Governance

Independence

• No company can pay for inclusion, for a position, or for a screen to be waived.
• The price-integrity screens are applied mechanically and identically to every candidate.
• Commercial relationships are disclosed on the research outputs of the company concerned.
• Staff working on the ranking are separated from commercial engagement with ranked companies.

Oversight

An Oversight Committee reviews methodology changes, exclusion decisions taken under the P5 screen, and complaints that reach appeal. Its members are to be announced.

External assurance is due by 31 December 2026. Until it is complete, every view of the ranking carries the label Inaugural Edition — pre-assurance.

IOSCO alignment

The methodology is written to align with the IOSCO Principles for Financial Benchmarks, in particular Principle 7, which requires benchmark data to be anchored by observable transactions entered into at arm's length in active markets. That principle is what the price-integrity screens exist to satisfy.

WCRC says aligned with the IOSCO Principles. It does not claim to be compliant or certified, because no such certification has been obtained.

Material changes

A change to any screen threshold is a material methodology change. It is subject to consultation and applies only prospectively — never retrospectively to a published edition.

Corrections and complaints

Corrections are free and open to every company and to the public. They are decided on evidence only and never involve payment. A request is acknowledged within 3 business days and decided within 15, with an appeal route to the Oversight Committee.

Open data

The exclusions list, the rules behind every screen and the public data notes on each company are all published. Reuse carries the attribution "Source: WCRC 1000 (2026 Inaugural Edition), WCRC Intelligence".