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What is KYC? Know Your Customer Explained

What is KYC? It stands for “Know Your Customer,” a standard practice that financial institutions follow to verify the identity of a customer before providing services. It’s a legal requirement designed to prevent fraud, money laundering, and the use of financial systems by criminals. Without it, companies can’t legally accept or move money on behalf of users.

Table of contents
  1. Customer Checks in Financial Services
  2. How the KYC Process Works
  3. KYC Documents Required
  4. What is eKYC and How It Works
  5. KYC vs Customer Due Diligence (CDD)
  6. KYC in the Payment Industry
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What is KYC? Know Your Customer Explained

What is KYC? It stands for “Know Your Customer,” a standard practice that financial institutions follow to verify the identity of a customer before providing services. It’s a legal requirement designed to prevent fraud, money laundering, and the use of financial systems by criminals. Without it, companies can’t legally accept or move money on behalf of users.

Customer Checks in Financial Services

The KYC meaning is straightforward: collecting and verifying personal or business information to ensure the client is who they claim to be. What is KYC in banking? Banks must follow national and international regulations to check customers before opening accounts, transfers, or providing access to financing. This protects both the institution and the financial system.

How the KYC Process Works

The typical KYC process involves the following steps:

  1. The user signs up and provides personal or business details.
  2. The system performs a document check to verify this information.
  3. A KYC check compares the data to official records.
  4. Users may be asked to complete live facial or biometric scans for additional authentication.
  5. Once approved, the account is fully activated.

Some companies review manually; others use digital systems that label cases by risk or document quality.

KYC Documents Required

Exact requirements depend on the type of user:

For individuals:

  • Passport, national ID, or driver’s license (confirms identity).
  • Utility bill, lease agreement, or bank statement (confirms address).
  • Sometimes a selfie or live video is needed for facial recognition.

For businesses:

  • Company registration documents.
  • List of directors and shareholders.
  • Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO) information.
  • IDs of individuals who act on behalf of the company.

Institutions may also request a recent KYC update if any details change.

What is eKYC and How It Works

eKYC means electronic Know Your Customer. Users submit documents via the web or mobile, and identity checks run automatically. It replaces slow manual steps, cuts errors, speeds up onboarding, and supports stronger data privacy controls.

Biometric and Remote Verification

Biometric checks like fingerprints or live facial scans add security to KYC verification by confirming the user’s presence and identity. Remote verification removes the need for branch visits or paper documents.

KYC vs Customer Due Diligence (CDD)

KYC is the first step in Customer Due Diligence: CDD goes further by assessing risk and monitoring behaviour over time. While ‘Know Your Customer’ is about identity and documentation, CDD includes ongoing transaction reviews and risk scoring.

KYC in the Payment Industry

Customer verification is essential for payment providers and gateways. It blocks fake users, detects fraud early, and ensures legal compliance. A strong compliance procedure also supports licensing and protects reputation.

Role in Payment Gateways

Payment gateways rely on a customer identity verification process to screen and verify merchants before they can process money. They continuously monitor transactions for irregular patterns, preventing illicit use of the platform.

Benefits for Fintechs

A well-implemented KYC process allows fintechs to grow responsibly. It builds customer trust, meets regulatory obligations, and reduces fraud. Using automated systems makes KYC scalable, cost-efficient, and secure.

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