The prop firm aggregator Match has admitted that clicking on a company card or a promo code on its website opened the partner's site via an affiliate link. Since October 30, about 21 brands have terminated their partnership with the platform. The aggregator has 38 partners left.
What kind of platform is this. An aggregator is a catalog website that gathers prop firms into a single list and compares their terms. An affiliate link is a link through which the catalog is credited a commission from a sale.
Why this matters to a trader. It is precisely through such catalogs that a trader chooses where to buy an evaluation. The aggregator was credited a commission even when a person came from the company's own advertising.
Who left the platform?
The list of brands that terminated their partnership is led by big names.
- Apex Trader Funding - announced the termination of its affiliate program "with immediate effect"
- Tradeify - said that the redirects "violated the terms of the affiliate agreement"
- Lucid Trading, Goat Funded Trader, FundingPips, Blue Guardian - are also among those who left
The tournament and those who stayed. Tradeify added that the prop firm Match no longer sponsors the Premier Trading League tournament. FTMO, FundedNext, T5ers and E8 Markets remained on the list at the time of publication - their terms are still available in the prop firm catalog.
How did it work?
- A hidden tab. It triggered once a day for each company, and the mark was saved in the browser's memory.
- Cookie files. After that, they decided everything. A cookie is a browser marker used to determine who brought the buyer.
- The lifespan of the marker. Each company set it for itself - from a few hours to several months.
- The result. A trader could come from the company's own advertising and buy an evaluation directly, and the commission was still credited to the aggregator.
How much did a place in the top cost?
Topstep disclosed the price. The founder and head of the company, Michael Patak, wrote on October 30 that Topstep paid $10,000 a month for the listing. It never rose above 6th place and had no promo code.
FundingPips will go after the money. The company said it noticed the practice back in August. It is waiving commissions for a month and will pursue financial claims, and its position in the sales list fell from 1st place to 10th.
The main point: a position in the ranking could be paid for, so the terms are worth verifying against the facts - from the drawdown calculation to actual payouts.
What did the aggregator respond?
An admission of responsibility. On October 31, the prop firm Match issued a statement: "This should not have happened. We take full responsibility."
The platform has existed for three years and cites the following figures:
- 25 million visits - traffic over its lifetime
- 370,000 participants - the platform's audience
- $1.4 million - free accounts issued
- more than 100 companies a year - apply for a listing
What's next. The next update was promised for November 2.
Have you been choosing a prop firm based on an aggregator's rating?
A place in the top can cost $10,000 a month. This changes the attitude toward any "best" lists. You should look not at the position, but at the dry parameters: which instruments are available, how the daily drawdown is calculated, the minimum withdrawal amount and the payout period. Either these points are in front of you in a comparable form, or you find them out on your first withdrawal request. It makes sense to verify them before paying for an evaluation.