The phrase “financial freedom” sounds appealing, but behind it there can be both real success stories and expensively packaged promises. The name Oleksandr Orlovskyi has long been a trigger in the crypto community: some see him as a teacher and mentor, others as an infopreneur “selling a dream.” In this uncensored interview, we talked to him about things that usually stay behind the scenes: his inner circle, income growth and failures, responsibility to students, and why he doesn’t hide his earnings.

Photo of Oleksandr Orlovskyi speaking at the Back to School event
Personal Story: What Oleksandr Orlovskyi Has Never Shared Before
You’ve said that your childhood had a big impact on your character. In what way?
I had a strict father. He ran a business and from an early age tried to explain to me: working with your hands leads nowhere, you have to earn with your mind. He had his own style of raising me. Imagine this: I’m six years old, and instead of bedtime stories he plays me business audiobooks. Of course, I didn’t understand anything back then. I still remember: he pulled out a pile of money and said, “This is how much you can earn if you think,” then took one bill and added, “And this is how much if you just do physical labor.”
He demanded a lot and often belittled me. I could bring home an A, and he’d say, “So what, that’s your duty.” I was always on edge because I had to measure up. Even in the yard — if someone offended me, my father would repeat: “You don’t have the right to come home until you fight back.” It was unbearable. I felt trapped, and at 16, when I had the chance to go study in Poland, I ran away without a second thought.

Photo of Oleksandr Orlovskyi recording a podcast
And in Poland your journey into crypto began?
Yes, that’s where I first really felt freedom. Of course, I didn’t have much money. I worked as a bartender, rented a tiny room. One day I started chatting with a customer at the bar about crypto. To me it sounded like science fiction — money on your phone that no one controls.
I started with simple things: referral programs, registration bonuses. For a student it was incredible — an extra couple hundred dollars a month. Then I began diving deeper, connecting with people who earned more, making my first deals.
I remember the moment: my bartender salary was about $400, and for the first time I made a thousand from crypto in one month. I quit the next day. I just realized I didn’t want to carry trays anymore.

In 2017, Oleksandr Orlovskyi worked as a bartender in Poland
How would you describe yourself now? What is life like for Oleksandr Orlovskyi?
Honestly? It depends. It may look perfect: an apartment in Dubai, a wife, traveling. My mom is also living well — I help her and my brothers. I don’t talk to my father, or rather he doesn’t talk to me. When I made my first $10,000, I wanted to share it with him, but he said that wasn’t real money, that it was shameful.
As for income — I don’t like to brag, but there’s no point hiding it either. In 2025, my crypto profits passed the $1 million mark. It’s not a “magic button,” it’s systematic work: portfolios, bots, diversification. I’m constantly in the market.
You know the difference between that guy in Poland and me today? Back then I thought the main thing was to break free. Now I understand that freedom also means responsibility. And yes, I’m glad I took that risk. Because if I had stayed in the bar, the most I could’ve become was a manager. Today I’m doing something that truly changes not only my life but the lives of thousands of people who join FFA.

Photo of Oleksandr Orlovskyi meeting with FFA graduates
Educational Projects: Feedback From Oleksandr Orlovskyi’s Students About FFA and Other Initiatives
Today, FFA is known as the largest crypto community in Ukraine. Do you remember how it all started?
Yes, it was 2021. On July 9 we officially launched the Financial Freedom Academy. Before that, there were small chats where my friends and I discussed the market. At that time, nothing like it existed in Eastern Europe. A well-structured community with training and mentors — it was a breakthrough.
I already had experience and income from crypto, but what really hooked me was something else: when you help a beginner take their first steps, the result is impressive. Imagine: someone earns $500 at their job, and here it’s x3, x5, x10… It changes their life. I still love that feeling.

The first participants of the Financial Freedom Academy community
Online, some people write that your project is a “scam.” Name three facts everyone should know before joining FFA
First — scale. More than 30,000 students have already completed our training, across 130+ cohorts.
Second — turnover. The community consistently maintains about $1 billion in monthly trading volume. At its peak it was $1.5 billion. This means that people are actually trading and earning, not just “watching lectures.”

Trading volume of the FFA community on the ByBit exchange
Third — the team. FFA has no “theorists” or “guest actors.” All curators and mentors are active traders. For example, Vitaliy DED USD runs a YouTube channel, shows trades live, and at the same time teaches students. Students can see that they’re being taught by people who work in the market every day.

Video on the FFA Trading channel by Vitaliy DED USD
Sounds huge. Do you manage all of this by yourself?
Of course not. I have a partner (I handle operations, he handles marketing) and a team, and everyone gives a million percent. Dozens of people work on the project: curators, analysts, mentors. It’s important to me that students see not only me, but also different approaches, different stories. This builds trust and makes the training more effective.
And most importantly: I don’t want FFA to be associated only with the name Oleksandr Orlovskyi. Yes, I’m the founder, but the strength is in the community. And the feedback from FFA students confirms this.

