Research Methodology

How Atlas builds issuer intelligence

A transparent account of our research framework, evidence standards, confidence scoring, and verification logic. We publish the framework. The research is ours.

19-section frameworkT1–T4 evidence tiersIndependent researchNot financial advice
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Independence Statement

RWA Atlas does not accept payment from issuers for coverage, placement, or editorial treatment. Issuers may submit factual corrections but do not control profile content, confidence scoring, verification assessments, or risk analysis.

Atlas profiles are intelligence documents for informational purposes only. Not investment advice, legal advice, or regulatory opinion.
FrameworkEvidence TiersConfidence ScoreRisk FrameworkVerification BadgesProduct Layers
Structure

The Atlas v2.0 19-section framework

Every issuer profile follows an identical canonical structure. This ensures cross-issuer comparability, machine-readable consistency, and reproducible research standards. Click any section to expand.

Evidence Standards

Evidence tiers T1 — T4

Atlas distinguishes between what is directly verified, what is issuer-disclosed, what is supported by credible public reporting, and what remains analytical inference. Every claim in every profile is tagged with an evidence tier.

Scoring

Atlas Confidence Score (ACS)

The Atlas Confidence Score is the platform's weighted composite measure of profile reliability. It is not a credit rating and not an investment recommendation. It reflects how much confidence Atlas has in the structural integrity of the profile itself.

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Evidence strength
Weight and quality of T1/T2 sources relative to T3/T4 inference
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Completeness
Coverage across all 19 framework sections without material gaps
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Cross-source consistency
Whether on-chain data, legal filings, and issuer disclosures align
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Transparency quality
Depth and verifiability of issuer public disclosures
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Profile freshness
Recency of last review relative to material events in the issuer lifecycle
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Gap scale
Number and severity of unresolved material data gaps
The specific weights applied to each component are proprietary to Atlas. Scores are reviewed when material new information becomes available.
Risk Analysis

Risk framework

Atlas evaluates issuer risk structurally, not rhetorically. Risk labels reflect potential severity and exposure across the issuer stack — not a prediction of failure or a market call.

01
Governance concentration
Who controls key contract roles, upgrades, pauses, minting, and admin permissions.
02
Custody and asset segregation
Who holds underlying assets and whether legal protections are documented and bankruptcy-remote.
03
Redemption and liquidity risk
How exits work, whether gates exist, and how dependent holders are on issuer discretion.
04
Regulatory risk
Licensing posture, enforcement exposure, exemptions, and cross-jurisdiction complexity.
05
Collateral transparency
Reserve disclosure quality, audit frequency, and proof-of-assets visibility.
06
Smart contract risk
Proxy design, upgradeability, bridge dependencies, oracle reliance, and audit history.
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Operational dependency risk
Concentration in administrators, custodians, service providers, settlement rails, and shared infrastructure.
LOWWell-documented structure, strong legal clarity, institutional service providers, low operational complexity.
MODERATESome structural complexity, mixed disclosure quality, or dependencies requiring ongoing monitoring.
ELEVATEDMaterial structural gaps, significant regulatory uncertainty, or meaningful operational concentration.
HIGHSerious structural, regulatory, or operational concerns that materially affect diligence comfort.
Verification

Atlas verification badges

Profile-level status is distinct from claim-level verification. Atlas uses operational badges to indicate the maintenance state and intelligence quality of each profile.

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Atlas Verified

Profile meets Atlas standards for evidence quality, completeness, and cross-source consistency. Reviewed on a recurring basis.

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Atlas Monitored

Profile is under active Atlas oversight. May have open gaps, recent material events, or require additional verification.

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Under Review

Profile is being actively researched or updated following a material event or structural change.

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Verification Lapsed

Profile has not been reviewed within the Atlas freshness window. Intelligence may be stale.

Claim-level verification labels
✓
Verified
Primary or issuer-level evidence confirms the claim
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Partially verified
Supported but with caveats, gaps, or mixed-source limitations
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Unverified
Claim asserted but not yet confirmed to Atlas standard
Product

Public, premium, and enterprise layers

Atlas is designed as a layered intelligence product. Each layer serves a different level of diligence need.

01
Public Layer
→Executive summaries
→Headline risk signals
→Evidence tier labels
→Verification badges
→Methodology access
02
Premium Layer
→Full 19-section profiles
→Complete verification ledger
→Cross-issuer comparison
→Dependency graph
→Change alerts
→Downloadable reports
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03
Enterprise Layer
→API access
→Custom monitoring
→Bespoke diligence workflows
→Compliance intelligence
→Institutional integrations
Request Access