Blue Guardian Futures Review: rules, challenges and payouts

Platforms4

• TradovateTradovate
• NinjaTraderNinjaTrader
• TradingViewTradingView
• DeepChartsDeepCharts

The details

Data feed / broker

Tradovate (CME) · DXFeed (DeepCharts)

Assets

IndicesFXMetalsEnergyAgricultureRatesCrypto

Instruments

CME Group futures, minis and micros: equity indices (ES, NQ, YM, RTY, NKD and MES, MNQ, MYM, M2K), currency futures (6A, 6B, 6C, 6E, 6J, 6N, 6S and micros), metals (GC, SI, HG, PL, MGC), energy (CL, QM, NG, RB, HO, MCL), grains and livestock (ZC, ZS, ZM, ZL, ZW, LE, HE, GF), Treasuries (ZN, ZF, ZT, Micro 10-Year Yield) and Micro Bitcoin / Micro Ether.

Leverage and limits

No leverage; contract caps on open positions instead (1 mini = 10 micros, mixable). Standard and Direct are fixed throughout: 1 / 4 / 8 / 12 minis on 25K / 50K / 100K / 150K. Express evaluations are the same and Reserve evaluations 2 / 4 / 8 / 12; once funded, both start at 1 / 2 / 3 / 3 minis and step up as your closing balance passes +$1,500, +$2,000, +$3,000 and +$4,500, stepping back down if it falls below. Orders over the cap are rejected.

Commissions

Total cost per side, exchange fees included: ES and NQ $2.88, YM and RTY $1.90, MES $0.80, MNQ $0.95, MYM $0.62, CL $2.12, GC, SI and HG $2.17, MGC $1.20, MCL $0.82, ZN $1.37, 6E $2.88. DeepCharts includes CME Level 1; CBOT/COMEX/NYMEX Level 1 is $5 extra for all three, and Level 2 is $12.10 per exchange ($36.50 for all of CME Group).

Max allocation

$750KThe firm caps accounts, not dollars: at most 5 funded futures accounts at once, with no limit on evaluations. The largest size is $150,000, so $750,000 is our 5 × $150K reading. An account beyond the cap stays inactive until a slot frees up.

Legal entity

Iconic Exchange FZCO t/a Blue Guardian (Dubai); Blue Guardian Limited (Saint Lucia)

1. 01

   End-of-day trailing drawdown: trails all evaluation, locks at start + $100 funded

   Strict

   On all four models the max-loss line follows your highest end-of-day closing balance; intraday highs and open profit do not count, and it never moves down. During an evaluation it never stops trailing. On funded and Direct accounts it locks at the starting balance plus $100 once you close at start + drawdown + $100, and any payout also locks it there. Falling to the line ends the account.

   Example

   $100K Standard evaluation: the line starts at $96,500; a $101,000 close lifts it to $97,500, and it keeps trailing however far you go. Funded, a $103,600 close locks it at $100,100. A funded $100K Express locks at a $102,600 close.

2. 02

   Daily loss: a soft pause, optional on Reserve

   Strict

   Hitting the daily loss limit closes all trades and disables the account until the next trading day; the account survives. Standard: none on 25K, $1,000 / $2,000 / $3,000 on 50K / 100K / 150K. Express evaluations: none on 25K, then $1,000 / $1,500 / $2,250; funded Express $500 / $1,000 / $1,250 / $1,750. Direct: $1,000 / $1,250 / $2,500 / $3,000. Reserve's cheapest build has $600 / $1,200 / $1,700 / $3,000, and you can pay to have none.

   Example

   A $100K Direct loses $2,500 in the morning: positions are closed and you are locked out for the day, then trade on the next day. The $2,500 still counts against the max loss.

3. 03

   Flat by 4:10 p.m. New York time; stay clear of price limits

   Strict

   The session runs 6 p.m. to 4:10 p.m. New York time. Anything open at 4:10 is closed automatically, without a breach, so there is no overnight or weekend holding. You also may not trade within 2% of a CME price limit; overnight equity-index limits are 7%, and limits update at 5:05 p.m. New York time.

   Example

   4:10 p.m. New York time is 4:10 a.m. in Hong Kong/Taipei (5:10 a.m. in the US winter). With a 7% overnight limit on NQ, stop trading once it is down 5%.

4. 04

   Banned: full automation, hedging, micro-scalping, martingale

   Strict

   Fully automated trading, AI and bots are banned; semi-automated trading only if you watch it, and automated scalping above 200 trades a day is restricted. Opposite positions in the same or highly correlated contracts across any accounts, yours included, are hedging and banned. Less than 50% of profit may come from trades held under 10 seconds. Martingale, stacked limit orders at one price, exploiting gapped or illiquid fills and coordinated trading are banned too.

   Example

   Long NQ on one account while short MNQ on another is hedging: both accounts can be breached and the profit removed.

5. 05

   Consistency rules (they differ by model)

   Watch out

   Your best day is capped as a share of total profit; going over never fails you, it blocks passing or the payout until you trade on. Standard: none in the evaluation, 40% per funded cycle. Reserve: 40% in the evaluation (50% with a 1% cushion costs more), none funded. Express: 40% in the evaluation (50% costs more), none funded. Direct: 20% for the first payout, 25% for the second, then 30%.

   Example

   Funded $50K Standard: your best day is $2,000, so the cycle's profit must reach at least $5,000 before you can request a payout.

6. 06

   Payout caps and buffers

   Watch out

   Every model caps each payout. Standard and Express pay only profit above the buffer (drawdown + $100), which must stay intact; Reserve pays at most 50% of profit per request; Direct has no buffer but needs its profit goal each cycle. From the second Express payout, you must first earn 50% of the previous payout again.

