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).
Who checks material claims
BanksForCrypto has one editor, Stephan Kulik, and no second reviewer. Claims that (a) change a platform's score, (b) assert a regulatory violation, (c) describe an enforcement action, or (d) warn about solvency or withdrawal issues are held to the same primary-source standard as every other claim on this page.
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: corrections@banksforcrypto.com.