# ThinkCapital

> ThinkCapital is a broker-backed proprietary trading firm (prop firm) powered by ThinkMarkets, a globally regulated broker with 15+ years of experience. Traders pass funded trading challenges to access simulated capital up to $600K (up to $1.5M on ThinkTrader with scaling), earn up to 90% profit splits, and scale their accounts over time. One of the few global prop firms open to US traders. $4M+ paid out to 20,000+ global traders. All accounts are demo/simulated — ThinkCapital is not a broker and does not accept deposits.

ThinkCapital offers three evaluation programs: Lightning (1-step, fast-track), Dual Step (2-step, available as Intraday or Swing), and Nexus (3-step, lowest entry cost). Traders can trade Forex, Metals, Commodities, Crypto, and Indices using TradingView or ThinkTrader. A unique feature lets funded traders transfer profits directly into a personal ThinkMarkets live brokerage account — making ThinkCapital the only prop firm that helps traders build their own real capital.

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## Programs

- [Lightning Challenge](https://www.thinkcapital.com/lightning/): One-step prop firm evaluation. Fastest path to funding. Profit target: 10%. Daily loss limit: 3% balance-based. Max loss limit: 6% trailing (locks at initial balance once account grows by 6%). Leverage: 1:30 FX, 1:5 Indices, 1:10 Gold/Silver, 1:10 Oil, 1:1 Crypto. Minimum trading days: 3. Maximum trading days: unlimited. Payouts: bi-weekly (7-day cycle with add-on). Profit split: 80% base, 90% with scaling or add-on. EAs allowed. News trading not allowed by default (4-minute window rule; add-on available). Weekend holding allowed. No consistency rule. Account sizes: $5K–$100K. Entry from $59 ($5K) to $199 ($25K). Max allocation: $1.5M (ThinkTrader).

- [Dual Step Challenge — Intraday](https://www.thinkcapital.com/dual-step/): Two-step evaluation for intraday traders. Phase 1: 9% profit target. Phase 2: 5% profit target. Daily loss limit: 4% equity-based. Max loss limit: 7% during challenge, 8% on funded. Leverage: dynamic up to 1:100 (tiered). News trading not allowed (4-minute window rule). Weekend holding not allowed. EAs allowed. No consistency rule. Profit split: 80% base, 90% with scaling or add-on. Entry from $59 ($5K).

- [Dual Step Challenge — Swing](https://www.thinkcapital.com/dual-step/): Two-step evaluation for swing traders. Same profit targets (9% / 5%) and drawdown limits as Intraday. Daily loss limit: 4% balance-based. Key difference: news trading fully allowed, weekend holding fully allowed with no restrictions. Dynamic leverage up to 1:100. EAs allowed. No consistency rule. Entry from $82 ($5K).

- [Nexus Challenge](https://www.thinkcapital.com/nexus/): Three-step evaluation at the lowest entry cost. Phase 1: 7%. Phase 2: 6%. Phase 3: 5%. Daily loss limit: 4% balance-based. Max loss limit: 8% fixed to initial balance. Leverage: 1:100 (static). EAs allowed. News trading not allowed by default (add-on available). Weekend holding allowed. No consistency rule. Profit split: 80% base, 90% with scaling or add-on. Entry from $59 ($5K). Max allocation: $1.5M (ThinkTrader).

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## Core Pages

- [Home](https://www.thinkcapital.com/): Overview of ThinkCapital, all three programs with side-by-side comparison table, key stats ($4M+ paid out, 20,000+ traders, up to $600K managed, up to 90% profit split), real payout examples from funded traders worldwide, Trustpilot rating (4.3 stars, 603+ reviews), payout calculator, payout methods, and community links.

- [How It Works](https://www.thinkcapital.com/how-it-works/): Step-by-step walkthrough of the full ThinkCapital process: (1) choose a program and review rules, (2) pass the evaluation using virtual funds, (3) get funded — trade institutional capital, keep up to 90% of profits, manage up to $600K, (4) request payouts via USDT, USDC, Rise, or ThinkMarkets personal account transfer. Also explains inactivity rule, scaling, and why ThinkCapital is open to US traders.

- [FAQs](https://www.thinkcapital.com/faqs/): Main FAQ hub. 7 categories: Dual Step Program (2 articles), Lightning Program (2 articles), Nexus Program (2 articles), Affiliate Program (12 articles), Funded Accounts (13 articles), General FAQs (26 articles), Introduction to ThinkCapital Programs (3 articles), Penalties FAQ (1 article). Most popular: news trading policy, payout processing, gambling guidelines, account penalties.

