What is Strategy Provider?
Quick answer
A strategy provider, also called a leader or trader, is the person whose trades you copy. Their trades generate the signals that route into followers’ accounts. Choosing a strategy provider with a long, broker-verified record and controlled drawdowns is the most important decision in copy trading.
The strategy provider is the trader at the heart of copy trading: the person whose decisions you are choosing to follow. Everything downstream depends on who you pick.
What a strategy provider does
A strategy provider trades their own account, and their trades become the signals that are copied into the accounts of the followers who choose them. On RelayTrades, a strategy provider can publish a broker-verified track record and set a subscription price, earning from followers who copy them. The follower keeps custody and control of their own account; the provider simply supplies the trades to follow.
Why it matters in copy trading
Because your results depend on the strategy provider you follow, choosing one is the single most important decision in copy trading. Evaluate the length and verification of their record, their drawdowns, their risk and reward, and whether their style fits your goals, rather than chasing a recent hot streak. A verified live record matters far more than screenshots. Even a strong provider can have losing stretches, so size conservatively and keep your own limits.
Frequently asked questions
Back to the full copy trading glossary, or read the complete guide to copy trading.