diff --git a/extensions/api/participant-context-mgmt-api/src/main/java/org/eclipse/edc/identityhub/api/participantcontext/v1/ParticipantContextApiController.java b/extensions/api/participant-context-mgmt-api/src/main/java/org/eclipse/edc/identityhub/api/participantcontext/v1/ParticipantContextApiController.java
index bb42d2179..778278141 100644
--- a/extensions/api/participant-context-mgmt-api/src/main/java/org/eclipse/edc/identityhub/api/participantcontext/v1/ParticipantContextApiController.java
+++ b/extensions/api/participant-context-mgmt-api/src/main/java/org/eclipse/edc/identityhub/api/participantcontext/v1/ParticipantContextApiController.java
@@ -108,10 +108,7 @@ public void deleteParticipant(@PathParam("participantId") String participantId,
     @Path("/{participantId}/roles")
     @RolesAllowed(ServicePrincipal.ROLE_ADMIN)
     public void updateRoles(@PathParam("participantId") String participantId, List<String> roles) {
-        participantContextService.updateParticipant(participantId, participantContext -> {
-            participantContext.getRoles().clear();
-            participantContext.getRoles().addAll(roles);
-        }).orElseThrow(exceptionMapper(ParticipantContext.class, participantId));
+        participantContextService.updateParticipant(participantId, participantContext -> participantContext.setRoles(roles)).orElseThrow(exceptionMapper(ParticipantContext.class, participantId));
     }
 
 }
diff --git a/spi/identity-hub-spi/src/main/java/org/eclipse/edc/identityhub/spi/model/participant/ParticipantContext.java b/spi/identity-hub-spi/src/main/java/org/eclipse/edc/identityhub/spi/model/participant/ParticipantContext.java
index fb17e040a..ac3c2e5e3 100644
--- a/spi/identity-hub-spi/src/main/java/org/eclipse/edc/identityhub/spi/model/participant/ParticipantContext.java
+++ b/spi/identity-hub-spi/src/main/java/org/eclipse/edc/identityhub/spi/model/participant/ParticipantContext.java
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 
 import java.time.Instant;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
+import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Objects;
 
@@ -100,7 +101,11 @@ public String getDid() {
     }
 
     public List<String> getRoles() {
-        return roles;
+        return Collections.unmodifiableList(roles);
+    }
+
+    public void setRoles(List<String> roles) {
+        this.roles = roles;
     }
 
     @JsonPOJOBuilder(withPrefix = "")