   Example

   Funded $50K Standard: the buffer line is $52,100. At a $54,000 balance you can withdraw $1,900, inside the $2,500 first-payout cap.

7. 07

   Contract caps and funded scaling

   Watch out

   Standard and Direct keep the same cap throughout. Reserve and Express give you the full cap in the evaluation, but once funded they start at 1 / 2 / 3 / 3 minis (25K / 50K / 100K / 150K) and step up each time your closing balance passes a trigger, stepping back down if it closes below. Orders over the cap are rejected.

   Example

   A $100K Reserve evaluation trades 8 minis; funded, it starts at 3. Closing +$1,500 up unlocks 4, +$2,000 unlocks 5, and only +$3,000 brings back 8.

8. 08

   Inactivity: funded accounts must trade every 10 days

   Watch out

   Evaluations need a trade every 30 calendar days; funded accounts upgraded from 10 October 2026 need one every 10 calendar days (7 if upgraded earlier). Weekends and holidays count, and missing it breaches the account. You may hold at most 5 funded accounts at once.

   Example

   Take a two-week holiday without placing a trade on a funded account and it is breached for inactivity.

9. 09

   News is allowed; the Live account differs

   Good to know

   Evaluations and funded accounts may trade through high-impact releases; expect slippage. Reaching your fifth payout, among other routes, puts you in review for a real-capital Live account: no daily loss or consistency rule and daily payouts, but no news trading, and your household may no longer trade simulated accounts.

Trading styles

• News trading

  Allowed

  Allowed in evaluations and funded accounts; banned once you move to a Live account.

• EAs / bots

  With conditions

  Fully automated trading, AI and bots are banned; semi-automated only if you watch it, and automated scalping above 200 trades a day is restricted.

• Copy trading

  With conditions

  Only between accounts you legally own, including external ones; signal providers, trade groups or letting someone trade for you are banned.

• Hedging

  Not allowed

  Opposite positions in the same or highly correlated contracts across any accounts, yours included, are banned.

• Holding overnight

  Not allowed

  Be flat by 4:10 p.m. New York time daily; open trades are closed automatically.

• Holding over the weekend

  Not allowed

• Scalping

  With conditions

  Scalping is fine, but less than 50% of profit may come from trades held under 10 seconds.

1. 01 · First payout

   Standard: 3 days after the first funded trade. Reserve: once you have 5 winning days. Express: as soon as you are above the buffer. Direct: once you reach the first profit goal ($1,500 / $3,000 / $6,000 / $9,000) and 20% consistency.

2. 02 · After that

   Express daily; Reserve every 5 winning days (plus a net-profit threshold for payouts 2–5); Direct each time you reach the profit goal; Standard whenever the buffer and 40% consistency are met. Requests are processed within 24 business hours.

3. 03 · Profit split

   90% on every model, Live accounts included.

Minimum

$500; $250 on Express 25K and 50K.

Caps

Standard $1,500 / $2,500 / $3,000 / $4,000 first, then $2,000 / $3,000 / $3,500 / $4,500; Reserve 50% of profit up to $1,000 / $2,000 / $2,500 / $3,000; Express $600 / $1,100 / $1,500 / $2,500 a day; Direct $1,000 / $2,000 / $2,500 / $3,000 for payouts 1–3, then $1,000 / $2,500 / $3,000 / $3,500. Crypto pays at most $1,000 per request.

Payout methods

• Rise Works
• Crypto

Before you can request

• Flat, above the buffer (Standard, Express), and meeting the model's consistency, winning-day or profit-goal condition.
• After any payout the max-loss line locks at the starting balance plus $100, so you cannot withdraw down to the breach level.
• KYC before the first payout: a valid ID, a live selfie or video matching it, proof of address from the last 3 months, and AML screening (sanctions, PEP); verification may not be done from a virtual machine or remote desktop.
• Every payout carries a 3% processing fee, so you receive slightly less than the certificate shows.
• The card you pay with must be yours, with a matching name and billing address; someone else's card can cost the payout and get you banned.

What we read

1. 01Blue Guardian Futures — Introduction (models, KYC, restricted countries, inactivity)
2. 02Blue Guardian Futures — Standard Account Rules
3. 03Blue Guardian Futures — Reserve Account Rules
4. 04Blue Guardian Futures — Express Account Rules
5. 05Blue Guardian Futures — Direct Account Rules
6. 06Blue Guardian Futures — Payout Policy
7. 07Blue Guardian Futures — Contract Limits & Funded Scaling System
8. 08Blue Guardian Futures — Prohibited Trading Strategies
9. 09Blue Guardian Futures — Trading Hours
10. 10Blue Guardian Futures — 2% Price Limit Rule
11. 11Blue Guardian Futures — How many funded accounts at once?
12. 12Blue Guardian Futures — Live Account
13. 13Blue Guardian Futures — Instrument List & Codes (commissions)
14. 14Blue Guardian Futures — Trading Platforms
15. 15Blue Guardian Futures — 24 Hours Payout Guarantee
16. 16Blue Guardian — futures pricing widget (prices, coupons, bundle tiers)
17. 17Blue Guardian — About us (CEO)
18. 18Blue Guardian — Terms and Conditions (Iconic Exchange FZCO t/a Blue Guardian)
19. 19Blue Guardian checkout (cart totals before codes, futures bundle rates)

XSR may earn a commission when you buy with a partner code; it never changes the order of firms. Prop-firm evaluations are simulated accounts sold as a product — most buyers do not pass, and no firm is regulated as a category. Nothing here is investment advice.