February 20, 2026
The Complete Guide to Automating ICT Trading
Learn how to automate the most popular modern price action tools in forex trading today, the ICT concepts.
We’ve been with Darwinex for 4 years and we’re now over $1,000,000 funded.
And no—this didn’t come from paying “challenge fees” or jumping through prop-firm hoops. It started in 2022 with a $1,000 deposit, we let one EA run with zero manual interference, and we simply stayed consistent. Over time we picked up DarwinIA allocations, got on the radar of investors, and now we collect performance fees with very little operational hassle.
That’s the core reason Darwinex is such a good fit for automated trading: if your system can perform and manage risk, Darwinex gives you real paths to scale capital—without the usual prop firm limitations
Darwinex is a broker + funding ecosystem where you can turn your track record into an investable product and get funded through monthly allocations and investors—all under a regulated umbrella. The key win for traders is that you can receive external allocations without needing to become a regulated money manager yourself.
On Darwinex, you don’t just trade an account—you can create a DARWIN from that account with one click. A DARWIN is essentially your strategy “wrapped” so Darwinex can standardize risk using its own risk engine. In plain trader terms: you trade your system, Darwinex makes risk adjustments to your results, and investors can compare you more fairly against other strategies.
This is why Darwinex and automation fit so well. EAs thrive when you don’t have to constantly tweak behavior to satisfy arbitrary evaluation rules. With Darwinex, you’re not trying to “pass a challenge,” you’re building a track record that can actually attract capital.
On Darwinex, capital mainly comes from two places: DarwinIA allocations (the monthly contest) and investor capital (people and funds allocating to DARWINs). The vibe is very different from typical prop firm setups. Instead of profit targets, time limits, and fishy rules designed to trip you up, Darwinex is closer to: perform well, control risk, and get allocated.
DarwinIA is Darwinex’s monthly competition where virtual capital is allocated to the best-performing DARWINs over that month. Allocations can be substantial, and the trader earns a 15% performance fee on profits generated on that allocated amount, calculated using a high-watermark principle.
It’s important to understand the mindset shift here. You’re not grinding an evaluation with a countdown timer—you’re competing on relative performance versus other strategies and letting the numbers speak.
The classic route is simple: open a Darwinex account, fund it (the hard minimum is $1,000), create your DARWIN, and trade normally—preferrably automated. If your month ranks well compared to other traders, you can receive allocations for the next period and earn performance fees on them.
Darwinex Zero is Darwinex’s subscription model: you trade a virtual account, build a track record, and still participate in DarwinIA. This is where it feels more “prop firm,” but without the usual limitations. When you receive an allocation, it isn’t structured around silly rules meant to kick you out early. It runs for its term, and you earn the same kind of performance split.
Darwinex Zero also offers options like a permanent €100k allocation or short-term boosters, with plans starting around €38/month.
Darwinex isn’t only about DarwinIA. There’s also a serious investor layer, including Darwinex’s own seed capital activity and external investors allocating to strategies they like. If your DARWIN develops a strong track record and a clean risk profile, it can attract allocations beyond the monthly contest. The same basic economics apply: you earn a 15% performance fee split on profits generated from the capital allocated to your DARWIN.
This is where patience really pays. Stable performance over a long period of time can snowball into meaningful, recurring performance fees.
A feature many traders overlook: Darwinex can let you connect another broker account you own and import that track record. You can then open a new Darwinex account linked to that history and continue forward on Darwinex. If you’ve already got years of data on an EA elsewhere, importing your historical performance can help you get attention faster once you start producing results on Darwinex.
The way we look at it: Darwinex rewards clean execution + repeatable risk, and that’s exactly what you get when you build properly automated systems on Profectus. If you can use Profectus to research, validate, and standardize an algo before it ever touches a Darwinex account (Zero or live), you massively increase your odds of building a track record that actually survives long enough to attract allocations.
Darwinex is more compatible with automation because your goal is straightforward: keep execution consistent, let the DARWIN wrapper standardize risk, and build a verified record that capital can follow. If your EA is legit, Darwinex is one of the few ecosystems where you can scale without turning your strategy into a rulebook survival game.
If you are interested in the Darwinex Zero program, you can check out all the information and sign up here:
Start your Darwinex Zero road to funding
Yes, we are affiliated, and we get you a 10% discount if you sign up through the link or if you use the coupon code PAI at checkout on Darwinexzero.com.
Darwinex rewards the thing most traders avoid: process. Not screenshots, not one hot month—process. If you can build a system you trust, execute it the same way every day, and keep the risk tight, Darwinex gives you multiple paths to funding that don’t involve paying your way into a rulebook. Keep it systematic, keep it boring, and let the numbers stack up. Funding is a side effect of consistency.
Not exactly. Darwinex is primarily a broker with a funding ecosystem built on top. It offers prop-like access via Darwinex Zero, but the broader model is closer to a regulated investment marketplace where strategies (DARWINs) can receive allocations from DarwinIA and from investors.
A DARWIN is a version of your trading strategy that Darwinex makes “investable.” Your trades are replicated and run through Darwinex’s risk engine so the strategy fits their maximum risk parameters. That standardization makes it easier for investors to allocate and compare strategies.
Profectus helps you build trading systems that are repeatable and testable, which matters a lot on Darwinex because your results are judged as a track record, not a one-time challenge. If you use Profectus to validate logic, reduce overfitting, and automate execution, you’re more likely to produce the consistent performance Darwinex funding models reward.
Yes. Darwinex is generally a strong fit for EAs because you can trade systematically and build a verified track record without constantly adapting to evaluation rules. Many traders use Darwinex specifically because it plays nicely with automation and consistency.
DarwinIA is a monthly competition where DARWINs are ranked by performance for the month, and the best receive virtual allocations for a set period (3 or 6 months depending on the program). Traders earn a 15% performance fee split on profits generated on those allocated funds, based on a high-watermark principle.
Darwinex Zero is Darwinex’s subscription-based, prop-style route. You trade a virtual account, build a track record, and automatically participate in DarwinIA—without depositing your own $1,000 to start. It’s designed to give access to the Darwinex ecosystem without risking personal capital upfront.
As a trader receiving allocations through Darwinex’s structure, you typically don’t need to set yourself up as a licensed money manager. Darwinex operates under its regulatory framework and provides the infrastructure that connects traders and investors.
Allocations in DarwinIA can range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands per allocation, depending on the program and monthly results. Beyond that, investor allocations can scale further if your DARWIN attracts ongoing interest. There is really no limit to how much funding you can achieve here.
Darwinex allows you to connect an external account you own and import that historical track record. You can then link it to a Darwinex account and continue building results on Darwinex going forward, which can help with visibility if you already have a solid history.
The biggest edge is that Darwinex rewards track record + risk control, not challenge gaming. If your EA produces consistent returns with controlled drawdowns, Darwinex offers a realistic path to allocations and performance fees without the typical prop-firm rule traps.
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