For more than twenty years, the $25,000 equity minimum
has been a barrier to entry for aspiring day traders in the United States. While FINRA now seeks to replace it with a margin-based
framework, experts have cautioned that lowering the threshold does not
eliminate the risks tied to leveraged intraday trading.
Recent proposed changes by the regulator’s Board have also triggered sharp debate about whether they will empower retail investors or expose traders to new risks.
Join IG, CMC, and Robinhood at London’s leading trading industry event!
In what the regulator described as an effort to “enhance
its regulatory effectiveness,” the watchdog’s Board is seeking to replace the $25,000
minimum equity requirement with an intraday margin rule.
Report From FINRA Board of Governors Meeting – September 2025 pic.twitter.com/2VlHaDcN34
— Latest News from Business Wire (@NewsFromBW) September 24, 2025
How the $25K Rule Could Shift Markets
If adopted, this change effectively
dismantles one of the biggest barriers to retail participation in active
trading. Since 2001, anyone who wanted to day trade in the U.S. needed to
maintain at least $25,000 in their brokerage account or face severe trading
restrictions.
“The Board approved amendments that will replace the
day trading and pattern day trading rules, including the minimum equity of
$25,000 for pattern day traders, with an intraday margin rule that applies the
existing maintenance margin rules to intraday exposure,” the regulator
announced yesterday (Wednesday).
By shifting to a margin-based approach, FINRA would
allow trading activity to be governed by how much risk an investor takes on
during the day, rather than a fixed dollar threshold. That means a trader with
as little as $2,000—an amount floated in draft discussions—could potentially
qualify to day trade.
Facilitating “Fair Capital Markets”
“The Board’s recent approval and discussion of various
rule proposals are a key part of FINRA’s ongoing efforts to enhance its
regulatory effectiveness and efficiency through the FINRA Forward initiative,”
said FINRA Board Chair Scott Curtis.
Scott Curtis, Source: LinkedIn
“The Board and FINRA’s leadership team will continue
to prioritize helping enable member firms to better serve investors and
facilitate strong and fair capital markets,” he added.
Fintech platforms and brokerages have pressed FINRA to
drop what they call an outdated restriction from the dot-com era. Anthony
Denier, CEO of Webull Financial, argued that the original rule reflected a time
when retail investors lacked access to real-time pricing and news.
Related: FINRA Advances Proposal to Replace $25K Minimum for Day Traders with Margin Standards
Anthony Denier, Source: LinkedIn
“This rule was
created at a time when retail investors’ access to information, pricing, and
news was greatly disadvantaged. Times have changed, and the rule needs to be changed as well by removing the minimum dollar amount requirement,” Anthony Denier, CEO of trading platform Webull Financial, weighed in on the proposed changes.
Erkin Kamran, the Co-founder of 0xMarkets, agrees that this is a step towards democratizing finance, while cautioning that clinging to outdated rules risks
stifling innovation and excluding the very users driving future growth.
“This isn’t just a regulatory tweak. It’s recognition that
the world has changed: Real-time risk controls are stronger,” Kamran told Finance Magnates. “Access to markets is global. And
most importantly, democratization of finance is no longer a fringe slogan —
it’s becoming a mainstream reality.”
Erkin Kamran, Source: LinkedIn
“The old model treated participation as a privilege for the
few. The new model treats it as a right, with guardrails, but without
artificial barriers. Here’s the hard truth: if regulators and incumbents cling
to outdated rules, they don’t just slow innovation. They hurt
multi-billion-dollar industries by shutting out the very users driving the next
wave of growth.”
Academics Warn the Risks Haven’t Changed
Not everyone is convinced that lifting restrictions
solves the core problem. Haoxiang Zhu, professor at MIT’s Sloan School of
Management and a former SEC official, stressed that margin-based trading
remains inherently risky.
“Today, trading is often commission-free, although not
in all securities, and there’s less concern about excessive commission cost,”
said Haoxiang Zhu, a finance professor at MIT’s Sloan School of Management and
former SEC official, quoted by Bloomberg.
Haoxiang Zhu, a finance professor at MIT’s Sloan School of Management
The most direct impact of scrapping the $25,000 rule
would be felt by retail investors who have long viewed it as an insurmountable
barrier.
The surge in options trading heightens that concern.
The U.S. options market has reportedly grown more than 20% in the past year, with retail
traders increasingly using derivatives to make leveraged bets. Lowering
barriers could accelerate that trend, amplifying both gains and losses.
FINRA’s proposal now sits with the Securities and
Exchange Commission for review. Approval could push implementation into late
2025 or 2026, leaving time for continued debate.
