To maintain the integrity of the Indices, contributors must meet specific eligibility criteria.
Eligibility criteria
To qualify as a contributor, a firm must:
- be a regulated investment manager – Contributors must be regulated by a recognised financial authority (e.g. FCA in the UK) and actively manage discretionary model portfolio solutions.
- offer discretionary MPS solutions – The portfolios submitted must be discretionary model portfolios or unitised versions of an MPS solution (not bespoke or advisory portfolios).
- have assets invested in MPS solutions – MPS solutions must be available on at least one third-party platform.
- commit to ongoing data submission – Firms must provide regular performance and asset allocation data for all MPS solutions to ensure consistency and reduce selection bias.
If you offer a solution (model or unitised) on a third party platform and have assets invested in those solutions, you are eligible for the ARC MPS Indices.
If you also manage bespoke discretionary mandates, you will be eligible for the ARC MPS Indices via Associate PCI membership. Find out more here.
We recognise that there are a number of different relationship models.
| Model | Who is the DFM's client? | Who Assesses Suitability? | Who Holds the client agreement? | Who Makes Investment Decisions? | ARC Index Eligbility |
| Reliance on Others (ROO) | Adviser & client | Adviser | Adviser & DFM | DFM | PCI |
| Agent as Client (AAC) | Adviser | Adviser | Adviser | DFM | MPS |
| Model Portfolio Provider (MPP) | Adviser or platform | Adviser | Adviser | Adviser | MPS |
| White-Label or Bespoke MPS | Adviser (branded solution) | Adviser | Adviser | DFM | MPS |
| Adviser as DFM | Adviser's own clients | Adviser | Adviser | Adviser (with DFM input possible) | MPS |
| Discretionary Investment Management Agreement (DIMA) | The end investor | DFM | DFM | DFM | PCI |