📅 Summary Table: What You’ll Learn in This Post
| Section | Highlights |
|---|---|
| Introduction | Why trading salaries are more relevant in 2025 than ever |
| Retail Trader Salary | Average incomes, what affects earnings, and who succeeds |
| Prop Firm Trader Salary | Structure, performance-based models, and real figures |
| Crypto Trader Salary | The volatile but high-reward crypto space in 2025 |
| Case Study | From Reddit to Reality: A beginner’s journey across all 3 sectors |
| Bonus: Global Trends in Trader Pay | Regional differences and remote trading boom |
| FAQs | Common salary-related questions people ask in 2025 |
| Final Thoughts | Career insights and how to get started |
📊 Why Trading Salaries Matter More in 2025
By 2025, decentralization, AI, and remote work from anywhere in the world are changing the financial landscape. The profession of trading is no longer limited to Wall Street. More people are turning to trading as a full-time source of income thanks to websites like Binance, Robinhood, and FTMO.
In 2024, there were more than 78 million active retail traders worldwide, according to Statista. “How much can I actually make trading?” is a question that many people have as interest in trading increases. Retail, Proprietary (Prop) Firms, and Crypto Trading are the three main categories into which this post divides it.
📈 Retail Trader Salary in 2025
Average Income:
- Beginner Retail Traders: $0 to $1,000/month
- Intermediate (2-3 years): $1,000 to $3,000/month
- Consistent Pros: $5,000+/month
According to a 2025 report by TradingView Insights, only 18% of retail traders are consistently profitable, but their average monthly returns are above 12%.
What Influences Earnings:
- Capital size: More money = higher potential returns
- Strategy: Scalping vs swing vs position trading
- Risk management: Key to avoiding burnout or massive losses
- Platform: Low-fee platforms like Zerodha, Robinhood, or Webull help maximize gains
Pro Tip: Many retailers supplement their income through content creation (YouTube, Twitter) or selling signals.
💼 Prop Firm Trader Salary in 2025
What Is a Prop Firm?
Prop (proprietary) firms provide traders with capital. You trade their money and split profits, often 70-90% in your favor if you’re good.
Salary Range:
- Funded Trainees: $500 to $2,000/month (probation phase)
- Regular Prop Traders: $3,000 to $10,000+/month
- Top Performers: $20,000+/month (performance bonuses)
Popular prop firms in 2025 include:
- FTMO
- MyForexFunds
- TopStep
FTMO’s 2025 Leaderboard shows its top 10 traders earning over $50,000/month, backed by firm capital and zero personal risk.
Income Depends On:
- Consistency: Losses lead to account termination
- Profit targets: Most firms expect at least 10% monthly ROI
- Drawdown limits: You must avoid losing a set % of capital
🤑 Crypto Trader Salary in 2025
Crypto Earnings Snapshot:
- Side Hustlers: $500 to $2,000/month (trading weekends or during major events)
- Full-Time Traders: $5,000 to $15,000/month
- High-Risk DeFi Traders: $20,000+/month but with significant volatility
Crypto is unique due to:
- 24/7 markets: Opportunity never sleeps
- High volatility: Higher potential gains (and losses)
- Leverage: Often 10x to 100x on platforms like Binance or Bybit
A 2025 Chainalysis Report noted that over 35% of global crypto income came from active day trading and arbitrage, not HODLing.
Many crypto traders also earn via:
- Staking rewards
- Yield farming
- NFTs or token flipping
📕 Case Study: From Reddit Dreams to Real Income
Name: Aanya Mehta, age 24, from Bengaluru, India
Background: B.Com graduate with no trading experience
Started: Early 2024 after reading r/IndiaInvestments
Journey:
- Started as a retail trader on Zerodha, earning just ₹2,000/month
- Took a TradingView course, began sharing insights on Twitter
- Got funded by MyForexFunds after passing 2-phase challenge
- Parallelly traded crypto on weekends using CoinDCX
Outcome in 2025:
- Earns ₹1.2L/month from prop trading, ₹40K from crypto
- Side income from affiliate links and trading webinars
“I didn’t need a finance degree. I needed discipline, mentors, and 6 months of pain.” — Aanya (featured in Mint Business India, Jan 2025)
🌐 Global Trends in Trading Salaries
USA:
- Retail: $2,000–$8,000/month
- Prop: Up to $20,000/month in NYC firms
- Crypto: Popular among Gen Z side hustlers, avg $3,000+/month
India:
- Retail: ₹20K to ₹80K/month
- Prop: ₹1L to ₹4L/month (remote or hybrid)
- Crypto: ₹30K+ among top P2P and arbitrage traders
UK, Canada, UAE:
- Rapid rise of remote-funded trading jobs
- Dubai becoming a crypto trading hub
❓ FAQs About Trading Salaries
Q1: Can you make a living as a retail trader?
Yes, but only with consistent risk management. Most use it as side income before going full-time.
Q2: How can I get into a prop firm?
Take evaluation tests (like FTMO) and pass their risk rules. Many firms offer a free retake.
Q3: Is crypto trading still profitable in 2025?
Yes — but it’s riskier. Tools like AI bots and hedging strategies are common.
Q4: What are the best-paying trading jobs?
Top earners work at hedge funds or successful prop firms. But content creators in trading also make five figures monthly.
Q5: What tools can boost trading earnings?
- TradingView for charts
- Finviz for screening
- Notion or Google Sheets for journaling
🚀 Final Thoughts: What This Means for You
Trading is not a get-rich-quick path, but it’s absolutely viable in 2025 as a side hustle or full-time career. Salaries vary wildly depending on risk, strategy, and market type.
Start Here:
With smart preparation, you could join the top 10% of profitable traders in less than a year.
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