Funding & Independence

Purpose of this statement

Trading Integrity Bureau (TIB) publishes verification reports that firms, participants, and third parties rely upon. Reliance is only warranted if the reader can satisfy themselves that the Bureau's determinations are not influenced by commercial interests. This statement sets out, in plain terms, how TIB is funded and the rules that keep commercial activity separate from assessment work.

This statement is binding on the Bureau and its Reviewers. A breach is grounds for immediate suspension of the affected Report and, where appropriate, termination of Reviewer engagement.

Sources of revenue

The operating entity, Stratinova LTD (Cyprus HE475207), derives revenue exclusively from the following sources:

Source	Description
Engagement fees	Fees charged to a Firm that elects to undergo an engagement-based Verification (Full Verification or Limited-Scope) under a signed Engagement Agreement.
Brand Usage licences	Annual licence fees payable by Verified Firms for use of the TIB Verified Mark during the validity of the Verification.
Standards & methodology licensing	Licence fees for authorised commercial redistribution of TIB Standards and Methodology documents.
Conversion fees	Fees payable by a Firm that elects to convert a Public-Information Assessment to an engagement-based Report under § 27.7 of the Framework.

TIB does not accept: sponsorship payments from firms listed in the Registry; commissions, referral fees, or introducer fees; revenue tied to the outcome of any determination; or funding from firms that would create a direct or indirect competitive interest against any subject of a Public-Information Assessment.

Two distinct report tracks

The Bureau produces two categorically distinct types of Report, which are governed by separate procedures and funding treatments.

Engagement-based Reports

A Firm that wishes to be assessed signs an Engagement Agreement, supplies evidence, and pays engagement fees. The Report is produced under TIB-MTH-1.0 § 6 (two-Reviewer rule). The Firm has full right of reply during the engagement and a formal appeal right. The outcome is one of Pass, Conditional, or Fail.

Public-Information Assessments (PI)

PI Assessments are produced unilaterally, on the basis of publicly available materials only, under TIB-MTH-1.0 § 20 and TIB-FRM-1.1 § 27. No fee is paid by any party. The subject Firm has a 14-day pre-publication reply window and a post-publication correction right. The outcome is one of PI-Pass, PI-Conditional, PI-Concern, or PI-Insufficient evidence and is labelled indicative.

Separation rules

The following rules apply without exception to every PI Assessment published in the Registry.

No revenue link to PI subjects

No engagement client of TIB has funded, sponsored, or otherwise paid for the production of any PI Assessment of any other Firm. PI Assessment work is funded from the Bureau's general operating budget, which is not allocated by reference to the identity of any subject.

No competitor-funded assessments

TIB will not accept an engagement from a Firm where the effect of the engagement would be to fund — directly or indirectly — a PI Assessment of that Firm's competitor. Every prospective engagement is screened against the current pipeline of PI Assessments before the Engagement Agreement is signed.

No outcome-contingent arrangements

No fee, licence, or other payment owed to TIB is contingent on the outcome of any Report, whether engagement-based or PI.

No editorial influence

No engagement client, sponsor, adviser, or third party has any right to review, approve, modify, suppress, or delay a PI Assessment concerning any other Firm. Editorial decisions sit with the named Engagement Lead and the Reviewer(s).

Conflict-of-interest controls

Engagement-level declaration

TIB declines or terminates any engagement where TIB or its operating entity has a relationship with the Firm that extends beyond the engagement itself. TIB does not operate a "related-party" carve-out.

Reviewer-level declaration

Each Reviewer signs a written declaration, before work commences, confirming the absence of relationships that could impair independent judgement. Declarations cover: employment or consultancy with the subject Firm; equity interests; personal trading accounts; family relationships; prior representation; and any material financial dependence.

Re-declaration on material change

Reviewers re-declare on any material change in circumstances during the assessment. A change that gives rise to a conflict triggers reassignment of the Report.

Register of engagements

TIB maintains an internal register of every engagement client, its affiliates, and the products or services within scope. The register is consulted at the outset of every PI Assessment.

What the Bureau does not do

To remove any doubt about the scope of the Bureau's commercial activity, the Bureau does not:

• Accept payment from any Firm in exchange for inclusion or non-inclusion in the Registry.
• Accept payment from any Firm in exchange for a favourable determination, a deferral of publication, or suppression of adverse findings.
• Accept payment from any Firm, competitor, investor, or adviser in exchange for the production of a PI Assessment of a third party.
• Solicit, accept, custody, or process client funds of any kind.
• Introduce traders, investors, or consumers to any Firm in exchange for a fee, commission, or other benefit.
• Accept advertising or sponsorship placements on the Registry or in any Report.

What engagement does not buy

Firms that engage TIB under a Full Verification or Limited-Scope Engagement Agreement receive: an evidence-based assessment against the published Standards; a written Report; a right of reply and a formal appeal right; and, if the outcome supports it, a licence to use the Verified Mark. Engagement does not buy:

• A guaranteed outcome, or any outcome other than the one supported by the evidence.
• The removal, suppression, or redaction of any existing PI Assessment of the engaging Firm, except by operation of § 27.7 of the Framework (formal conversion of PI to engagement-based Report).
• The production, suppression, or modification of any PI Assessment of any other Firm.
• Editorial control over any TIB publication.
• Any form of advisory, consulting, or remedial service from TIB in respect of the findings.

Reviewer independence

Reviewers are engaged on terms that protect their independence. Reviewer remuneration is fixed by scope and time and is not varied by reference to the determination reached. A Reviewer who declines to sign a determination for reasons of independence is not penalised. Reviewer identities are recorded on each Report and, where applicable, in § 9 of the PI template.

Disclosure on each Report

Every PI Assessment published in the Registry carries the following standing disclosure, without exception:

The clause is rendered on the PI strip at the top of every Report page and in the Right-of-Reply section (§ 10 of the PI template).

Enforcement and breach

A suspected breach of this statement may be reported to complaints@integritybureau.org or, confidentially, to whistleblower@integritybureau.org. Reports are acknowledged within five (5) business days and reviewed by an Engagement Lead who had no involvement in the matter complained of. A confirmed breach results in suspension of the affected Report pending remediation, disclosure of the breach on the affected Report, and, where appropriate, termination of Reviewer or Engagement Lead engagement.

Independent scrutiny

The Bureau invites independent scrutiny of this statement and its operation in practice. Researchers, journalists, academics, and regulators may request a structured walkthrough of the funding register, engagement log, and Reviewer declarations (redacted of commercially confidential detail) by writing to media@integritybureau.org. Requests are acknowledged within five (5) business days.

Updates to this statement

This statement may be updated from time to time. Each version is labelled with an effective date and version number. Material changes will be notified by a prominent notice on the website.