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– Affiliate Programs – Earn commissions by referring traders, based on their activity.
– No-Deposit Bonuses – Brokers provide free starting capital; profits are withdrawable after meeting conditions.
– Trading Contests – Compete for cash prizes or bonuses without risking your own funds.
– Demo-Account Competitions – Trade with virtual money and win real rewards.
Forex trading once had the reputation of being a playground for the big banks and the high rollers with deep pockets. But times have changed. Thanks to the rise of online brokers and accessible trading platforms, it’s no longer just for the financial elite. Nowadays, even those with a modest bank balance can dip their toes into the currency exchange waters. While it’s still wise to trade with a comfortable financial cushion, it’s not a strict requirement. In this piece, we’ll look at some of the best ways that even individuals with minimal or zero starting funds can embark on the journey of Forex trading.
Today, top brokers can attract traders with lucrative offers that allow you to make money on Forex without an investment. These are affiliate programs, non-deposit bonuses, and contests, including demo account contests.
Top 4 options to get profit on Forex without investments
Here are four of the top methods for earning money in forex without putting up your own capital:
Forex Affiliate Programs
Many brokers offer affiliate programs where you can earn commissions for referring new clients. Typically, you share your unique referral link and receive a bonus when someone signs up and/or deposits through your link. The broker benefits by acquiring more customers, while you benefit by earning passive income from their trading activity without trading yourself.
Non-deposit bonuses
Brokers frequently provide bonuses to attract new traders. Common options include no-deposit bonuses (free money just for opening an account), deposit matches (the broker matches your deposit up to a certain amount), and cash rebates on trades. These let you increase your trading funds without adding more of your own money.
Brokers’ Contests
Brokers and trading communities often hold contests with prizes for top demo or live account performers over a given period. For example, whoever grows a $10,000 demo account the most in one month could win $1,000. These contests allow you to profit from your trading skills without risking personal capital.
Traders’ Contests on Demo Accounts
Some brokers and trading communities like Infobrokers hold contests specifically for demo accounts. These allow you to compete against others with virtual funds to win real cash prizes. It’s a way to gain experience and supplement your trading income without any investment.
Alternative Option: Funded Trading Programs
Proprietary trading firms offer evaluation programs to fund successful traders. By passing simulations and challenges, you prove your ability and get access to trade a firm’s capital, keeping a portion of the profits. This path allows you to trade larger size without providing upfront funding.
We will explore each of these methods in more depth throughout the rest of this article to understand how you can realistically make money trading forex without any upfront investment.
Forex affiliate programs
This method of making money on Forex without investments does not require direct trading. The affiliate program is about making money for bringing new clients to the broker. The specifics of the process may differ slightly from brokerage to brokerage, but the basic process is the same for all:
As simple as that, the broker gets a new client, and the broker thanks you with a cash reward. But the cash reward may not come immediately upon the mere registration and verification of the invited trader. In most cases, the newly-registered trader must actually make a deposit (and sometimes, conduct trades). For example, the new guy must register; be verified; download the broker’s terminal; and make the first deposit. The conditions are different among brokers, but you should understand that brokers are prodigious in protecting themselves from cheats and scammers. Also, you may get continued cash beyond the initial recruitment bonus, if the new guy becomes a prolific trader with many wins.
Advantages of affiliate programs
Requires no investments from you
You don’t have to actually trade on Forex; no risk
You get passive income by posting a link in an active forum thread
You may work with affiliate programs of several brokers at once
Disadvantages of affiliate programs
You need to be a society opinion leader and a good marketer and promoter on various Forex forums and/or social media platforms because if you have no “weight”, no one will follow your link or suggestions
This is an option for making money for socially active people who communicate a lot on social media platforms, such as TikTok, Twitter, WeChat, Facebook, etc
An affiliate program is normally not worth considering as the main source of income. But this is an effective way of making money on Forex without investments with a view toward passive “extra” income. An affiliate program is a good stable bonus for socially active people.
Types of affiliate programs by brokers
Generally, an affiliate program requires a special agreement. Under the agreement, the broker shall transfer the specified amount of money to your account when the invited client performs the agreed-upon objective actions.
This is the classic version of affiliate programs, which is when you have an interest in the successful trades of the invited trader who followed your referral link.
In this case, you get a one-time bonus for each new client. This option is perfect for webmasters, SMM specialists, and Internet marketing specialists.
This is the top level of partnerships. You can become a broker’s representative by opening an office or website. Now the profit will be calculated specifically for you.
Free Forex money: Non-deposit bonuses
Non-deposit bonuses are the most popular way to trade Forex without investment. As the name suggests, to start trading, you do not need an initial deposit; that is, there is no need to deposit personal funds into your account. Choose a broker, register directly on its website (or with the Infobrokers website, as it is more profitable) and as soon as you open your first account, you will get the non-deposit bonus immediately!
The non-deposit bonus does not work for demo accounts because only virtual money is used on demo accounts. Also, many brokers do not provide bonuses for cent accounts and some other types of accounts. The accounts where you can get a bonus will be indicated in its description.
