Every year I refine my trading stack.

Not because I like chasing shiny new tools, but because long-term performance comes from reliability, speed, and trust in your infrastructure.

Brokers, prop firms, and platforms are not just tools.
They are the backbone of your execution, risk management, and scalability as a trader.

After 17+ years in the markets, countless tested platforms, and real capital on the line, this is the exact stack I’ll be using in 2026.

This is not a sponsored list.
This is what I personally trust with my money, my strategies, and my long-term trading career.

If you’re short on time, here are my top picks:

• Interactive Brokers – My main broker for futures and long-term portfolio.
• TMGM – My primary FX retail broker for algorithmic trading.
• Top One Futures – My top futures prop firm.
• FTMO – My top forex prop firm.
• TradingView – My main charting platform.

Now let’s break it down properly.

Broker Choice for 2026

Futures & Long-Term Portfolio

Interactive Brokers

Everyone who knows me knows one thing: Interactive Brokers has been my main broker for over 16 years.

The reason is simple—trust and regulation.

They are one of the rare brokers properly regulated in my country, and I’ve never had a single serious issue with them. Over the years, their platform has improved significantly, and today it’s one of the most robust environments for serious traders.

I use Interactive Brokers primarily for:

• European futures (especially Mini DAX)
• Long-term investment portfolio
• Professional-grade execution and risk management

For 2026, Interactive Brokers remains my core broker

FX Retail Trading

TMGM

I discovered TMGM through a colleague who knew I was running algorithmic systems.
Honestly, I expected another average MT5 broker. I was wrong.Execution speed surprised me the most.

After almost a year of use, I haven’t experienced any major issues.

What I like the most:

• High leverage (perfect for algo testing and optimization)
• Extremely fast withdrawals
• Stable execution even during high-impact news

Most withdrawals hit my wallet within a few hours.
Only once did it take around 10 hours—and that was during a holiday.

For 2026, TMGM will be my main FX retail broker.

Eightcap

Eightcap is a broker I’ve used for several years.

They’ve been in the industry for a long time, and their infrastructure is solid.
They also played an important role in helping me scale my algorithmic trading setup years ago.

My experience:

• Verification took slightly longer due to my country of residence
• After that, everything worked smoothly
• Withdrawals processed the same day
• Minimal slippage issues (only a few during major news events)

Eightcap will remain my secondary FX broker in 2026.

Prop Firm Choice for 2026

Futures Prop Firms

Top One Futures

Top One Futures is relatively new in my stack.

Because of my country of residence, getting prop accounts has always been complicated. Many firms simply don’t accept traders from my region.

I’ve been trading with Top One Futures for about six months now, and my experience has been excellent.

What stands out:

• Competitive pricing
• Multiple platform options
• Instant funding options
• Strong growth and stability

I personally trade with them via Tradeovate, but they also support NinjaTrader.
They’re one of the rare firms that fully supported my “100K Challenge” concept, which is why I negotiated a strong discount. 

If you want to try them, you can use the code HERO for 40% off plans (while it lasts).

Forex Prop Firms

FTMO

If you’ve ever tried forex prop trading, you’ve probably tried FTMO.
Their rules are not the easiest—but that’s exactly why I respect them.

At this stage of my career, I prefer:

• Stability over simplicity
• Reputation over shortcuts
• Quality over hype

FTMO recently acquired OANDA, which makes them one of the most stable forex prop firms on the market.

For 2026, FTMO is my top forex prop choice. They also offer free demo challenges, which is perfect for testing their rules before risking capital.

The5ers

I’ve known The5ers since their early days.

I didn’t use them much in the beginning, but today they are clearly one of my top alternatives to FTMO.

My experience:

• Similar rules to FTMO
• Reliable payouts
• No issues over multiple years of use
• One of the rare firms that never penalized profitability

As long as they maintain this level of professionalism, The5ers will remain my second choice for FX prop trading.

Platform Choice for 2026

Charting Platform

TradingView

There are many good charting platforms today—but for me, TradingView is still unmatched.

I’ve been using it for nearly a decade.

While many platforms get worse over time, TradingView has managed to evolve without losing simplicity or data quality.

Yes, I had issues in the past.

Once, all my wave counts disappeared, but support recovered everything within 48 hours.
Compared to problems I’ve had with other platforms (eSignal, MetaStock, MetaTrader),

TradingView remains my top choice.

Another big advantage:
The free version is powerful enough for most traders.
If you upgrade, wait for discounts—TradingView often offers major deals, especially around Black Friday.

TradingView will be my main charting tool in 2026.

Trading Platforms

Meta Trader

MetaTrader remains the standard for FX and CFD trading.

If you ask me which one to choose in 2026: MT5.

Why I still use MetaTrader:

• Custom tools and automation
• Fast execution
• Massive ecosystem of indicators and scripts
• Industry-wide adoption

In trading, every second matters—and MetaTrader still delivers.

Tradovate

Tradeovate is one of the best futures platforms I’ve tested recently.

What I like:

• Clean, simple design
• Excellent execution
• Direct integration with TradingView

The ability to trade directly from TradingView is a huge advantage.

Ninjatrader

NinjaTrader was one of the first futures platforms I ever used.

I’ve had mixed experiences with it, but there’s no doubt:It’s still an industry standard.

Many futures prop firms rely on NinjaTrader, so it remains part of my stack.

Like Tradeovate, it integrates well with TradingView.

Important Note

This is not financial advice, and it’s not a paid promotion.

This is simply my personal stack—based on real experience, real capital, and real results.

Your needs might be completely different.

Always do your own research before choosing any broker or prop firm.

Final Thoughts

For me, 2026 is about one thing:

Consistency over excitement.

Instead of jumping between new, flashy firms, I’m sticking to a small group of partners I trust and focusing on execution.

That’s how real trading careers are built.

I’ll update this page if anything changes during the year.

Until then, this is my stack.

Trade smart,
Nicola Delic