More from FINRA:
- FINRA Probes Morgan Stanley Anti-Money Laundering Controls, Client Vetting Draws Scrutiny
- The $25K Rule That’s Blocking Millions from Day Trading Is About to Change
For more than twenty years, the $25,000 equity minimum
has been a barrier to entry for aspiring day traders in the United States. While FINRA now seeks to replace it with a margin-based
framework, experts have cautioned that lowering the threshold does not
eliminate the risks tied to leveraged intraday trading.
Recent proposed changes by the regulator’s Board have also triggered sharp debate about whether they will empower retail investors or expose traders to new risks.
Join IG, CMC, and Robinhood at London’s leading trading industry event!
In what the regulator described as an effort to “enhance
its regulatory effectiveness,” the watchdog’s Board is seeking to replace the $25,000
minimum equity requirement with an intraday margin rule.
Report From FINRA Board of Governors Meeting – September 2025 pic.twitter.com/2VlHaDcN34
— Latest News from Business Wire (@NewsFromBW) September 24, 2025
How the $25K Rule Could Shift Markets
If adopted, this change effectively
dismantles one of the biggest barriers to retail participation in active
trading. Since 2001, anyone who wanted to day trade in the U.S. needed to
maintain at least $25,000 in their brokerage account or face severe trading
restrictions.
“The Board approved amendments that will replace the
day trading and pattern day trading rules, including the minimum equity of
$25,000 for pattern day traders, with an intraday margin rule that applies the
existing maintenance margin rules to intraday exposure,” the regulator
announced yesterday (Wednesday).
By shifting to a margin-based approach, FINRA would
allow trading activity to be governed by how much risk an investor takes on
during the day, rather than a fixed dollar threshold. That means a trader with
as little as $2,000—an amount floated in draft discussions—could potentially
qualify to day trade.
Facilitating “Fair Capital Markets”
“The Board’s recent approval and discussion of various
rule proposals are a key part of FINRA’s ongoing efforts to enhance its
regulatory effectiveness and efficiency through the FINRA Forward initiative,”
said FINRA Board Chair Scott Curtis.
Scott Curtis, Source: LinkedIn
“The Board and FINRA’s leadership team will continue
to prioritize helping enable member firms to better serve investors and
facilitate strong and fair capital markets,” he added.
Fintech platforms and brokerages have pressed FINRA to
drop what they call an outdated restriction from the dot-com era. Anthony
Denier, CEO of Webull Financial, argued that the original rule reflected a time
when retail investors lacked access to real-time pricing and news.
Related: FINRA Advances Proposal to Replace $25K Minimum for Day Traders with Margin Standards
Anthony Denier, Source: LinkedIn
“This rule was
created at a time when retail investors’ access to information, pricing, and
news was greatly disadvantaged. Times have changed, and the rule needs to be changed as well by removing the minimum dollar amount requirement,” Anthony Denier, CEO of trading platform Webull Financial, weighed in on the proposed changes.
Erkin Kamran, the Co-founder of 0xMarkets, agrees that this is a step towards democratizing finance, while cautioning that clinging to outdated rules risks
stifling innovation and excluding the very users driving future growth.
“This isn’t just a regulatory tweak. It’s recognition that
the world has changed: Real-time risk controls are stronger,” Kamran told Finance Magnates. “Access to markets is global. And
most importantly, democratization of finance is no longer a fringe slogan —
it’s becoming a mainstream reality.”
Erkin Kamran, Source: LinkedIn
“The old model treated participation as a privilege for the
few. The new model treats it as a right, with guardrails, but without
artificial barriers. Here’s the hard truth: if regulators and incumbents cling
to outdated rules, they don’t just slow innovation. They hurt
multi-billion-dollar industries by shutting out the very users driving the next
wave of growth.”
Academics Warn the Risks Haven’t Changed
Not everyone is convinced that lifting restrictions
solves the core problem. Haoxiang Zhu, professor at MIT’s Sloan School of
Management and a former SEC official, stressed that margin-based trading
remains inherently risky.
“Today, trading is often commission-free, although not
in all securities, and there’s less concern about excessive commission cost,”
said Haoxiang Zhu, a finance professor at MIT’s Sloan School of Management and
former SEC official, quoted by Bloomberg.
Haoxiang Zhu, a finance professor at MIT’s Sloan School of Management
The most direct impact of scrapping the $25,000 rule
would be felt by retail investors who have long viewed it as an insurmountable
barrier.
The surge in options trading heightens that concern.
The U.S. options market has reportedly grown more than 20% in the past year, with retail
traders increasingly using derivatives to make leveraged bets. Lowering
barriers could accelerate that trend, amplifying both gains and losses.
FINRA’s proposal now sits with the Securities and
Exchange Commission for review. Approval could push implementation into late
2025 or 2026, leaving time for continued debate.
More from FINRA:
- FINRA Probes Morgan Stanley Anti-Money Laundering Controls, Client Vetting Draws Scrutiny
- The $25K Rule That’s Blocking Millions from Day Trading Is About to Change