Jade De los Santos is from the Philippines, started trading in April 2020 during the pandemic, and lost roughly $10,000 between a burned EA bot, personal account gambles, and early martingale mistakes. He now holds a $200K qualified account with Alpha Capital, reports a ~$6,000 largest performance fee request, and uses the DRIVE framework (Direction, Range, Interest, Value, Execute) on EUR/USD with 4H bias and M15 entries. He is still building with Alpha Capital but says combined performance fees across other firms are in the six figures. One trader's story, not a guarantee.
Trader Stats
Name | Jade De los Santos |
|---|---|
Location | Philippines |
Background | E-commerce seller (pre-pandemic) |
Trading since | April 2020 |
Experience | ~5 years at time of interview |
Primary pair | EUR/USD |
Style | SMC-influenced pullback / trend following (DRIVE framework) |
Time frames | 4H for direction, M15 for execution |
Typical stop | ~5 to 8 pips (refined on lower TF when needed) |
Win rate (self-reported) | ~50% |
Alpha Capital account | $200K qualified account (simulated) |
Largest performance fee (self-reported) | ~$6,000 |
Alpha Capital performance fees (self-reported) | Under $10,000 total (still early with the firm) |
Other firms (self-reported) | Six-figure combined performance fees across prior prop firms |
Jade joined us for a trader interview with the kind of path a lot of forex traders will recognise. Bot profits, bot blow-up, a lucky first week on a personal account, then NFP and oversized lots wiping the high. He kept going, stopped treating the market like a casino, and eventually leaned on prop firm rules to force discipline. If you are new to how qualified accounts work, read what are funded accounts and our qualified account UK guide before you buy an evaluation.
Pandemic start: e-commerce, then a trading bot
When airlines shut down in the Philippines, Jade was selling online. Trading looked like a way to earn while stuck at home. At first he thought it might be a scam. Reputation around trading in the Philippines was not great in 2020.
He joined an automated trading (EA) group because he was still learning and wanted to watch how a bot traded live.
"At the start it was good because the market was giving favour to the automated trading bot. Unfortunately, a couple of months passed and it started getting drawdowns. It got burned."
That loss pushed him to practice manual trading on demo while still watching the bot. Same period, same charts, two different lessons.
$4,000 in four days, then NFP
While the bot ran, Jade got curious and traded his personal live account manually. First week luck hit hard.
"In the first four days I earned $4,000."
Then Friday NFP arrived. He did not know proper lot sizing. Looking back, he was effectively martingaling and layering.
"It was a very good start for four days. Eventually I just got back to my original balance."
Break even on the manual side, but the emotional whiplash stuck. Sweating in a hot room, heart pounding. He still remembers it.
About $10,000 in losses before the lesson landed
Over roughly five years Jade estimates he lost close to $10,000 total across personal money, bot exposure, and early gambling-style trades.
"I was being playful. I was gambling my personal money."
He is open about wanting get-rich-quick results at the start. YouTube said manage risk. He ignored it because early wins felt like proof.
"Without those losses I will not become who I am today."
When we asked what changed psychologically, he pointed to sleepless nights watching bot drawdowns, then learning to respect rules once prop firm evaluations entered the picture.
Why prop firm rules helped (after personal account chaos)
Jade says prop firm trading is a different game from a personal wallet.
"You have rules you need to follow. You need to match your risk. Having prop firm rules helped me a lot not to over-risk and over-leverage. You will be forced to manage your risk or else you will breach your account that fast."
Would he tell every beginner to skip personal accounts and go straight to an evaluation?
"There are pros and cons with both. You can go straight to a funding account if you have already practised. But practice first on a demo account before buying evaluations."
$200K qualified with Alpha Capital
At interview time Jade held a $200K qualified account with Alpha Capital and was still working toward more allocation.
His largest single performance fee request with us was around $6,000. Total performance fees from Alpha Capital were still under $10,000 because he had only recently focused on the firm. Across other prop firms over his career, he estimates six-figure combined performance fees.
Individual results vary. Past performance fees are not a forecast for your account.
Why he chose Alpha Capital
Jade describes himself as factual. Before joining he researched the group structure, read Trustpilot, and looked for evidence that traders were receiving performance fees consistently.
"What is important for me is like 90% of the people are receiving their payouts and constantly being served well."
He also noted Alpha Capital Group's connection to in-house brokerage infrastructure (via Divento / ACG Markets in his research) as a stability signal. Always confirm current product and entity details on alphacapitalgroup.uk and the help centre.
Overall experience with performance fee processing: smooth, with standard verification steps (including interviews) along the way.
