Funding
Pips is the third challenge-based prop firm in the past month to announce the
return of MetaTrader 5 (MT5), the most popular platform among retail traders,
to its offering. After more than a year since the regulatory overhaul that
forced many industry players to abandon MetaQuotes products, signs point to a
significant thaw with the approaching spring.

Funding Pips Reintroduces
MetaTrader 5 After Year-Long Break

The company
announced last weekend across its social media channels that, while celebrating
a reported $110 million in payouts and exceeding 1 million traders, it’s adding
the MetaTrader 5 platform back to its offering after a 13-month hiatus.

“Your
patience and loyalty have been instrumental in driving our continuous efforts.
My mission has always been to make trading accessible to traders everywhere.
Reintroducing MT5 is a reflection of this commitment,” commented Khaled
Ayesh, the CEO of Funding Pips, on Discord.

Funding
Pips was among many firms that suddenly lost access to the MetaQuotes platform
in February 2024 due to issues related to serving clients from the USA without
necessary regulatory approvals. The company quickly transitioned to the
Match-Trader platform from Match-Trade Technologies, while also adding cTrader
and TradeLocker to its offerings.

MetaQuotes Has No Issues
with Prop Firms

Finance
Magnates confirmed
with Funding Pips that the return to MetaTrader 5 was possible thanks to
obtaining their own direct license. Furthermore, industry representatives who
wished to remain anonymous suggested that MetaQuotes has no problem with props as
long as they purchase licenses directly from them (rather than using
white-labeling from their FX/CFD broker partners) and don’t provide services in
the U.S.

“Since
they have their own license it is fine, MetaQuotes don’t mind,” commented
the owner of one prop firm to Finance Magnates.

It’s no
surprise that MetaQuotes doesn’t want to distance itself from prop firms, as
these have grown significantly stronger in 2024, and the year-long ban caused
competitors—mainly cTrader and Match-Trader—to gain substantial market share.

When the
platform provider raised fees for its flagship MetaTrader 4 and 5 by 25% at the
beginning of the year, as Finance Magnates exclusively reported early
last month, the deep pockets of prop firm owners are certainly on MetaQuotes’
radar.

More Props Returning to
MT5

Funding
Pips is not an isolated case, as the market shows a clear pre-spring thaw after
a harsh regulatory winter. In late February, Instant Funding announced its
return to MetaTrader 5, stating it possessed a “main label” license.

A few weeks
earlier, MyFundedFX announced plans to migrate back to MT5 through a potential
partnership with Seacrest Markets. Shortly before that, TradersWithEdge made a
similar move, also offering MetaQuotes platforms again.

However,
the past year has caused considerable disruption, raising the question: is it
too late? A large portion of the mentioned prop firms’ users on Discord and X
(formerly Twitter) are asking whether migration is mandatory, as they’ve
already grown accustomed to alternative solutions. Particularly younger traders
who didn’t grow up using MT platforms claim these are less visually appealing
and intuitive compared to platforms like Match-Trader.