🚨This Week's Prop Brief: Awards, Platform Wars & The Martingale Exit

🚨This Week's Prop Brief: Awards, Platform Wars & The Martingale Exit

The prop world just got loud.

One firm walked off with a major public award, another platform drop shook up the UI status quo, and a long-standing rule finally bit the dust. 

Meanwhile, FTMO’s U.S. rollout is drawing fire — and the numbers from Prop Firm Match show exactly which firms are winning trader attention.

If you missed it, here's what hit the desk this week 👇

📊Desk Drop

🏆 Maven Wins 'Most Reliable Prop Firm' at Public Awards

The Trusted Prop Public Awards 2025 crowned Maven Trading as the 'Most Reliable Prop Firm of the Year,' based entirely on public votes.

Traders showed up in force, handing the firm a big win based on consistency, payout trust, and ongoing support. The awards platform will be shipping a physical plaque to Maven HQ soon — and no surprise, sentiment across X was 🔥.

➡️ Reliability pays, literally.

🧠 LarkFunding Removes Martingale Rule

Trader feedback → firm action.

LarkFunding just ditched their martingale rule — a policy traders have been pushing against for months. In a clean, no-drama post, they dropped the news with the tone to match:

“So what did we do? We removed it.”

Rulebook shifts like this are rare. Whether it sparks a trend or remains isolated is unclear — but it’s a win for strategy freedom.

⚙️ The5ers Launches cTrader Access for All

New platform, who dis?

The5ers officially launched cTrader access for all traders, broadening platform compatibility and giving traders who favor a slick, modern interface something fresh to work with.

The update was paired with a walkthrough and soft campaign rollout. For traders who’ve been itching to move off MT4/5, it’s a clear green light.

🔥 FTMO U.S. Reentry Faces Immediate Heat

FTMO’s move to reopen its doors to U.S. traders didn’t exactly get the warmest welcome.

A messy account-switching process between “Global” and “U.S.” websites has caused confusion — and in some cases, account terminations with no refund options. Prop Firm Media called them out publicly, sparking a mini firestorm.

The bottom line: reentry to the U.S. market is official, but not without growing pains.

📊 Prop Firm Match Traffic Rankings – August

The5ers, FundingPips, and AlphaCapitalUK led the pack in August’s Prop Firm Match traffic leaderboard, based on 3.8M page views.

Here’s the Top 5 by trader interest:

1. The 5ers

2. FundingPips

3. AlphaCapitalUK

4. FundedNext

5. QT Funded

Also notable: FTMO slid to #9 despite the U.S. news, while InstantFunding still holds a top-10 spot.

📈 The traffic game mirrors the narrative game — and the leaderboard is always changing.

📦 Gear Worth the Challenge

The rules are changing, platforms are shifting, and payout speed isn’t the only thing worth leveling up. If your desk survived the martingale purge and U.S. comeback tour, these might be worth the splurge.

🕹Stream Deck OG 15-Key Control Pad by Elgato

Trigger chart layouts, TradingView alerts, and vibe music — all with one tap.
Custom macros, clean UI, and the dream tool for workflow automation.
🪙 ~$149 🔗 Elgato

🔈 Bang & Olufsen Beosound Balance

Because when rules get removed, sound should get added. Premium wireless speaker with smart room-filling acoustics. Looks like art, performs like tech.
🪙 ~$3,650 🔗 bang-olufsen.com

💼 Palissy Slim Leather Briefcase by Carl Friedrik

You just unlocked a 90% payout? Walk like it. Italian leather. Sleek as a funded withdrawal. Perfect for café laptop sessions or global prop nomads.
🪙 ~$795 🔗 Carl Friedrik

🛣 When you say you're disciplined… but the discounts hit your inbox:

🧘‍♂️📊 Edge Talk

"Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing."

Warren Buffett

🧨 September Snipe List

Your challenge just got 10–30% easier this month (on the wallet, that is).

🔥 September Surge at Lark Funding
No-nonsense prop meets no-restrictions funding:
✅ 15% OFF all challenges (ends September 30)
❌ No consistency traps
❌ No news restrictions 🧾
Code: SEPTEMBER15
🔗 larkfunding.com

🟠 Smooth 10 from AudaCity Capital
Straightforward and still sharp:
🎯 10% off your next challenge
⏳ Valid all of September
🧾 Code: SEP10
🔗 audacity.capital

🎯 Exclusive Deal via Prop Firm Match x BrightFunded
One of the strongest combos this month:
🎁 30% off all challenges (ends September 8)
🎁 Get a free account if you hit payout
✅ Code: MATCH
🔗 brightfunded.com

UI updates, rulebook cuts, traffic wars — the edge isn’t just on the chart anymore.

Stay adaptable. Stay ahead. 🧠💥

- The PTW Desk