Photo of FFA students at one of the meetups
Income and Losses: Feedback From Oleksandr Orlovskyi and His Students About Earning in Crypto
You’ve already talked about your income. But how much do FFA students earn on average?
The average picture is this: beginners starting with deposits of $300-500 can reach an income of $200-300 per month within a few months. For some, it’s extra income, for others — the beginning of serious results. And there are stronger stories. For example, a student with the nickname Viktor59, a former businessman, earned $20,000 in three months of training and completely left his job to focus on crypto. There are dozens of such cases. We publish them on the website, there are reviews in Telegram and Discord. With some students we record interviews and invite them to live streams.

Photo of student Oleksandr Orlovskyi
Okay, but what about losses? What’s the biggest amount you personally lost?
Yes, that’s happened too. The biggest drawdown was about $480,000. But I didn’t see it as a tragedy. That money was in circulation, and I hadn’t planned to “buy a car or an apartment with it.” It’s a tool. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. The key is to maintain your system and keep a cool head. I always teach students: losses are part of the process, it’s important to manage risks correctly and understand that the market will give back if you act wisely.
What’s the hardest part for you about working with both money and students at the same time?
Money is emotions. When you earn or lose, everything inside you is boiling. And when it comes to thousands of students, the responsibility multiplies many times over. For me, the challenge isn’t about holding on to my own deposit. I feel enormous responsibility to teach people how to work without panic. It’s hard work: showing by personal example that you can lose half a million and still stay in the market. That’s exactly how I see my mission — to stay calm when others start to panic.

Awards for FFA students
Trading Bots — Oleksandr Orlovskyi’s Students’ Favorite Tool: Feedback and Results
On your dashboard there’s a note showing which tools were used to achieve results. Trading bots often come up. Can you explain in more detail?
Yes, bots are probably the most popular part for students. The idea is simple: the algorithm trades based on predefined strategies and takes routine decisions off a person’s shoulders. The main advantage is discipline. A bot doesn’t give in to emotions, doesn’t “panic” during drawdowns, and doesn’t “get euphoric” after a couple of successful trades.
On average, our algorithms show returns of around 8-12% per month. If profits are reinvested, that’s 200% or more per year. Some people make $200-300, others tens of thousands — it all depends on the deposit and how carefully the student handles risk management.

Earning tools used by FFA students on the dashboard
So is this your own bot? How is it set up?
Of course. Why take someone else’s “black-box solution” if you can develop your own product? We have a team of analysts, programmers, and traders who are constantly improving it. The first versions were built on simpler algorithms. But the market changes, and we’ve “tightened the screws” too: added additional filters, increased protection against drawdowns, built in flexible settings for different strategies. Now the bot runs more conservatively than before, but also more stably. We’ve focused on long-term performance — so students can be sure that a year from now the bot will still be working just as it does today.
Many people fear that “sooner or later bots will drain the deposit.” What do you say to such concerns?
That’s an absolutely normal fear, especially for those encountering automation for the first time. I always emphasize: a bot is not a “magic button” or a guarantee of profit, it’s a tool. We ourselves keep more than a million dollars of our own funds in it — and that’s probably the best answer. If we didn’t trust the system, we definitely wouldn’t risk such amounts. Plus, all our statistics are transparent: a student can go into the dashboard and see the results — their own and others’. This builds trust and shows: the bot is not a promise but a working tool tested in the real market.

Photo of Oleksandr Orlovskyi on a plane
On Values and Charity: What Matters Most to Oleksandr Orlovskyi
You earn a lot, but what do you spend money on? What’s most valuable to you?
Honestly, I’m not a party guy and I don’t like showing off. I’ve never wanted to throw parties just for the sake of parties or compete with expensive cars. Most of my time goes into work, and I genuinely enjoy it. The most valuable thing for me is family and loved ones. My wife, my mom, my brothers — I try to make sure they have everything they need. Money for me is not the goal but the tool. I don’t spend it to prove to someone that I’ve achieved something. I spend it on what brings peace and stability to my family.

Oleksandr Orlovskyi with his wife on vacation
Oleksandr Orlovskyi’s Plans for the Future
What goals do you set for yourself going forward?
The most important thing is the development of FFA. We’re working on scaling up. Personally, my goals are also ambitious. To reach $200,000+ net profit per month, to work systematically with portfolios and bots, to expand investments beyond crypto. But it’s not only about money. I want to travel more, meet students offline, help them launch their own projects. That’s what “the future” means to me.