AML and KYC for asset managers
Automate KYC, KYB and AML checks to onboard investors faster, reduce compliance risk, and keep capital moving without weakening the checks.
KYC, KYB and AML compliance in one configurable platform
Individual, corporate and institutional investors in one workflow
250+ jurisdictions and 16,000+ ID documents
How does ID-Pal support asset managers?
ID-Pal delivers KYC, KYB and AML compliance in a single configurable platform, which matches the range of investors an asset manager onboards. For individual investors, it applies document authentication across 16,000+ identity documents, thousand-dimension biometric facial matching, and independently certified liveness detection (iBeta Level 1 and Level 2). For institutional and corporate investors, its KYB suite resolves ultimate beneficial ownership and screens the entity across 250+ jurisdictions, with the enterprise KYB depth that followed the integration of NorthRow’s KYB and AML compliance platform into ID-Pal.
Screening runs against PEP, sanctions and adverse media sources with ongoing monitoring, and every check sits in a single case view with a comprehensive audit trail. The platform is configurable to the manager’s risk framework, is ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certified and GDPR compliant, and deploys out of the box, via API and SDK, or through a native Salesforce integration, so onboarding fits existing operations. Running KYC and KYB on one platform gives one workflow and one audit trail across every investor type.
Fully certified and industry accredited
Key takeaways
Cover both investor types
An asset manager’s onboarding has to handle both institutional and individual investors, resolve ultimate beneficial ownership for institutional entities, screen thoroughly, and evidence every decision.
KYC and KYB together
Institutional investors often sit inside layered ownership structures, so onboarding needs KYC and KYB working together, not a single identity check.
One configurable platform
ID-Pal delivers KYC, KYB and AML compliance in one configurable platform, with individual verification, entity and UBO resolution following the integration of NorthRow’s KYB platform, screening and ongoing monitoring, across 250+ jurisdictions and 16,000+ documents.
Five things that matter
The strongest platforms combine five things: investor-type coverage, ownership resolution, screening depth, ongoing monitoring and a defensible audit trail.
What the platform covers
| Capability | What it does |
|---|---|
| Document authentication | Verifies government-issued identity documents, across 16,000 or more document types |
| Biometric facial matching | Thousand-dimension facial matching confirms the investor is the document holder |
| Liveness detection | Independently certified to iBeta Level 1 and Level 2, so a photo or replay does not pass |
| Address verification | Electronic verification against trusted data sources, removing separate proof of address |
| KYB and UBO resolution | Entity confirmation, with UBO and PSC identification followed through intermediate holding entities and funds, across 250 or more jurisdictions |
| AML screening | PEP, sanctions and adverse media, on individuals and entities |
| Ongoing monitoring | Screening stays live across the relationship, not just at subscription |
| Case management and audit trail | Every check, decision and piece of evidence in a single case view |
| Deployment | Out of the box, via API and SDK, or through a native Salesforce integration |
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Supporting 16,000+ ID documents and 400+ data sources, expand into 250+ jurisdictions faster while maintaining consistent controls across regions and customer types.
Trusted by leading wealth and asset managers
“WorkStation has played a critical role in ensuring we’re always aware of any potential risks. It’s also increased productivity by making our processes more efficient. We’ve saved costs and reduced our risk of non-compliance.”
Joanne Miller, Operations Projects Manager
Hargreaves Lansdown
What makes investor onboarding demanding for asset managers?
Asset managers onboard a spread of investors, from individuals to corporate and institutional entities, and each carries its own verification and screening requirements. An institutional investor often sits inside a layered ownership structure whose ultimate beneficial owners have to be identified, while an individual investor needs high-quality identity verification and screening. All of it has to be evidenced, kept current, and delivered without adding friction that slows capital in.
The difficulty is handling that range consistently and at scale, under fee and time pressure, without either weakening the checks or forcing teams into manual work across disconnected tools. When the process is fragmented, the audit trail is hard to assemble when a supervisor or investor asks for it, and outdated data systems make ongoing due diligence harder still.
What should an asset manager's investor onboarding cover?
Investor onboarding should verify the investor, resolve ownership for institutional and corporate investors, screen for risk, and keep the relationship monitored, all in one place. The five components:
Individual investor verification
Document authentication, biometric facial matching, liveness detection and address verification.
Institutional and corporate investor verification
Confirm the entity and identify its ultimate beneficial owners and persons with significant control, resolving ownership through intermediate holding entities and funds.
