Gary Stevenson, a former essential‑market FX trader at Citigroup who turned YouTuber, claimed he was the most profitable trader in the bank’s history. In 2024 I published a piece questioning his boast, noting that former colleagues said the claim was exaggerated. The book *The Trading Game* became a bestseller and his channel *Gary’s Economics* now has 1.6 million subscribers, mixing financial education with economic populism. A Channel 4 documentary, *How to Get Filthy Rich With Gary Stevenson*, aired earlier this month and received a scathing review from *The Guardian* civilisation.

During a recent conversation at a pub in Clerkenwell, Stevenson defended his record, insisting a spreadsheet showed he topped Citi’s FX desk in 2011, bringing in 35mn. He also proposes a 2 % wealth tax on assets over £10 mn to fund public spending. Eight former traders, including former FX head Jeff Feig, argued the bank never produced a global ranking and that the 2011 profit was not the highest in the firm. Feig explained their digital system only revealed team‑level performance for developed‑market currencies.

The debate remains unresolved, with no definitive evidence to confirm or refute Stevenson’s claim, leaving the claim open to interpretation.