Identity & signing, in plain language.

KYC, or Know Your Customer, is the process of verifying that an individual is who they claim to be before granting access or letting them transact. It typically combines identity-document capture, NFC chip reading and a biometric selfie with a liveness check. KYC is a core requirement of anti-money-laundering (AML) rules in regulated industries.

KYB, or Know Your Business, verifies a company rather than a person: its legal standing, ownership structure and ultimate beneficial owners (UBOs). KYB is usually combined with person-level KYC and authority checks so you know both the business and the individual authorised to act for it.

Identity verification is the broader practice of confirming a claimed identity using evidence such as a government document, the encrypted NFC chip inside it, and a biometric comparison of the person to that document. Strong identity verification reduces fraud at onboarding and underpins legally valid signing.

eIDAS (electronic IDentification, Authentication and trust Services) is the EU regulation that gives electronic identification and signatures legal recognition across member states. eIDAS 2.0 extends it with the European Digital Identity Wallet, raising the bar for cross-border, reusable digital identity.

A Qualified Electronic Signature is the highest legal tier of e-signature under eIDAS. It is backed by a qualified certificate and a verified identity, and carries the same legal effect as a handwritten signature across the EU. QES is the right choice for high-value, regulated or cross-border agreements.

An Advanced Electronic Signature is uniquely linked to the signer, capable of identifying them, and detects any later change to the signed data. AES sits above a simple signature but below QES, which adds a qualified certificate and stronger identity assurance.

A Simple Electronic Signature is the most basic level under eIDAS, such as a typed name or a clicked "I agree". It is quick but offers the least assurance about who actually signed, which is why higher-risk agreements use AES or QES instead.

NFC identity reading uses a phone to read the encrypted chip embedded in modern passports and ID cards. Because the data is cryptographically signed by the issuing authority, NFC reading is far harder to forge than a photo of a document and gives a higher level of identity assurance.

Biometric liveness is a check that confirms a real, present person is being verified, defeating photos, masks, deepfakes and screen replays. It is paired with a face match against the identity document so a stolen photo alone cannot pass verification.

Authority or mandate verification confirms that a specific person is legally entitled to sign or bind a company, for example as a director or authorised representative. It prevents agreements being signed by someone without the power to commit the organisation.

A reusable verified identity lets a person verify once and then reuse that proof across services, instead of repeating full verification each time. Stored in an identity wallet, it speeds up onboarding while keeping assurance high.

An evidence or audit trail is the timestamped, tamper-evident record of every step in a verification and signing journey: who was verified, how, when, and what they signed. It is what makes a decision defensible to auditors and regulators.

AML (anti-money laundering) is the body of regulation that obliges firms to prevent financial crime. CDD (customer due diligence) is the practical process AML requires: identifying and verifying customers and, where needed, their businesses and beneficial owners, before and during a relationship.