How eKYC works
The customer does everything in an app or a browser, usually within minutes. The steps are typically:
- Capture of an identity document: a photo, or a read of its chip over NFC
- Checks that the document is genuine and unaltered
- A selfie or short video, matched to the photo in the document
- A liveness check, to show that a real person is present
- Screening of the name against sanctions and PEP lists
- A risk score, and manual review of the cases that fail
What EU and UK rules say about eKYC
In the EU, Directive (EU) 2015/849 lets a firm verify identity through electronic identification means, trust services under the eIDAS Regulation, or another secure remote or electronic process that national authorities accept (Article 13). The European Banking Authority's guidelines on remote customer onboarding have applied since 2 October 2023.
In the UK, the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 treat an electronic identification process as a reliable, independent source where the process is secure from fraud and misuse and gives enough assurance that the person is who they claim to be (regulation 28).
From 10 July 2027, the EU's AML Regulation names two routes: an identity document, or electronic identification at the eIDAS assurance levels substantial or high (Article 22).
Why eKYC matters to an app
Applicants drop out when onboarding is slow, so the speed and pass rate of eKYC shape growth directly. The licence holder answers for the result, also where a vendor runs the checks.
Fraud moves with the technology. Forged documents, injected video and deepfakes are what document and liveness checks are built to catch.
eKYC, KYC or identity verification?
- KYC
- The whole duty: identity, beneficial owners, the purpose of the relationship and ongoing monitoring. eKYC is the remote way of doing its first steps.
- Identity verification
- One step inside eKYC: proving that the person is who they claim to be.
- Video identification
- A live agent checks the person and the document on a call. Automated eKYC runs the same checks in software.
Where eKYC shows up in a platform
Modules that do the work
- KYC / AMLIdentity checks, screening and ongoing monitoring, with the verification provider you choose.
- AuthenticationSign-in, passkeys and second factors for customers and staff, on your identity provider or ours.
- Fraud & riskReal-time fraud scoring, limits and case management, with the risk engines you already trust.
Platforms that need it
Guides that go deeper
- How to launch a neobank without a banking licenceYour own e-money licence, an EMI's agent, a partner bank or a bank licence: how each route works, who holds the money, and what safeguarding and deposit protection cover.
- How to build an app like Revolut: licences, launch order and one ledgerA super app is several regulated businesses behind one sign-up. The licence behind each product in the EU, UK and UAE, the order to launch them, one ledger, the Consumer Duty and app review.
Where it is written
The laws and standards this page's facts come from.
- Directive (EU) 2015/849, the Anti-Money Laundering Directive, consolidated (EUR-Lex)
- EBA, Guidelines on the use of remote customer onboarding solutions (EBA/GL/2022/15)
- Money Laundering Regulations 2017 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1624, the AML Regulation (EUR-Lex)
General information, not legal advice: what applies to you depends on your services and your market.