluation completion.
6. Trading Instruments
  • Allowed instruments include:
    • Forex.
    • Metals.
    • Indices.
    • Energies.
    • Cryptocurrencies.
  • Leverage:
    • Forex: 1:50.
    • Metals: 1:20.
    • Indices & Energies: 1:20.
    • Crypto: 1:2.
7. Prohibited Trading Practices
  • Traders must avoid strategies or practices that violate sustainable trading ethics, including:
    • Latency Arbitrage: Exploiting price or platform delays.
    • Hedging: Trading long and short simultaneously across accounts.
    • Martingale/Grid Strategies: High-risk, unsustainable trading patterns.
    • Copy Trading: Any form of manual or automated trade copying.
  • Penalty: Violations will result in immediate account suspension and forfeiture of fees.
8. News Trading
  • News trading is not allowed for any account type.
  • Explanation: High-impact news introduces unpredictable volatility that creates an unsustainable trading environment. To ensure fairness and align with real-world trading conditions, profits earned during prohibited windows will not count.
9. Account Inactivity
  • Rule: Accounts must remain active with at least one trade within a 30-day period.
  • Penalty: Accounts with 30 days of inactivity will be deactivated and considered closed.
10. Stop-Loss and Lot Size Rules
  • Stop-Loss: Not required but strongly encouraged as a risk management tool.
  • Lot Size Limits:
    • No upper limits, but trades should align with consistent lot size practices.
    • Excessive lot size fluctuation (e.g., from 0.1 lots to 10 lots within a short period) will be flagged.
3. Prohibited Practices and Risk Management
1. Prohibited Trading Practices

To ensure fairness and sustainability, traders must avoid the following practices. Violations will lead to immediate suspension or account termination:

  1. Latency Arbitrage:
    • Exploiting slow or delayed data feeds to gain unfair pricing advantages.
    • Using software or algorithms to manipulate execution times.
  2. Copy Trading:
    • Manually or automatically replicating another trader’s positions.
    • Identical trading patterns detected across multiple accounts will be flagged.
  3. Hedging:
    • Simultaneous opposing positions (long and short) across the same or multiple accounts.
  4. Martingale and Grid Strategies:
    • Placing a sequence of trades that exponentially increase risk (e.g., doubling lot size after each loss).
  5. Toxic Trading Flow:
    • Practices like gap trading, reverse arbitrage, tick scalping, or strategies that exploit demo-specific features not replicable in live markets.
  6. High-Frequency Trading (HFT):
    • Executing trades at an unreasonably high volume or speed relative to standard market conditions.
  7. Server Spamming:
    • Overloading the system with excessive orders or trade requests within a short time frame.
2. News and Market Event Trading
  • Rule: Trading during high-impact news events is prohibited.
  • Explanation:
    • Trades executed 5 minutes before or after a high-impact news release will not count toward evaluation or profit targets.
    • Violations may result in profit removal or account termination.
  • Enforcement:
    • High-impact events are based on reputable calendars like Forex Factory.
    • The platform may auto-close trades during restricted time windows to ensure compliance.
3. Consistency Rule
  • Instant Funding Accounts:
    • Profit consistency threshold: Traders must ensure that no single trade or day exceeds 15% of total profits.
    • Explanation: This prevents over-reliance on high-risk, single-event gains and promotes sustainable trading practices.
    • Penalty: Failure to adhere to the consistency rule may result in disqualification.
4. Risk Management Enforcement

To ensure alignment with real-market conditions, SFA Funded reserves the right to:

  1. Evaluate Risk Practices:
    • Accounts displaying excessive risk (e.g., >10% drawdown within a single day) will be flagged for review.
    • Adjust trading permissions based on historical performance.
  2. Terminate Accounts:
    • Any account engaging in unsustainable practices, such as gambling behavior or excessive risk-taking, may be terminated without prior notice.
  3. Limit Order Size and Frequency:
    • Daily trade volume or lot size limits may be enforced for accounts with unusual trading behavior.
5. Penalties for Violations

Violations of prohibited trading practices will result in one or more of the following:

  1. Account Suspension: Trading privileges are revoked until further review.
  2. Profit Forfeiture: Gains made through prohibited practices will be voided.
  3. Immediate Termination: Accounts involved in repeat or egregious violations will be permanently closed.
6. Demo vs. Real Market Conditions

Traders are reminded of the differences between demo and real accounts:

  • Demo Environment:
    • No slippage, instant execution, and higher liquidity.
  • Real Environment:
    • Slippage, execution delays, and liquidity constraints based on market conditions.

