FTMO Swing Account Explained

The FTMO Swing account is an account type within the 2 Step FTMO Challenge that removes the news trading and weekend holding restrictions that otherwise apply once a trader reaches the FTMO Account. The trade off is leverage of up to 1:30, against up to 1:100 on the Standard account type. It is not offered on the 1 Step, and while a Swing account can later switch to Standard, a Standard account cannot switch to Swing.

How the FTMO Swing account works

FTMO sells two account types on the 2 Step: Standard and Swing. Both follow the same trading objectives. The challenge phase has a 10% profit target and the verification a 5% target, each with at least four trading days. Both phases, and the FTMO Account that follows, use a 5% maximum daily loss and a 10% static maximum loss, and there is no time limit.

The two types only differ once the trader passes. During the challenge and verification, news trading and holding positions overnight or over the weekend are allowed on either type. On a funded Standard FTMO Account, two restrictions start to apply:

• News: trades on the targeted instruments cannot be opened or closed from two minutes before to two minutes after selected releases. That includes stop loss and take profit orders filling inside the window. Positions opened more than two minutes before the release can be held through it. FTMO says a breach may lead to termination of the FTMO Account.
• Holding: positions must be closed shortly before markets close for the weekend, and before any market break that lasts longer than two hours.

The Swing account type has neither restriction, at any stage. FTMO describes it as suited to traders who work on higher timeframes and expect a view to play out over days or weeks. In return, leverage is set at up to 1:30, and instrument level terms are shown in the trading platform’s specification window.

Choosing and switching

The account type is chosen when the 2 Step is configured at purchase. A Swing account can be changed to Standard before any trade is placed on a new account, which for a funded trader means after signing the FTMO Account Agreement or after a reward withdrawal. The reverse is not possible: a Standard account cannot become Swing at any stage, and the Swing type cannot be added to a 1 Step account. Changes are made with the Modify button in Account MetriX.

Worked example: a weekend gap

The figures below describe a made up $100,000 2 Step Swing FTMO Account. The maximum daily loss is 5%, or $5,000, measured from the balance recorded at 00:00 CE(S)T each day, and the maximum loss floor is $90,000. The trader buys three lots of EURUSD at 1.1000, worth $10 a pip per lot, with a stop loss 80 pips away, so the planned risk is $2,400.

The account survives, with $500 to spare above the $95,000 daily limit. Two points stand out. First, the stop did not cap the loss at $2,400, because the market opened beyond it; the loss was $4,500. Second, the open loss from Friday was not in Monday’s starting balance, so it counted against Monday’s daily limit. Had the trader held four lots instead of three, the same gap would have cost $6,000 and breached the daily limit, even though the planned risk was only $3,200.

Margin was not the constraint here. At 1:30 the trader could have opened far more than three lots on $100,000. The loss limits, measured against a realistic weekend gap rather than the stop distance, set the safe size. The position size calculator and drawdown calculator help test sizes against a gap as well as a stop.

Costs and payout terms

The Swing type is part of the 2 Step. The 2 Step list prices shown on ftmo.com on 1 October 2026 were €89 for $10,000, €250 for $25,000, €345 for $50,000, €540 for $100,000 and €1,080 for $200,000. FTMO’s public price list does not quote a separate Swing fee, so check the price at checkout before paying. The 2 Step fee is refunded with the first reward.

The 2 Step reward share is 80%, rising to 90% once a trader meets the conditions of the FTMO Scaling Plan or the Premium Programme. A reward can be requested from the 14th day after the first trade, with all positions closed, which a swing trader needs to plan around. FTMO reviews requests within one to two business days and usually pays within one to two business days of invoice approval, by bank wire, card, Skrill or crypto, without its own commission. Firms change their terms often, so confirm the current version before buying.

How it compares with FTMO’s other accounts

For a trader who holds positions for several days, Swing is the only FTMO route that allows it once funded. The static 10% floor of the 2 Step also suits wider stops better than the 1 Step’s trailing limit and 3% daily cap. The cost is lower leverage and an 80% starting share. A day trader who flattens before the close and avoids news gains nothing from Swing and gives up leverage. The wider trade offs are covered in swing trading vs scalping at prop firms and weekend and overnight holding rules.

Common mistakes

• Buying Standard and planning to switch later. Standard cannot be changed to Swing, so the choice has to be made at purchase.
• Sizing to the stop instead of the gap. A weekend or news gap can fill well beyond a stop, and the daily limit counts the full loss.
• Forgetting that open losses carry into the next day. The daily limit is set from the balance, so an open loss at midnight eats into the next day’s room.
• Ignoring swaps. FTMO counts swaps in equity, and positions held for weeks accumulate them.
• Treating Swing as a news strategy licence. The restriction is lifted, but spreads and slippage around releases still hit the same loss limits.

Checklist

• Decide on Swing or Standard before buying the 2 Step.
• Check instrument leverage in the platform’s specification window.
• Size positions so that a realistic gap stays inside the 5% daily loss.
• Know the daily reset time of 00:00 CE(S)T and where the balance stands at it.
• Plan to close all positions before requesting a reward.
• Confirm the fee for the Swing type at checkout.

For the full FTMO rule set see the FTMO review, and for other firms’ approach to news see prop firm news trading rules and FTMO alternatives.