Also known as: Inactive Trader, Lapsed Client, Dormant Account
A Dormant Client is a trader who once opened and funded a live account but has stopped all trading activity for an extended stretch — typically 90 days or more. The account is still open and may still hold a balance, but it generates zero volume and therefore zero rebate.
Dormancy is distinct from churn. A churned client has closed the account or withdrawn everything and gone; a dormant client is still on the books, still verified, still one nudge away from returning. That difference is the entire opportunity for an Introducing Broker (IB).
The economics favour reactivation heavily. A dormant client has already cleared KYC and funded once — the two most expensive, highest-friction steps in the funnel. Waking one up can cost a fraction of acquiring a cold lead. If new-account acquisition runs $250 in ad spend, reactivating a dormant client with a targeted email and a small incentive might cost $15.
Because the account is idle, it also starts leaking value: many brokers apply an inactivity fee — commonly around $10 per month — after 3 to 6 months of no trading. Left alone, that fee quietly erodes the client's balance and their goodwill, making eventual reactivation harder.
A broker's system flags an account as dormant once it crosses an inactivity threshold — no trades for 90 days is a common trigger. From that point the account may accrue an inactivity fee and drop out of active-client counts.
Reactivation is a lifecycle campaign. The IB pulls the dormant segment from the portal, understands why those clients left (losses, life events, better offers elsewhere), and sends targeted, timed offers — a limited deposit bonus, an exclusive indicator, or fresh education — designed to trigger a small number of trades.
The mechanism works because the barrier to return is low: the account already exists and is funded or fundable. A well-timed message that removes friction and adds a reason to act can convert a meaningful slice of a dormant list back into active, rebate-generating traders.
Run a report in your IB portal to list every funded account with no activity for 90+ days.
Segment by cause — heavy losses, market conditions, or a stronger competitor offer — so the message fits the reason.
Coordinate with your IB manager on a limited-time reactivation incentive: a deposit bonus, exclusive tool, or fresh educational content.
Deliver via email and community channels with a clear, deadline-driven call to execute a few trades.
Track how many dormant clients return to active trading and refine the offer for the next batch.
Why it matters for partnership: Dormant clients are your cheapest source of new volume: they have already passed KYC and funded, so reviving them costs far less than acquiring cold leads. Mining your IB portal's dormant list before buying new traffic is one of the highest-ROI moves a partner can make.
An IB with an Exness partnership runs a portal report and finds 300 dormant clients. They send an exclusive custom indicator to anyone who executes three trades in a week. 45 clients return — a 15% reactivation rate — restoring roughly $1,800 in monthly volume-based rebate at a campaign cost under $200, far cheaper than acquiring 45 new funded traders.
| Attribute | Dormant Client | Churned Client |
|---|---|---|
| Account status | Open, still funded/verified | Closed or fully withdrawn |
| Trading activity | Zero for 90+ days | None; relationship ended |
| Reactivation cost | Low — KYC already done | High — near new acquisition |
| Best tactic | Targeted reactivation offer | Win-back or fresh acquisition |
Coordinate with your IB manager on a limited-time deposit bonus aimed only at your dormant list — a deadline plus a small, exclusive incentive converts idle-but-verified accounts far more efficiently than any cold campaign.
Ignoring the dormant list in your IB portal while pouring budget into cold, unverified leads; you overpay for acquisition while a cheaper, already-funded audience sits idle and slowly bleeds out to inactivity fees.
Many do. A common inactivity fee is around $10 per month after 3 to 6 months of no trading, which gradually reduces any remaining balance.
Thresholds vary by broker, but 90 days with no trades is a common trigger. Some brokers use 3 or 6 months before applying inactivity fees.
A dormant client still has an open, verified account and can be reactivated cheaply. A churned client has closed the account or withdrawn everything and is effectively a fresh acquisition.
It depends on the list and offer, but a well-targeted campaign to funded dormant clients often recovers a double-digit percentage — far better ROI than cold traffic.
Run an inactivity report in your IB portal filtered to funded accounts with no trades for 90+ days. That segment is your reactivation list.
Coordinate with your broker — many run compliant reactivation promotions. Keep any incentive within the broker's approved terms and avoid promising guaranteed results.
A clause-by-clause reading guide to IB agreements, covering clawback, client ownership, termination, tail commission, and the other terms that matter more than the commission rate.