Traders are encouraged to consider these factors when developing strategies to ensure they are sustainable and scalable in real markets.

4. Refund Policy and Account Termination
1. Refund Policy
  1. Refund for Registration Fees:
    • Registration fees for evaluation accounts are refundable only if no trades have been executed.
    • If you begin trading, the refund policy no longer applies.
  2. Refund Process:
    • Refund requests must be submitted within 14 days of purchase.
    • To request a refund, contact us via email at [email protected] with proof of payment and account details.
    • Refunds will be processed within 5-10 business days depending on the payment method.
  3. Non-Refundable Scenarios:
    • Fees paid for funded accounts or evaluations after a breach.
    • Accounts that have breached trading rules or violated SFA Funded’s policies.
2. Grounds for Account Termination
  1. Violation of Trading Rules:
    • Accounts that breach daily drawdown, maximum loss, or consistency rules will be immediately terminated.
  2. Prohibited Practices:
    • Engaging in toxic trading strategies (e.g., latency arbitrage, high-frequency trading, martingale strategies) will result in account termination.
  3. Failure to Comply with KYC:
    • Traders who fail to complete the Know Your Customer (KYC) verification process after passing the evaluation will have their accounts suspended and ultimately terminated if not resolved within 14 days.
  4. Inactivity:
    • Accounts with no trading activity for 30 days will be deemed inactive and terminated.
  5. Suspicious Activity:
    • Any fraudulent behavior, including multiple accounts under one individual or unauthorized access, will lead to immediate account closure and potential legal action.
3. Appeals and Reinstatements
  1. Requesting a Review:
    • Traders can appeal account suspensions or terminations by contacting [email protected] within 7 days of the incident.
    • Include supporting evidence (e.g., trade logs, screenshots) to validate your appeal.
  2. Resolution Timeline:
    • Appeals will be reviewed by the compliance team, and a decision will be communicated within 5 business days.
  3. Reinstatement Criteria:
    • Accounts terminated for minor infractions may be reinstated after a thorough review.
    • Reinstated accounts may have stricter trading conditions imposed as a precaution.
4. Refunds for Add-Ons or Special Programs
  1. Refunds on Add-Ons:
    • Fees paid for optional add-ons (e.g., profit split upgrades, extended active days) are non-refundable.
  2. Special Programs:
    • Traders who participate in promotional offers or discounted programs are not eligible for refunds on registration or funded account fees.
5. Termination Without Liability
  • SFA Funded reserves the right to terminate accounts at any time if the company’s interests, reputation, or operational stability are at risk.
  • This includes, but is not limited to:
    • Violations of SFA Funded’s Terms & Conditions.
    • Activities that undermine the trust and security of the trading platform.
6. Acknowledgment of Risk
  1. Trading is High Risk:
    • Traders must understand that financial markets are volatile, and there is no guarantee of profit.
    • By registering with SFA Funded, you acknowledge and accept the inherent risks involved.
  2. SFA Funded’s Liability:
    • The company is not liable for losses incurred due to market conditions, trading errors, or breaches of trading rules.
5. Account Management and Appeals

At SFA Funded, account integrity and proper trading behavior are paramount. We ensure transparency in managing accounts and provide clear guidelines for appeals in case of discrepancies or suspensions.

