13 May 2026. Full programmatic API access is now open to every Velotrade funded crypto trading account. From a first evaluation challenge through to a fully funded account, every trader can now connect their own execution systems, run algo trading strategies, and stream live account data via WebSocket. There is no additional fee, no application, and no approval process.
What This Means for Funded Traders
Most crypto prop firms sit in one of two camps. The first bans automated trading outright. The second permits it in principle but applies undisclosed restrictions that only surface when a payout request is under review. Neither gives traders the infrastructure they need to run a serious systematic operation.
Velotrade has taken a different position from launch. Automated and algorithmic trading have been permitted since the platform opened in March 2026. The API release formalises that commitment and removes the last friction point between a trader with a working system and a funded account they can deploy it on.
The API covers order placement, modification, and cancellation, live market data streaming, real-time account metrics including equity, drawdown, and margin via WebSocket, and full position management. It is the same programmatic interface used by professional brokerage and proprietary trading desks.
"We are not here to collect challenge fees and hope people fail. Our entire model is built on finding good traders and backing them with capital. Once a trader has shown they can perform, we want them to have everything they need to keep performing. An institutional grade API is part of that."
What You Can Build on a Velotrade Funded Account
| Use case | Description |
|---|---|
| Algorithmic (algo) trading engines | Custom EAs or scripts in any language, executing rule-based or model-driven strategies |
| Signal automation | External signal feeds routed into order execution on a live funded account |
| Real-time risk dashboards | Read equity, drawdown, and margin via WebSocket to monitor account state live |
| Quantitative strategies | Full systematic strategies with defined entry, exit, and position sizing logic |
| Multi-account management | Portfolio orchestration across multiple funded accounts |
| AI-assisted execution | Machine learning or AI model outputs used to drive order entry decisions |
All of the above are treated the same as manual discretionary trading. If the strategy would be compliant when run manually, the automated version is compliant. The evaluation rules, including daily loss limits and maximum drawdown, apply to API activity in the same way they apply to discretionary trades.
For a full breakdown of what automated strategies are permitted and which approaches get accounts flagged, see our guide to algo and bot trading in crypto prop firms.
The Broader Context: Why This Matters
The prop trading industry has a structural conflict of interest. A firm that earns most of its revenue from challenge fees has a financial incentive to see traders fail. The natural response to that incentive is to restrict the tools available to traders: no automation, no API, no external signals, no news trading.
Velotrade's revenue model is built on the opposite logic. A firm that earns from trader performance has every reason to give good traders the best possible infrastructure. Open API access, no consistency rules, no news trading bans, no weekend holding restrictions, and 24-hour USDC or USDT payouts are all expressions of the same underlying position: the firm wins when the trader wins.
"We have already seen traders running everything from execution algorithms to full systematic strategies on Velotrade accounts. Opening the API formally removes the last friction between someone with a good idea and a funded account they can deploy it on."
De Angelis spent over three decades in capital markets and risk management, holding senior derivatives and capital markets roles at JP Morgan, Dresdner Kleinwort, and Bank of America before joining Velotrade as Executive Chairman.
How Velotrade Compares on Automation
| Feature | Velotrade | Most crypto prop firms |
|---|---|---|
| Algo and bot trading | Permitted, no restrictions on strategy type | Banned or restricted |
| API access | Full, all accounts | Not available or paid add-on |
| Signal-based automation | Permitted | Often restricted |
| AI-assisted execution | Permitted | Unclear or banned |
| Additional fee for API | None | N/A (usually not offered) |
| Approval required | No | N/A |
Getting Started
API documentation is available at dx.velotrade.com/developers/#/, with the place order reference at dx.velotrade.com/developers/#/DXtrade-REST-API?id=place-order. Traders can connect custom systems as soon as their DXtrade account is issued, whether evaluation or funded. For a full overview of what API access includes and how it compares to other firms, see the Velotrade API access page. For a step-by-step guide to connecting an automated strategy to a DXtrade funded account, see how to use DXtrade for crypto prop trading.
If you do not yet have a funded crypto trading account, the evaluation challenge is the entry point. Velotrade offers 1-Step and 2-Step challenges across account sizes from USD 5,000 to USD 200,000, with leverage up to 6x on Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Ready to run your strategy on a funded account? View challenges and account sizes
About Velotrade
Velotrade is a Hong Kong based crypto prop firm founded by former institutional derivatives traders from JP Morgan, Dresdner Kleinwort, and Bank of America. The firm offers crypto funded trading accounts ranging from USD 5,000 to USD 200,000, with leverage of up to 6x on Bitcoin and Ethereum and a rule set built specifically for crypto market conditions.
The crypto funded trading platform is operated by Velotrade Re Limited, incorporated in Hong Kong in November 2025, alongside the original Velotrade trade finance business, which has disbursed over USD 2.5 billion to date. The Velotrade name and founding team carry a track record covered by Bloomberg, the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Nasdaq.
For media enquiries: press@velotrade.com
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Official announcements, product updates, and press releases from the Velotrade team. Velotrade is a Hong Kong based crypto prop firm founded by institutional derivatives traders from JP Morgan, Dresdner Kleinwort, and Bank of America.
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