Brokers have varying conditions for non-deposit bonuses. The receipt terms, size, account types available and many other parameters differ. But in general, all bonuses can be divided into several types.
| Non-deposit bonus type | Advantages | Disadvantages |
| One-time non-deposit | You do not need to replenish your account to get this bonus. Just fulfill the conditions required. | The bonus is given only once. |
| One-time, replenishment required, fixed | This bonus shall be provided if you deposit any amount for the first time (even $1). The bonus has a certain amount and does not depend on the replenishment amount. | The bonus shall be given only once but requires a replenish of at least a minimum deposit into your account. |
| One-time, replenishment required, interest | This bonus shall be provided if you deposit any amount for the first time (even $1). The bonus depends on the deposit amount (for example, 200%). | The bonus shall be given only once but requires a replenish of at least a minimum deposit on your account. |
| Multiple with options | You need to replenish your account with at least a minimum deposit. It can be fixed or will be calculated as a percentage of the deposit amount. | You need to consistently replenish your account for any amount to get a bonus. |
A non-deposit bonus that does not require replenishment and which can be withdrawn later is the most profitable option. Brokers do not allow the withdrawal of bonus funds immediately, without successful deals, because in such a case many people would simply register, withdraw the bonus and leave. Bonuses shall be won back. There are also non-withdrawable bonuses and they are also profitable because they give you start-up capital without personal investment. Several options in the table are not fully no-deposit; you must make at least a minimum deposit ($1-10) to activate them. Please note that many brokers provide additional bonuses for large deposits.
The non-deposit bonus provides you with an excellent opportunity to try your hand without risking your money. But no matter how attractive Forex is with non-withdrawal investments, it is viable only for novice traders. Further, to become a professional trader and get significant profits, you shall work with larger amounts on a real account. This is necessary to open more deals and increase rates, to work with leverage (many brokers do not provide leverage for bonus funds).
Contests conducted by Forex brokers
Forex brokers often conduct contests to attract new traders and keep existing ones engaged. These contests come in various forms, but they all offer the opportunity to trade without investing your own money and the chance to earn real money if you win.
What are Contests?
Forex contests are competitions hosted by forex brokers where traders compete against each other using demo or live trading accounts. The goal of these contests is to secure the highest returns within a specific period. Traders are usually given a virtual initial deposit, and the one who makes the most significant profit by the end of the contest wins.
Types of Contests
There are two main types of forex contests:
Demo Contests
These contests are risk-free as they are conducted on demo accounts loaded with virtual money. They are ideal for beginners who want to learn trading without risking real money.
Live Contests
These contests involve real money and are conducted on live trading accounts. They are suitable for experienced traders who have confidence in their trading skills.
Alternative Option: Forex-funded Trading Programs
Funded trading programs have emerged as a way for new traders to get funded by prop firms through evaluation and testing periods. These programs allow traders to prove themselves by trading live with the firm’s capital after passing simulation evaluations. Once funded, traders typically earn a percentage of their profits while the firm handles the capital risk and operational components.
The funded model offers benefits for both traders and prop firms. Traders gain valuable experience without having to risk much personal capital, while prop firms can evaluate trader performance prior to allocation of significant capital. This allows firms to only fund those traders who have demonstrated skills and align with the firm’s trading style and risk parameters.
Is it Worth Trading Forex With No Starting Money?
The short answer is – it can be worth it to a certain extent, but only as a starting point, not as a primary strategy. Trading Forex without any capital allows new traders to get their feet wet and learn basic concepts in a low-risk manner through demo accounts and practice contests. However, there are also clear limitations.
While demo trading is ideal for getting familiar with the platform interface and placing basic orders, it does not accurately simulate the psychological pressures of using real money. Risk management skills cannot fully develop without feeling the threat of financial loss. Many trading behaviors, both good and bad, only manifest under true risk.
In addition, opportunities for profits are minor without funds. Non-deposit bonuses are usually small, and demo contests offer low prize pools. A serious full-time trader could not rely on those low potential returns alone. Substantial ongoing earnings require a higher budget and larger trade sizes to start.
For experienced traders who have spent time developing their methodology, approaching prop firms could potentially provide another avenue to trade with larger sizes. However, the acceptance process is extremely selective and competitive. Prop trading should not be viewed as a realistic prospect until one has passed through the early learning phases and proven their abilities with consistent results over many months/years of trading live with real funds.
In summary, while options like demo accounts and small bonuses allow starting with no money invested, this is really only suitable briefly in the introductory phase. To develop seriously as a trader and generate substantive ongoing returns, depositing and risking one’s own capital at some point becomes a necessity to access higher trade sizes and continue skill progression. Prop funding, if achieved, could supplement this later for qualified pro traders, but is not a substitute for the initial funded learning period.
Tips for Success in Trading Without Investment
Based on my experience navigating this field, here are some tips to guide you on your Forex trading journey:
- Master the basics – Invest time learning core concepts like candlestick patterns, support/resistance, pips calculations, indicators like RSI, moving averages, etc. Also, study the basics of charts and fundamental analysis to spot opportunities
- Practice strategies on a demo – Use virtual funds to test strategies like scalping, swing trading, and managing orders like take-profit/stop losses. Perfect your execution before risking real capital
- Stay updated on news and events – Keep up with market-moving announcements on economic data, interest rates, political changes, etc. to adapt positions and manage risks
- Learn prudent risk management – Use stop losses, limit margin usage, and diversify across currency pairs and timeframes. Applying sound risk practices is key for all investors
- Start small, scale up slowly – Trade micro lots initially as you refine strategies. Once consistent, gradually increase position sizes and P/L goals
- Choose regulated brokers – Pick licensed entities and check reviews thoroughly to avoid opaque fees, costs, and withdrawal issues
- Objectively review your trades – Analyze both winning and losing trades to identify weaknesses. Improving your processes is vital for long-term success
- Stay patient and disciplined – Stick to tested plans, and resist overtrading. Impulsiveness often proves fatal. Patience and discipline will serve you well
- Keep emotions in check – Don’t let fear or greed drive decisions. Stay detached and focused on your goals, and plans
No one succeeds overnight, so you should view Forex as a lifelong journey to mastery. Keep improving through practice, analysis, and learning.
