Football Index has joined the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) as an affiliate member.

The online betting platform, which allows its users to buy and sell shares in footballers, is the latest operator to join the global body which aims to protect sports betting integrity and combat corruption.

Football Index, which launched in 2015, joins as an affiliate member, which allows organisations whose business models differ from the IBIA’s sportsbook members, to participate in its betting integrity activities.

IBIA CEO Khalid Ali, said: “The company’s operation may differ from traditional sportsbooks, but it is no less committed to maintaining the integrity of its product and the sporting events on which it is based.

"Football Index’s integrity ethos therefore aligns with IBIA’s and its membership is another example of the association’s wide-ranging appeal and burgeoning roster of companies engaging with it globally.”

Neil Kelly, CEO of Football Index parent company BetIndex, added: “Maintaining the integrity of our business has always been, and remains, paramount to Football Index.

“The association’s wide recognition as the preeminent global sports betting integrity body makes it the ideal partner for Football Index, as we strive to further place the integrity of our product at the heart of our business operations.”

Operator Football Index is the official shirt sponsor of EFL Championship football clubs Nottingham Forest and Queens Park Rangers, and last month, ranked second in The Sunday Times’ Sage Tech Track 100.

The operator is the latest member to join the IBIA, with DraftKings announcing its membership earlier this month.