IM Academy
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Online education, Investment training |
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founder | Christopher Terry |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Online investment training courses |
IM Academy—which adopted the name IYOVIA in November 2024 and was formerly recognized as iMarketsLive, IML, IM Mastery Academy, and IMMA—is a U.S.-based enterprise offering online investment training courses, mainly aimed at younger demographics. Established by Christopher Terry, a former Amway sales manager, the organization reported revenues exceeding $1 billion in 2022 and claimed a global membership nearing 500,000 individuals.
Numerous regulatory bodies worldwide have classified the company as operating a pyramid scheme.
History
In May 2025, a legal action filed by the FTC alongside the Nevada Attorney General accused IM Academy of utilizing inadequately qualified instructors and defrauding consumers of $1.2 billion since 2018, with a focus on young African-American and Latino communities within the United States. Additionally, in 2018, the CFTC imposed a $150,000 penalty on the company for conducting unregistered trading activities.
Warnings about unauthorized operations under both its previous and current names were issued by Spain's National Securities Market Commission in 2018 and again in 2020. In 2022, Spanish law enforcement detained eight employees linked to allegations of deceptive advertising practices aimed at recruiting minors into a pyramid scheme. The following year, police in Luxembourg apprehended several staff members amid probes into illicit business conduct and promoting school dropouts.
IM Academy requires monthly subscription fees for course participation but exempts payment if participants successfully recruit two additional members. The company's activities are prohibited in Belgium, while representatives faced fines in Poland due to pyramid scheme infractions. In 2017, France's AMF issued a caution highlighting IM Academy's recruitment of high school students. Reports indicate that founder Christopher Terry lacks formal academic qualifications.