Every IBTimes Atlas profile goes through four verification pillars: corporate identity (company registration confirmed against government registries), digital footprint (domain ownership, LinkedIn, web presence), claims verification (key figures cross-referenced against public sources), and editorial integrity screening (OFAC sanctions, FCA register, adverse media). Verification is re-run annually at renewal. Profiles that fail screening are rejected regardless of fee paid.

A PR agency retainer in New York runs $3,000–$10,000/month. PR Newswire charges $400–$1,000 per release. A single guest post from a ghostwriter costs $1,000–$3,000. IBTimes Atlas Featured at $499/year is less than one-tenth of one month of PR agency fees — and your profile never expires.

Featured placement is capped at 4 companies per vertical category. This is deliberate. Scarcity is what makes the Featured position valuable — at maximum 4 featured profiles per vertical, your company appears at the top of a category alongside at most three peers, not buried in a sea of gold cards. Once a vertical’s Featured slots are taken, remaining companies join a waitlist.

Listing fees are non-refundable once a profile is live, as the editorial verification work has been performed. If your company fails the verification screening before going live, the fee is fully refunded. You can choose not to renew at the end of your annual period — your profile will be marked inactive but the URL remains accessible for 30 days after expiry.

Standard listings are live within 24 hours of payment, subject to passing automated verification. Featured listings require a human editorial review and are typically live same business day, maximum 24 hours. Press releases are published within 24 hours of submission. Content articles go through an editorial process and are published within 3–5 business days.