Fact-Checking Policy
How we verify material claims.
Standards
Every material factual claim on this site — about a platform's regulatory status, license, fees, APYs, custody model, or operational history — must be traceable to a primary source.
Primary sources we accept:
- Regulator registers (SEC, CFTC, FDIC, OCC, FinCEN, FCA, BaFin, AMF, CONSOB, CNMV, AFM, KNF, FINMA, MAS, FSA, HKMA, ASIC, CVM, CNV, CBN, CBK, CBUAE / VARA / ADGM, SCA).
- MiCA CASP license databases maintained by ESMA and national competent authorities.
- Official company filings: annual reports, proof-of-reserves attestations, regulator-filed disclosures.
- Court documents and regulator enforcement orders.
- The platform's own website and app (for fees, supported currencies, tier details) — captured with a dated screenshot on review.
Sources we do not treat as primary:
- Crypto news outlets (used for context only, never as the sole source for a factual claim).
- Reddit, Twitter/X, Discord, Telegram posts.
- Anonymous tips without corroboration.
- PR releases (used only for the platform's own stated position, clearly attributed).
Two-person review for material claims
Any claim that (a) changes a platform's score, (b) asserts a regulatory violation, (c) describes an enforcement action, or (d) warns about solvency or withdrawal issues goes through a second-reader check before publication. The second reader verifies the primary source independently.
Where the second reader is not available (e.g., solo editorial during specific periods), we delay publication of the affected claim rather than publish unverified material.
Citation format
- Material claims link inline to the primary source.
- Court document citations include the case number and court.
- Regulator register citations include the register URL and retrieval date.
- Screenshots of fee pages or product tiers are dated.
Error handling
When a fact-check fails in review, we either delay publication, downgrade the claim to an attributed allegation rather than a stated fact, or omit the claim altogether. We never publish a claim marked "unverified" as if it were verified.
Responsibility
Editorial responsibility rests with Stephan Kulik. Fact-checking process questions or specific source challenges: [email protected].