Skip to main content

Now supporting payments via Bitcoin Lightning

Sign In
Talk to Sales
Learn | Embedded Finance

What is KYB?

"KYB" stands for "Know Your Business," a process similar to "Know Your Customer" (KYC), but focused on verifying the identity and legitimacy of business entities. KYB procedures are an essential aspect of anti-money laundering (AML) compliance, particularly for financial institutions and other businesses that engage in B2B (business-to-business) transactions.

What does KYB mean?

KYB stands for Know Your Business. It's a process used by financial institutions and other organizations to verify the legitimacy of businesses they engage with and to ensure compliance with anti-money laundering regulations.

What is KYB verification?

KYB verification is a set of procedures aimed at authenticating the legitimacy of businesses. This process includes verifying business registration details, understanding the company’s ownership structure, and assessing the business's compliance with relevant laws. It is an essential step in preventing financial crimes involving corrupt business owners or illegitimate business activities.

KYB verification includes KYC of majority shareholders of the business.

What is KYB in Embedded Finance?

In banking, KYB refers to the methods banks use to verify the identity and legality of business entities they deal with. This is a crucial part of ensuring business compliance with current money laundering regulations. Banks and financial institutions use KYB to assess the risk associated with a business, particularly focusing on high-risk business entities.

Globally, the banking sector adheres to standards set by international bodies like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which include KYB as part of their guidelines. National and regional regulations also dictate specific KYB requirements, forming an integral part of customer due diligence requirements for banks.

KYB and Money Laundering Risk

KYB procedures are vital in identifying potential money laundering activities. By thoroughly vetting business entities, financial institutions can detect and prevent attempts to use legitimate businesses as fronts for money laundering. This involves analyzing business registries, ownership structures, and business activities.

What are KYB documents?

KYB documents are the necessary documents used in business verification procedures. These typically include business registration certificates, articles of incorporation, information about key individuals in the company, and financial statements. These documents help in establishing the legitimacy and operational status of the business.

What is KYB compliance?

KYB compliance involves adhering to legal and regulatory frameworks that mandate the verification of business clients. This includes regularly updating and verifying business information to meet evolving KYB and anti-money laundering standards. Compliance ensures that financial institutions can effectively mitigate risks associated with high-risk business entities and protect against being implicated in unlawful activities.

KYB Process

The KYB process typically involves several steps, starting with the collection of basic business information from official registries. It then progresses to a deeper analysis of the business structure, including due diligence on key personnel and ongoing monitoring to identify any changes that might signal a risk, such as involvement in corrupt activities or money laundering.

 

Learn more about Payment Operations.