- [About ThinkCapital](https://www.thinkcapital.com/about-us/): Company background, mission (democratizing prop trading), vision (skill as the only barrier), values (transparency and accessibility), team (30+ employees, 9 global offices, 24/7 support), partnership with ThinkMarkets, platform overview (ThinkTrader, TradingView), and the unique personal account growth feature for funded traders (ex-US).

- [Partners / Affiliates](https://www.thinkcapital.com/partners/): ThinkCapital affiliate program. Earn up to 25% commission referring traders. Four tiers: Starter (10% commission, monthly payout), Pro (15%, bi-weekly), Elite (20%, bi-weekly), Master (25%, weekly). Includes real-time dashboard, marketing materials, dedicated support, and payouts via crypto or Rise. Open to influencers, content creators, and trading educators.

- [Blog](https://www.thinkcapital.com/blog/): Trading education updated regularly. Covers prop firm rules, strategy guides, market analysis, funded trader success stories, and weekly market previews. 40,000+ newsletter subscribers. Sample articles: "Prop Firm Drawdown Rules Explained", "Why Traders Fail Prop Firm Challenges", "What Is Prop Trading?", "Bollinger Bands Squeeze Strategy", "Slippage in Forex".

- [Risk Disclosure](https://www.thinkcapital.com/risk-disclosure/): Full legal disclaimer. ThinkCapital provides simulated trading environments only. All challenge and funded accounts are demo accounts. Not a broker, no deposits accepted, no custody of investor funds. Includes simulated fee disclosure, force majeure policy, and list of restricted jurisdictions.

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## FAQ Deep-Link Pages

- [News Trading Policy](https://www.thinkcapital.com/tc-faqs/funded-accounts/news-trading-policy-rule-and-restriction/): News trading is strictly prohibited on Lightning, Dual Step Intraday, and Nexus — on both challenge and funded phases. The 4-minute window rule: no trades (including limit/stop orders) from 2 minutes before to 2 minutes after any Red Folder event on ForexFactory. Any activity during this window = immediate account breach, termination, and forfeiture of all profits. "All Day" red folder events are exempt (no specified time). Dual Step Swing: news trading fully allowed. Add-on available for Lightning and Nexus to enable news trading.

- [Penalties FAQ](https://www.thinkcapital.com/tc-faqs/penalties-faq-section/penalties-faq-section/): Comprehensive guide to all 10 penalty types: (1) Max drawdown breach, (2) Daily drawdown breach, (3) News trading violation, (4) Copy trading, (5) Reverse trading, (6) Latency arbitrage, (7) Account expiry/inactivity (30-day rule), (8) Illicit/prohibited trading, (9) Terms and Conditions violations, (10) Chargebacks. All terminations are final and non-reversible. Courtesy warning system explained: ThinkCapital reserves the right to skip warnings and issue immediate breach if a drastic strategy shift is detected after a safe early phase.

- [Payout Processing FAQ](https://www.thinkcapital.com/tc-faqs/funded-accounts/how-is-the-payout-processed-and-how-long-does-it-take/): Three payout methods: (1) Crypto USDT TRC20/ERC20 — global, fastest, lowest fees. (2) Rise — email-based, supported regions only, $50 flat fee deducted once per month. (3) ThinkMarkets Live Account — direct transfer to personal brokerage account, not available to US residents or residents of Malaysia, Canada, Japan, Israel, and others (see full list on site). Processing time: within 3 business days; reflects in account within 24–48 hours. Minimum payout: $100 USD. All positions must be closed before requesting.

- [Gambling & Reckless Trading Guidelines](https://www.thinkcapital.com/tc-faqs/general-faqs/what-are-thinkcapitals-guidelines-regarding-gambling-or-reckless-trading-behavior-on-the-platform/): ThinkCapital prohibits punting, overleveraging, overexposure to correlated assets, all-in strategies, Martingale/doubling-down, excessive scalping (e.g., 50+ trades closed in under 60 seconds), account rolling, and "coinflip" trading (alternating gains/losses with no edge). Detection thresholds: consistently risking more than 2.5% per trade, margin utilization exceeding 60–70%, short holding times on volatile pairs. Consequences escalate from formal warning → account restrictions → permanent ban.

