In Recognition of National Financial Literacy Month, E8 Markets Is Using One Trader's $377k Payout Run to Raise Awareness of the Costly Dangers of Depositing With a Broker

DALLAS, April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- E8 Markets, a SaaS educational simulation platform for financial markets, is issuing a stern warning to retail traders of forex, futures, and crypto: deposit with a broker, and you risk losing thousands before ever gaining traction. The risks never show up in one clean sweep. They leak from the trader's account through dozens of small, costly, and avoidable mistakes that compound until the trader's money is gone.

"No one should have to lose $5,000 on a broker with little or no guidance or assurance of future success," said Dylan Elchami, CEO of E8 Markets. "With our platform, any trader can start with as little as $36 in enrollment fees, get access to $5,000 in simulated capital, and gradually build their skills and earn performance-based payouts without risking their own capital in the market."

Regulators Disclose The Real Risks for Retail Traders

In a December 2024 advisory, the CFTC stated that most individual traders lose money trading futures and foreign currency after fees and taxes. The CFTC's Forex Frauds page notes that about two out of three retail forex traders lose money each quarter.

In Europe, ESMA reported that 74% to 89% of retail CFD accounts lost money, with average losses ranging from €1,600 to €29,000 per client. FINRA and the SEC's margin bulletin both warn of how leverage can turn a normal loss into one exceeding the trader's original cash investment.

Brokers profit even when their customers don't. Trader losses accumulate through complicated order routing tactics, inaccurate or lagging market data, and rules designed to protect the broker rather than the trader. Traders pay heavily--not just for their own mistakes, but for not knowing what they don't know about real-time trading in financial markets.

What Brokers Won't Always Disclose (And Don't Have to)

E8 Markets isn't exposing a conspiracy. The real problem is that retail traders deposit money with brokers before understanding the pitfalls: volatility, leverage, hidden costs, tricky pricing and order execution, and the cost of learning under pressure.

Individual traders are outmatched by billion-dollar institutions trading with more capital, more speed, better data, and deeper execution experience. Brokers and intermediaries capture transaction revenue through spreads, commissions, and routing economics--costs that bleed from the individual investor's account. These leaks slowly empty the trader's deposit.

The SimFi™ Ecosystem: Protecting and Educating Traders

E8 Markets has created the first SimFi™ Ecosystem, giving traders the tools, community, support, and guardrails to learn how to trade financial markets without risking their own capital while earning performance-based payouts.

E8 has paid over $70 million in performance-based payouts to traders who learn and earn on its platform. Unlike brokers and fake prop firms, E8 benefits by gathering and analyzing real-time trading data from its users. This data drives tool development, guardrails, and educational materials that help traders navigate financial markets more effectively.

E8 users earn payouts in exchange for providing this real-time data, and the SimFi™ ecosystem becomes stronger and more reliable. This month, E8 is announcing a new loyalty program honoring Tom Gibbs, one of their top contributors and payout earners. The invitation expires April 30th and is only offered once a year during Financial Literacy Month. New users can start their SimFi™ journey for as little as $36, gradually building skills and earning payouts along the way.

The Success Story Behind the E8 Gibbs Loyalty Program

Tom Gibbs started as a small-town web designer and became one of E8's top payout earners. His first payout--$414.95--took roughly 10 months to reach. From there, his progress accelerated as the SimFi™ Three Levers compounded: better decisions, more simulated capital, and repetition across multiple accounts. This process ultimately led Gibbs to over $377,000 in total payouts, including a single largest payout of $216,053.13.

"We think too many traders meet the market at the point of maximum pressure," said Dylan Elchami, CEO of E8 Markets. "They are trying to learn, perform, and protect capital at the same time. Our view is that the better path is to train first , collect cleaner performance data, improve decisions through repetition , and only then decide how much live risk makes sense."

A trader's journey inside the SimFi™ Ecosystem is built on what E8 Markets calls the "3 Levers" of Trading Success:

 
   
          The Lever                
      
          What It Does for the Trader




   SimFi(TM) Performance Factor            Better decisions under structure, feedback, and
                                            guardrails




   SimFi(TM) Capital Advantage         
   More simulated capital as behavior improves




   Repetition Across Multiple Accounts     More reps, more familiarity, and more chances to
                                            compound discipline

These three levers explain Gibbs' progress and the broader structure of the SimFi™ platform. His success didn't start with a big payout--it started with that small $414.95 payout, which gradually compounded as he refined his strategy, became consistent, and earned the reputation and credibility to trade across over 20 SimFi™ Accounts. This final lever gave him the practice and scope to multiply his payouts until reaching $377k. It's a different path from the common aspiration to "win big," which often breeds bad trading habits that brokers capitalize on while the trader slowly empties their account making avoidable mistakes.

