Should a US prop firm offer futures or forex?
Quick answer
Most US-based firms that serve US traders focus on futures, because exchange-traded futures are the familiar product for US retail traders and CFDs are not offered to US retail clients by regulated US brokers. Firms serving international traders from the US may offer forex and CFDs to non-US customers.
Detailed answer
General information, not legal, tax or regulatory advice. Rules differ by country and change over time; confirm your position with a qualified professional before acting on it.
How the two compare for a US firm:
- Futures: familiar to US traders, exchange data licensing costs, futures-specific platforms, rules often based on end-of-day trailing drawdown.
- Forex and CFDs: popular internationally, but US residents are not the typical audience, and some platform providers restrict US clients.
A US company can serve both groups with separate products and clear country rules. PropExecutor is built for the CFD-style model: forex, metals, energies, indices and crypto quoted from a live feed, with lot-based sizing. It is not a futures platform. This is general information, not legal advice.
Deciding factors
- Your traders' preferences.
- Platform availability and licence terms for US customers.
- Data costs for futures.
- How you want to structure rules, since futures firms often use end-of-day trailing drawdown.
Many firms pick one product line first and add the other later.
Whichever you choose, state it clearly on the website so traders know exactly which markets they will trade.
PropExecutor team · Updated
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