FundedNext Takes Top Fintech Innovation Honor at 2026 Tech Innovation Awards
The UAE-headquartered proprietary trading firm was recognized for a model that separates trading skill from trading capital, now used by traders in more than 180 countries
FundedNext, a UAE-headquartered prop trading firm, has been named Best Fintech Innovation at the Tech Innovation Awards 2026, presented by Entrepreneur Middle East. Founder and CEO Syed Abdullah Jayed accepted the award at Al Habtoor Palace in Dubai on 17 September 2026, alongside Dana Massey, Chief Product and Growth Officer, and Anaklaudia Filadoro, Chief Legal Officer.
The invitation-only ceremony was part of the Tech Innovation Forum 2026, powered by in5 and held in association with Virtuzone. The awards recognize individuals and businesses contributing to the development of the fintech and technology landscape.
FundedNext’s winning entry highlighted its approach to removing financial barriers to trading, its growing user base and ability to operate at scale, alongside its continued investment in technology and innovation.
“Talent is everywhere. Capital is not. That gap is what holds skilled traders back,” said Jayed. “Closing it is what we set out to do, first with a platform and now with the ecosystem we are building around it.”
A route to capital for skilled traders
FundedNext launched on March 18, 2022, after approximately 18 months of platform development. Its model addresses a long-standing challenge in retail trading: many skilled traders lack the personal capital to pursue their strategies without risking their own savings.
Traders pay a one-time fee and take a simulated evaluation that assesses strategy, discipline, risk management, and consistency. Those who pass receive simulated capital of up to US$300,000 and can earn up to 95% of the profits they generate as real cash rewards. FundedNext says traders can request a 15% Challenge reward with their Performance Reward withdrawal, provided they meet the Scale-Up criteria for their account.
The evaluation can also serve as a practical learning environment. Newer traders can test and refine their strategies in simulated market conditions, gaining experience without risking their own trading capital.
Product and AI development
FundedNext is one of the largest multi-asset prop trading firms with a strong presence in both CFD and Futures markets, dedicating equal focus to each. FundedNext’s CFDs offering includes the Stellar models, such as Stellar Instant, while FundedNext Futures offers models such as Rapid and Flex. Through FundedNext Labs, the company tests experimental plans with real traders in live market conditions.
The trader dashboard provides real-time visibility into targets, rules, and progress through Clarity Cards. It also includes margin, profit-and-loss, and lot-size calculators, along with a trading journal and learning resources.
In 2026, FundedNext launched a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, which trading outlet Traders Union reported as the first of its kind from a proprietary trading firm. The server allows traders to connect their accounts to AI assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini through read-only access, meaning the assistants cannot execute trades or change account settings.
The firm also offers Fundee, a voice AI assistant launched in 2025 that supports up to 32 languages, helping traders access assistance in their preferred language.
Growth and independent recognition
According to company figures, FundedNext has 2.7 million registered users and more than 180,000 active users across more than 180 countries. Since its launch, the company says it has paid more than US$382 million to traders, with payouts processed in around four hours on average. Finance Magnates reported that FundedNext paid US$15.19 million to 8,340 traders in February 2026 alone.
In the 2026 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 for the Middle East and Cyprus, FundedNext ranked second overall among more than 200 applicants and was the highest-ranked fintech company. The ranking is based on four-year revenue growth. In Deloitte’s 2026 EMEA Technology Fast 500, FundedNext ranked 11th, reporting revenue growth of 4,553.02%.
Finance Magnates also named FundedNext Global Prop Firm of the Year 2025 at its annual awards in Limassol, Cyprus, in November 2025.
“This recognition is about the model, not the milestone,” Jayed said. “We set out to separate trading skill from trading capital, and to keep pushing that idea further with every release