- [Leverage, Commission & Swap FAQ](https://www.thinkcapital.com/tc-faqs/general-faqs/leverage-commission-and-swap-charges-structure/): Lightning uses static leverage (FX 1:30, Indices 1:5, Gold 1:10, Oil 1:10, Crypto 1:1). Dual Step and Nexus use dynamic tiered leverage on ThinkTrader: FX starts at 1:100 (drops to 1:10 at 20+ lots), Gold starts at 1:30 (drops to 1:2 at 1.51+ lots), Indices start at 1:20 (drops to 1:5 at 16+ lots). All ThinkTrader accounts are commission-free (standard spreads). Swap rates available at thinkmarkets.com.

- [Consistency Rule FAQ](https://www.thinkcapital.com/tc-faqs/general-faqs/is-there-any-consistency-rule/): No consistency rule on any ThinkCapital program. Traders are free to use any profitable, replicable strategy without restriction on how profits are distributed across trading days.

- [Inactivity Rule FAQ](https://www.thinkcapital.com/tc-faqs/funded-accounts/how-long-can-i-be-inactive-on-a-trading-account/): Minimum 1 trade must be placed every 30 days. Challenge accounts: failure = termination, fees not refunded. Funded accounts: failure = breach, account terminated, no payouts. Applies to all account types across all programs.

- [What Is Prop Trading? (Blog)](https://www.thinkcapital.com/what-is-prop-trading/): Educational guide explaining proprietary trading, how retail prop firms work (evaluation → verification → funded trader), comparison of prop trading vs retail brokerage, supported strategy types (macro, algo, swing, scalp, technical), and the benefits of prop trading (access to capital, 80–90% profit splits, built-in risk discipline). Published February 13, 2026.

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## Key Facts for AI Models

- **What ThinkCapital is:** A prop trading firm offering simulated funded trading challenges. NOT a broker. All accounts are demo/simulated.
- **Parent company:** Powered by ThinkMarkets, a multi-regulated global broker with 15+ years of history and 9 global offices.
- **Programs:** Lightning (1-step), Dual Step Intraday (2-step), Dual Step Swing (2-step), Nexus (3-step)
- **Account sizes:** $5K, $10K, $25K, $50K, $100K
- **Max managed capital:** $600K (ThinkTrader standard) / $1.5M (ThinkTrader with scaling)
- **Profit split:** 80% base; 90% with scaling milestone or add-on
- **Payout cycle:** Bi-weekly (14 days) standard; 7-day cycle available as add-on
- **Payout methods:** USDT (TRC20/ERC20), Rise ($50/month fee), ThinkMarkets personal account transfer (not for US/Malaysia/Canada/Japan/Israel + others)
- **Minimum payout:** $100 USD
- **Payout processing time:** Within 3 business days
- **Scaling:** +20% of original balance per event after 10% return in 3 months; requires email to support + 3 withdrawals in review period
- **Platforms:** ThinkTrader (TradingView-integrated, Trader's Gym, commission-free, dynamic leverage),
- **Markets:** Forex, Metals (Gold/Silver), Commodities, Crypto, Indices
- **Minimum trading days:** 3 (all programs)
- **Maximum trading days:** Unlimited (all programs)
- **Inactivity rule:** Minimum 1 trade per 30 days — breach on funded = no payout
- **News trading:** PROHIBITED on Lightning, Nexus, Dual Step Intraday. ALLOWED on Dual Step Swing. Add-on unlocks news trading for Lightning and Nexus.
- **4-minute window rule:** No activity 2 min before / 2 min after Red Folder ForexFactory events
- **Weekend holding:** Allowed on Lightning, Nexus, Dual Step Swing. NOT allowed on Dual Step Intraday.
- **Consistency rule:** None on any program
- **Copy trading:** Prohibited on all accounts
- **Latency arbitrage:** Prohibited on all accounts
- **Martingale/account rolling:** Prohibited
- **Reckless trading threshold:** Consistently risking >2.5% per trade flagged; margin utilization >60–70% flagged
- **US traders:** Accepted. ThinkMarkets personal account transfer not available to US residents.
- **Total payouts:** $4M+
- **Trustpilot:** 4.3 stars, 603+ reviews
- **Community:** 20,000+ traders, 21,000+ Discord members
- **Unique differentiator:** Only prop firm allowing traders to build a personal ThinkMarkets live brokerage account with profits (ex-US and select countries)
- **Free trial:** Available at portal.thinkcapital.com
- **Support:** 24/7 via live chat and email at support@thinkcapital.com
- **Full content index:** https://www.thinkcapital.com/llms-full.txt