Hi Hinsel, I disagree that the change is simply “unwise.” It seems their incentives have fundamentally shifted. Before the Kraken acquisition, the company focused on the core brokerage business. Now, the shift is clearly toward maximizing revenue through high-turnover models like funded trading and simulation accounts.
Instead of generating revenue through commissions on active futures trading, they are capturing significant fees from participants churning through evaluation accounts. It’s a transition from supporting professional traders to capitalizing on the gamification of trading. Unfortunately, new traders are at a severe disadvantage; there is little value in simulation programs when micro contracts are available, yet the current business model prioritizes this churn over actual market participation.