Curator Selection

Not every trading team that applies to Neutral Trade becomes a curator. This page explains the criteria Neutral Trade uses to evaluate prospective curators, so you can understand the standard a team has met before their strategy appears on the platform.

What Neutral Trade looks for

Curators are evaluated across four dimensions, each weighted by importance.

Strategy & track record

This is the most heavily weighted dimension. Neutral Trade requires a verified, auditable performance history.

On Sharpe ratio: Strategies with an exceptional decorrelation profile, i.e., returns that are genuinely independent of existing Neutral Strategy Vaults may qualify with a lower Sharpe ratio than the standard threshold. Decorrelation is assessed as part of the overall portfolio fit evaluation.

Track record must be verifiable through at least one of: exchange API data, third-party audit, or a recognised portfolio tracking platform. Historical trade logs with timestamps are required. Strategies with unverifiable performance histories are not considered.

Risk management

Neutral Trade evaluates whether the curator has defined, documented risk controls, not just whether they manage risk informally.

Key criteria assessed:

• Maximum leverage — clearly defined limits, preferred at or below 3×

• Daily loss limits — a hard stop must be defined

• Drawdown response — documented procedures for de-risking during drawdown periods

• Position concentration — single-asset exposure limits defined, preferred below 30%

Team & operations

Neutral Trade assesses the team's background, depth, and operational readiness. Single-operator setups are not automatically disqualified, but key-person risk is factored into the score and influences initial allocation sizing.

Curators must be able to provide read-only API access, supply live or regular performance reports, and demonstrate clear internal procedures for operations and decision-making.

Automatic decline criteria

Regardless of scores in other dimensions, any of the following results in immediate rejection:

• Inability to verify track record

• History of significant losses without credible explanation

• Refusal to provide standard documentation

• Regulatory issues or sanctions exposure

• Inconsistencies between reported and verified performance data