Know Your Customer (KYC) and Customer Due Diligence (CDD) are related but different. eValidate gives you the data checks to run both - identity, address, bank, email, mobile and OTP - plus a unique hosted KYC Workflow with self-serve links and CRM webhooks.
They are often used interchangeably, but they serve different purposes in financial crime prevention and compliance.
Focused on verifying who the customer is, typically at onboarding. Collect and check identity data so you can form a reasonable belief you know the person or entity you are dealing with.
A broader, often ongoing process: understand the customer’s background, purpose of the relationship and risk profile - not only confirm their identity.
In short: KYC verifies identity; CDD assesses and manages risk over the customer lifecycle. Both support AML/CFT controls and regulatory expectations (including FATF-aligned standards).
Collect and verify identifying information so you reasonably know the customer’s true identity - typically full name, date of birth, residential/legal address and a valid identification number.
Build a risk profile: verify identity, understand the nature of the relationship, and apply background checks proportionate to risk - on an ongoing basis where required.
Also described as perpetual KYC (pKYC): re-check customers and activity against risk profiles, rescreen when risk changes, and escalate unusual patterns for investigation.
Not every customer needs the same depth of checks. Intensity scales with risk, product, geography and behaviour.
Basic identification and verification for lower-risk relationships - for example limited product exposure or lower transaction volumes. Still needs accurate identity and contact data.
Full identity verification plus deeper understanding of the customer, purpose of the account and expected activity - with ongoing monitoring for material changes.
Extra scrutiny for higher-risk customers (for example PEPs, higher-risk jurisdictions or complex ownership). May include source of wealth, adverse media and intensified monitoring.
eValidate is not a full case-management CLM suite - it supplies the verification APIs your onboarding and compliance workflows call to collect and prove customer data quality.
| KYC / CDD need | What good looks like | eValidate capability |
|---|---|---|
| Identify the customer (CIP) | Name, DOB, legal address, ID number / document evidence | Identity validation Postcode / address |
| Verify address | Structured, deliverable UK address at capture | Postcode lookup |
| Verify contactability | Email and mobile are real and usable for notices / step-up | Email validation Mobile validation |
| Strong customer authentication | OTP challenge for login, payouts or high-risk actions | OTP SMS |
| Payment & account ownership risk | Valid bank details; payee name match where required | Bank / modulus CoP-style checks |
| Identity verification (ID&V) | Identity data and document-backed signals for onboarding | Identity validation |
| Screening inputs for EDD | PEP / sanctions / watchlist signals for higher-risk paths | Identity screening signals |
| Beneficial ownership (entities) | Identify controllers and ownership structure | Ownership data checks |
| Ongoing / perpetual KYC | Re-run verification when risk or data changes | Re-call any API on refresh OTP re-auth |
| Self-serve journey + CRM delivery | Customer completes checks via link; results land in your systems | KYC Workflow Webhook + retrieve |
| Unified billing for multi-check journeys | One prepaid balance across products and keys | Shared £ packs |
Send customers an encoded self-validation link. When they finish, eValidate webhooks your systems so verified data can be pulled into CRM and back office - without building the journey UI yourself. Explore KYC Workflow.
Identity + postcode + email + mobile form a practical CIP data set for digital onboarding - then bank checks before the first payment.
Use lighter checks for simplified paths; add CoP, OTP and identity screening signals when risk or product type demands more assurance.
eValidate APIs feed your own case management, CRM or compliance tooling - you own decisioning, audit trails and policy thresholds.
Address, banking and payment validation draw on the same group expertise as ePostcode, eSortcode and ePayment - extended for identity, company and contact verification.
Identity validation → postcode lookup → email + mobile validation → OTP SMS to bind the device. Optional bank modulus / CoP before funding.
Bank validation and payee name checks reduce misdirected funds; OTP for high-value transfers; re-check contact details if the customer changes.
Identity + screening signals, full address capture, bank ownership checks, and stronger authentication - with your analysts owning EDD casework.
Talk to sales about identity, CIP-aligned stacks and £ packs that cover your full due diligence mix.