E8 Markets teaches that trading mastery doesn't come from reading chart data alone. It comes from immersion in the SimFi™ ecosystem: the training environment, the challenge-to-performance pathway, measurement tools, coaching and mentorship, community support, and repeated exposure that helps traders understand how markets move. This empowers traders to earn payouts before risking personal capital.

For a preview of Gibbs' full story, visit his biography page or join the Gibbs Club with E8 Markets loyalty discount code: GIBBS .

How the E8 Gibbs Loyalty Program Works

This month only, E8 Markets is announcing the GIBBS Club Loyalty Program. Eligible users have two options for getting started:

Option 1: 40% off E8 Signature on first purchase and enrollment

"The E8 Signature account is the perfect vehicle for users who want to start small and gradually build their skills and earn payouts with minimal upfront risk," says Elchami.

Option 2: Users with more experience who want to go faster can start for 30% off first purchase of an E8 One account PLUS 20% off all additional accounts purchased.

Users pay a small enrollment fee to access their education and begin their SimFi™ Challenge. In this simulated environment, they prove they have the patience and discipline to qualify for performance-based payouts in the SimFi™ Performance Account.

As long as users follow E8's Guardrails, they earn performance-based payouts and build reputation that qualifies them for more simulated capital to trade with, enabling them to scale their payouts. Users who don't follow the guardrails are sent back to re-enroll in the E8 Challenge.

This is where the real power of the Gibbs Loyalty Program emerges: E8 is offering all new users one free account reset. If a user breaks guardrails and loses account standing, this reset allows them to re-enter SimFi™ Performance without repurchasing. This protects traders from losing weeks of progress to a few simple mistakes--giving them peace of mind that one lapse won't derail their entire journey.

New users start immediately on the same 3 Lever Journey that made Tom Gibbs a top earner: better performance, more capital, more reps, better payout eligibility. Interested traders must enroll before the offer expires in April. For more on Gibbs' journey and E8 Markets, visit the E8 website or watch their upcoming docu-reality series.

About E8 Markets

E8 Markets is a SaaS educational simulation platform for financial markets. Through its SimFi™-driven ecosystem, E8 combines live market data, simulated capital, structured challenge and performance programs, trader-performance telemetry, community, and continuous education designed to help traders review, reset, and refine behavior over time.

Built as a training ground for Forex, Futures, and Crypto, the platform helps traders develop discipline, consistency, and stronger decision-making without risking live capital or margin. Eligible participants may receive discretionary, performance-based payouts under program terms, subject to E8's acceptance and licensing of performance data. E8 is not a broker and does not accept margin or deposits.

Important Disclosure:

Tom Gibbs's experience reflects one participant case study under E8 Markets program rules and does not, standing alone, describe or predict what other participants may achieve. Individual outcomes vary materially based on participant skill, consistency, market conditions, risk management, compliance with program rules, eligibility, and E8 Markets' acceptance and licensing of performance data. E8 Markets operates a SaaS educational simulation platform. Enrollment fees purchase access to an educational simulation and assessment; they do not purchase live capital, a brokerage account, a commodity interest, a security, or any investment opportunity. Any payouts referenced in this release are discretionary incentive disbursements under program terms, not trading profits, investment returns, or guaranteed earnings. No representation is made that any participant will achieve results similar to those described herein.

All trading activity referenced in this release occurred in a simulated environment. Hypothetical or simulated performance has inherent limitations and does not represent actual trading; results may differ materially in live market conditions. Nothing in this release is investment advice, financial advice, or an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security, commodity interest, or other financial instrument. E8 Markets is not a broker and does not accept deposits or margin.

The GIBBS loyalty discount code is valid only for eligible purchases completed from April 7, 2026 through April 30, 2026, subject to applicable promotion terms and program terms.

Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2961828/E8_Trading_Dreams_Paused_by_Tragedy.mp4
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