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Nelogica-owned trading platform BlackArrow will stage a live trading championship at the London Prop Trading Expo in October, as thousands of traders, prop firms and technology providers converge on Old Billingsgate.
Trading technology platform BlackArrow is going to put its technology directly into traders' hands at the London Prop Trading Expo 2026, with the company planning a two-day live trading competition as part of its presence at the event.
The BlackArrow Trading Cup will feature head-to-head trading heats conducted on the BlackArrow platform, supported by live leaderboards, commentary and reaction cameras. The current format envisages seven heats per day, with four traders taking part in each ten-minute contest.
The competition forms part of a wider BlackArrow activation at the Expo, which takes place at Old Billingsgate in London on 23 and 24 October 2026. The event is expected to attract up to 4,000 trading professionals, with more than 64 speakers and 39 exhibitors currently scheduled.
(Editor notes: October 23rd is a Friday, October 24th is a Saturday. Most markets other than Crypto are closed at the weekends, so it will be interesting to see which products are used in the Saturday session)
BlackArrow targets the international prop trading market
BlackArrow was launched in 2023 by Nelogica, the Brazilian financial technology company founded by Marcos Boschetti and Fabiano Kerber in 2003. Nelogica describes BlackArrow as bringing together its advanced trading and market analysis technology for international markets.
The relationship is particularly relevant to the prop trading sector and BlackArrow is actively positioning its technology towards proprietary trading firms as well as individual traders, offering firms access to its trading platform and tools for their trading desks.
Nelogica has also been expanding internationally beyond its home market. In November 2024, the company announced the acquisition of a majority stake in order-flow and liquidity visualisation platform Bookmap, describing the deal as its largest international investment. At the time, Nelogica said its existing platforms, including Profit, BlackArrow and Vector, were used by around four million users.
The London Trading Cup provides BlackArrow the opportunity to showcase the platform in a highly visible environment: rather than demonstrating software at a conventional exhibition stand, traders will use it in live competition in front of an audience.
The current competition format is designed to keep each heat relatively short and self-contained. Alongside the trading contest, BlackArrow's planned exhibition activation includes visitor registration and additional challenges intended to encourage interaction throughout the two-day event.
Prop Firm traders can see a walk-through of the BlackArrow platform in the video below:
Tom Hougaard to put prop firms under the microscope
One of the headline sessions at this year's Expo will see professional trader and author Tom Hougaard examine the prop trading model from the perspective of someone who has spent nearly three decades trading leveraged markets.
In a two-hour Main Stage session on Saturday, 24 October, Hougaard will compare funded-account trading with trading personal capital, looking at where prop firms can benefit traders and where their rules, risk parameters and restrictions may make consistent performance more difficult.
The session is expected to cover the practical advantages of funded accounts, the impact of prop-firm risk controls and the discipline, risk management and psychology required to remain profitable over time.
Hougaard will also examine a central question for the sector: whether modern prop firms genuinely provide an effective route towards becoming a consistently profitable trader.
The session, Prop Firms Under the Microscope: Can They Match Real Professional Trading?, runs from 10.30am to 12.30pm on the Main Stage at Old Billingsgate.
Hougaard is also the author of Best Loser Wins: Why Normal Thinking Never Wins the Trading Game, which focuses on the psychology, discipline and emotional control involved in professional trading.
Prop trading industry heads to London
The BlackArrow competition will sit within a much broader programme examining the development of the proprietary trading sector.
The London Prop Trading Expo programme includes live trading, educational sessions, panel discussions and networking, with topics ranging from funded-account models and trader consistency to technology, payouts and the potential future regulation of prop firms.
Technology and operational infrastructure are expected to feature prominently. Planned discussions include transparency and trust within prop trading, platform reliability, payments and payouts, as well as the technology and operating models likely to shape the industry over the coming two years. BlackArrow is among the companies currently listed as participating sponsors.
Live trading will also be a significant part of the event away from the BlackArrow Trading Cup. The wider programme includes the London Trading Tournament, head-to-head competitions, an Elite Trader Competition Final and live market activity from the WealthCharts team.
That combination reflects the way the prop trading market has evolved. What was once largely centred around funded-account challenges is increasingly becoming an ecosystem involving trading technology, payments, analytics, risk infrastructure, broker connectivity, education and specialist service providers.
The London Prop Trading Expo takes place on 23–24 October 2026 at Old Billingsgate, London. If you are a member of LiquidityFinder, you can show your attendance and leave comments about the Expo here.
