Trading tournaments in India

SEBI investor-protection circulars discourage gamification of trading. Following this guidance, Indian brokers including Zerodha, Upstox and Groww have stepped back from PnL-leaderboard contests. Reading-material competitions and educational quizzes still run, but cash-prize trading leagues from SEBI-registered brokers are effectively blocked.

Crypto gains are taxed at a flat 30% under Section 115BBH of the Income Tax Act, with no offset for losses across assets. A 1% TDS under Section 194S applies on each transaction above the legal threshold. Tournament prize income from crypto exchanges follows the same treatment when the prize is paid in a Virtual Digital Asset.

Yes — FTMO, FundedNext and Apex Trader Funding accept Indian residents per their public terms. Funding payouts to Indian bank accounts may take longer than to EU/US accounts and can require additional KYC documentation. Verify each firm's current jurisdiction list before paying for an evaluation.

Access has fluctuated. Following FIU-IND compliance notices, several offshore crypto exchanges have at various points restricted Indian users. Some have since re-enabled access for KYC-verified Indian accounts; others remain blocked. Check the exchange's own announcement page for current Indian-resident eligibility before depositing.

CoinDCX's Trading Dangal series has run pools in the ₹1.3–3.5 crore range historically. Pi42 (INR-settled perpetuals) runs regular leaderboard events. Both are FIU-IND-registered domestic platforms — the safest jurisdictionally for Indian users.