AML screening
Screen individuals and entities against PEP, sanctions and adverse media sources, and record the outcome.
Ongoing monitoring
Keep screening live so a change in an investor’s risk status is caught while the relationship is active.
Audit trail
Hold every check, decision and piece of evidence in a single case view for supervisors and investors.
See how asset managers use ID-Pal to simplify investor verification and onboarding
In practice: BCP Asset Management
BCP Asset Management used ID-Pal’s broker model for account opening, a relevant reference for managers weighing how to verify investors across channels without adding friction.
What does onboarding an institutional investor involve?
Onboarding an institutional investor is a layered job, and it is where a single-workflow platform earns its place. The sequence:
Verify the entity
Confirm the investing institution or fund is registered, active and legitimate, using registry data across the relevant jurisdictions.
Resolve ownership
Identify the ultimate beneficial owners and persons with significant control, following the chain through intermediate holding entities and funds.
Verify the individuals
Apply identity verification to the directors and beneficial owners the structure surfaces.
Screen everyone
Run the entity and each individual against PEP, sanctions and adverse media sources.
Monitor for change
Keep screening live so a later change in status is caught while the relationship is active.
What are an asset manager's investor-onboarding obligations?
An asset manager that falls within scope of the UK Money Laundering Regulations must apply customer due diligence to the investors it onboards, identify the beneficial owners of institutional and corporate investors, understand the purpose and nature of the relationship, and keep the information current. The approach is risk-based: standard due diligence for lower-risk investors, and enhanced due diligence where the risk is higher.
Enhanced due diligence commonly applies to a politically exposed investor, an investor connected to a higher-risk jurisdiction, or an institutional investor with a complex or cross-border ownership structure, all of which are routine in asset management. It means establishing source of funds and, where relevant, source of wealth, obtaining senior sign-off, and applying closer ongoing monitoring. The precise obligations depend on the mandate, the investor and the manager’s supervisor, so firms should confirm against current guidance.
How is KYB different from KYC for an asset manager?
KYC verifies an individual investor. KYB verifies an institutional or corporate investor and identifies who ultimately owns and controls it. Asset managers typically need both, because institutional money often arrives through entities whose beneficial owners must be identified and screened.
| KYC (individual investors) | KYB (institutional/corporate investors) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it verifies | Is this investor who they claim to be? | An entity and its owners |
| Core checks | Document, biometric, liveness, address | Registration and status, UBO/PSC identification, entity screening |
| Key question answered | Is this client who they claim to be? | Is this business legitimate and who really controls it? |
Running both on one platform gives one case view and one audit trail across every investor type, rather than reconciling separate identity and entity tools.
What should an asset manager ask when shortlisting a platform?
- Can you onboard an individual investor and an institutional investor with complex ownership in one workflow?
- How do you resolve ultimate beneficial ownership for institutional and corporate investors?
- How wide is your jurisdictional coverage against the markets our investors come from?
- How does ongoing monitoring surface a change in an investor’s risk after onboarding?
- What does the audit trail look like when a supervisor or investor asks us to evidence a decision?
Frequently asked questions
Why is investor onboarding more complex for asset managers than a single KYC check?
Asset managers onboard individuals, corporates and institutional investors, and the institutional ones often sit inside layered ownership structures. Onboarding therefore combines individual verification, entity verification, beneficial-owner resolution and screening, kept current over time.
Can individual and institutional investor checks run on one platform?
Yes. ID-Pal delivers KYC, KYB and AML compliance in a single configurable platform, giving one case view across every investor type.
Does the platform support cross-border investor onboarding?
ID-Pal supports verification across 250 or more jurisdictions and 16,000 or more identity documents, which suits managers onboarding investors from multiple markets. Firms should confirm coverage against their specific jurisdictions.
How does ongoing monitoring work?
Screening continues after onboarding, so a new sanctions match, adverse media or change in an investor’s status is surfaced while the relationship is live.
When does an investor need enhanced due diligence?
Enhanced due diligence generally applies where risk is higher, for example a politically exposed investor, a link to a higher-risk jurisdiction, or a complex institutional ownership structure. It means going further on source of funds and, where relevant, source of wealth, with closer monitoring. Firms should confirm the triggers with their supervisor’s current guidance.
How is beneficial ownership resolved for a fund investing into a fund?
The platform follows the ownership chain through intermediate holding entities and funds to identify the ultimate beneficial owners and persons with significant control, rather than stopping at the first entity named on a subscription.
How quickly can an asset manager deploy ID-Pal?
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