  • Account Suspension and Termination
    SFA Funded reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts if users are found violating trading rules, using prohibited strategies, or engaging in unethical practices. Users will be notified via email with the reasons for suspension or termination, and steps for appeal.
  • Appeal Process
    Users can appeal account suspensions by submitting a formal request to [email protected] within 7 days of receiving the notification. Appeals must include the user’s account details and an explanation addressing the alleged violations. Our team will review the appeal within 5 business days and notify the user of the final decision.
  • Technical Issues
    If technical issues or errors arise that affect trading performance, users must report them immediately to [email protected]. Issues reported later than 24 hours after occurrence may not be eligible for review.
6. Indemnity and Liability

SFA Funded provides access to trading evaluations on a simulated platform, and as such, holds no liability for trading losses, technical errors, or other risks associated with financial markets.

  • Limitation of Liability
    SFA Funded shall not be liable for losses incurred during evaluations or funded accounts due to market volatility, liquidity conditions, or technical malfunctions. The use of our services is at the user’s own risk.
  • Indemnification Clause
    Users agree to indemnify and hold SFA Funded, its employees, and partners harmless from any claims, liabilities, damages, or expenses arising from the use of the platform, breach of rules, or disputes with third-party services (e.g., brokers or payment providers).
  • Simulated Trading Environment
    All evaluations and funded accounts are conducted in a simulated trading environment. Users acknowledge that execution conditions may differ from real market environments, and trading results are not guaranteed to replicate actual market performance.
7. Risk Disclosure

Trading in financial markets is inherently risky, and SFA Funded aims to provide clear warnings to ensure users are fully aware of the risks involved.

  • High-Risk Investment Warning
    Trading forex, commodities, and other financial instruments carries significant risks and may not be suitable for all individuals. Users should only trade with funds they can afford to lose.
  • Simulated Account Risks
    SFA Funded operates on a simulated trading platform. Simulated accounts may not reflect real trading conditions, including but not limited to slippage, liquidity issues, or execution speed. Users are encouraged to factor these differences into their trading strategy.
  • Past Performance Disclaimer
    Historical trading performance is not indicative of future results. Users should not rely solely on past performance to make trading decisions.
  • Personal Responsibility
    By using SFA Funded’s services, users acknowledge they fully understand the risks associated with trading and accept sole responsibility for any outcomes resulting from their trades.
8. Intellectual Property and Copyrights
  • Ownership of Content
    All materials, content, and resources on the SFA Funded website, including text, graphics, logos, images, and software, are the exclusive property of SFA Funded or its licensors. These materials are protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.
  • Permitted Use
    Users are granted a limited, non-exclusive, and non-transferable license to access and use the SFA Funded website and its content solely for personal and non-commercial purposes. Unauthorized use of the website or its content is strictly prohibited.
  • Prohibited Actions
    Users may not:
    • Copy, reproduce, modify, distribute, or create derivative works from the website or its content.
    • Use the website or its content for any commercial purpose without explicit permission.
    • Reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble any software or systems used by the website.
  • Trademark Use
    The SFA Funded name, logo, and related trademarks may not be used without prior written consent. Unauthorized use of SFA Funded trademarks is a violation of intellectual property rights and will result in legal action.
9. Amendments to Terms and Conditions
  • Right to Amend
    SFA Funded reserves the right to update or modify these Terms and Conditions at any time without prior notice. Any amendments will be effective immediately upon posting to the website.
  • Notification of Changes
    Users will be notified of significant changes to the Terms and Conditions through their registered email address or dashboard notifications. Continued use of the platform constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.
  • User Responsibility
    It is the user’s responsibility to review the Terms and Conditions periodically for updates. Failure to do so does not exempt the user from compliance with the updated terms.
10. Acceptance and Agreement
  • Binding Agreement
    By registering for an account, purchasing an evaluation, or using the SFA Funded website, users confirm they have read, understood, and agreed to all Terms and Conditions.
  • Acknowledgment of Rules
    Users acknowledge they are aware of all trading rules, objectives, and restrictions outlined in the Terms and Conditions. Participation in any program signifies full acceptance of these terms.
  • Voluntary Participation
    Users confirm their participation in SFA Funded programs is voluntary and that they understand the risks associated with trading in financial markets.
  • Legal Binding
    This agreement is legally binding and enforceable under the laws of the United Arab Emirates. Users unable to comply with the Terms and Conditions should refrain from using the platform.