The DRIVE strategy (his SMC-based framework)
Jade's edge evolved from support and resistance into smart money concepts (SMC). He packaged it as DRIVE:
Letter | Meaning | What Jade does |
|---|---|---|
D | Direction | Is the market trending up or down on higher time frame? |
R | Range | Mark swing high and swing low; define the active range |
I | Interest | Find points of interest inside the range (order blocks, supply/demand) |
V | Value | Predefine risk (1% to 2% on evaluations; tighter on qualified accounts) |
E | Execute | Pending orders or market entry depending on availability |
Process on EUR/USD:
- 4H chart for overall narrative (trend, change of character)
- M15 for entries after break of structure and pullback
- Fibonacci (often 0.78 zone) for optimal trade entry (OTE)
- Stop just outside the zone; target 1:2 on evaluations, sometimes 1:1 on qualified accounts when he wants to lock in a performance fee window
He is honest about the stats: roughly 50% win rate. Some setups hit target. Some do not. Some days there is no valid setup, so he waits.
"Master the process and you can repeat the results."
That line is what he teaches students in his own academy. Process first, screenshots second.
Walk-through: bearish EUR/USD pullback (from the interview)
In the video Jade marks a downtrend on 4H, spots break of structure, waits for a three-candle pullback, defines the swing low, and looks for a bearish order block aligned with Fib OTE. He prefers pending sells with stop outside the block. If M15 stop distance is too wide (e.g. 11 pips), he refines on a lower view to get toward his usual 5 to 8 pip stop band.
Trend following at core: break, pullback, enter at POI, manage risk, execute.
Mentorship, YouTube, and finding an edge
Jade started on free YouTube, then spent thousands on mentorships across different communities before building something that fit his schedule.
"At the start it was pure YouTube. Eventually I realized it was not enough. I jumped from mentor to mentor until I figured out what fits me and my lifestyle."
His advice for beginners finding an edge: self-study works, but a mentor with a verified track record can compress the learning curve if you still do the reps yourself.
"You still need to experience it on your own."
What he tells beginners now
- Master the basics first. Terminology, risk, expectations. This is not get-rich-quick.
- Build a plan that fits your life. Copying a full-time trader's schedule when you have a job rarely works.
- Demo before you pay for evaluations. Prove the process, then scale into simulated accounts.
- Manage expectations. People see performance fee screenshots, not the years of losses behind them.
- Never give up, but do adjust. "The market is not our enemy. The biggest enemy is ourselves."
He barely shared his journey early on. When the bot burned, he deleted screenshots out of shame. His wife was one of the only people who knew.
Alpha Capital community and what's next
Jade says more traders are trusting the firm, which he sees as good for the long run. For improvements, he mentioned faster scheduling around performance fee verification interviews, but understands volume can slow the queue.
Looking ahead, he wants more allocation, more consistency, and a trading style that is more mechanical with room for discretionary reads when experience allows. Still working on discipline when life outside the charts gets heavy.
Question he wants us to ask the next trader: What is your ultimate trading goal?
Related reads
- What are funded accounts? · Funded forex account guide
- Trader funding UK · Prop trading UK
- Alpha Capital rules explained
- More interviews: Kim: $300K in performance fees · Claudia: 250K qualified account
FAQs
Who is Jade De los Santos?
Jade De los Santos is a forex trader from the Philippines interviewed on Alpha Capital's channel. He started in 2020, lost roughly $10,000 learning, and reports a $200K qualified account with Alpha Capital at the time of recording. YouTube: From $10K Loss to $200K Funded with Alpha Capital
How much has Jade made with Alpha Capital?
In the interview he cites a ~$6,000 largest performance fee request and under $10,000 total performance fees with Alpha Capital so far, plus six-figure combined performance fees across other prop firms over his wider career. Figures are self-reported, not typical, and not guaranteed.
What is the DRIVE trading strategy?
DRIVE stands for Direction, Range, Interest, Value, Execute. Jade uses 4H structure for bias, M15 for entries, SMC concepts like order blocks and break of structure, and predefined risk (1:2 RR on evaluations, sometimes 1:1 on qualified accounts).
Why did Jade choose Alpha Capital?
He researched Trustpilot, performance fee consistency, and the group's in-house brokerage setup. He wanted a firm with structure and a track record of paying eligible traders who follow the rules.
Should beginners skip demo and buy an evaluation?
Jade recommends demo practice first, then evaluations once you have a repeatable process. Prop firm rules can help risk discipline, but they do not replace learning basics.
Does Jade only trade forex?
In this interview he focuses on EUR/USD forex. Alpha Capital evaluations are forex-focused on Alpha Trader; confirm instruments and leverage per plan on the help centre.
Ready to start your Alpha Capital evaluation?
Jade's story is losses first, rules second, process third. If you are still on demo, stay there until your risk is boring.
View Alpha Capital evaluation programmes
Alpha Capital Group is a proprietary trading firm based in the United Kingdom. Evaluations and qualified accounts operate in a simulated trading environment with simulated funds. Performance fees are based on eligible simulated trading results; outcomes are not guaranteed. Trader results in this interview reflect individual experiences, not forecasts for future traders. Confirm live rules, eligibility, and pricing on alphacapitalgroup.uk and help.alphacapitalgroup.uk.
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