KYB API: checks against the register, not a sales cycle

KYB (Know Your Business) verification is the process of confirming that a business customer is a real, legally registered entity, and identifying the people who control it. It covers legal existence, registration status, registered address, directors and ultimate beneficial owners (UBOs). It is a regulatory requirement for most fintech, payments, lending and regulated B2B services.

A KYB API is a programming interface that runs Know Your Business checks automatically. Instead of manually querying each country's register, your application sends a single request with a business name or registration number, and the API returns verified entity data: registration, status, address, officers and ownership structure, in under 200 ms.

The core requirements are the same under most AML frameworks: establish that the entity legally exists, verify its registration number and status against a reliable independent source, confirm the registered address, identify directors, and identify ultimate beneficial owners above the ownership threshold (typically 25%). Higher-risk relationships add enhanced due diligence and ongoing monitoring.

The reliable independent source is the operative phrase: registry-sourced data satisfies it, a scraped profile does not.

KYC (Know Your Customer) verifies individuals, typically with ID documents and biometrics. KYB (Know Your Business) verifies businesses: their legal registration, directors and UBOs. Most regulated B2B onboarding needs both: you KYB the business, then KYC the humans who own or control it. For the customer side, see the KYC API.

The API returns the legal entity record (name, registration number, legal form, status), registered address, officers and executives, group structure up to the ultimate parent, industry classification codes, and financial signals such as revenue and employee counts. Where the local register publishes ownership, UBO detail is included.

The right KYB provider depends on coverage and use case. CompanyData offers the broadest global coverage (365M+ businesses in 200+ countries) with transparent sourcing and self-serve, usage-based pricing. Legacy providers like Dun & Bradstreet and Moody's are strong at enterprise scale but sell through annual contracts. Middesk is US-focused, Persona and Sumsub are IDV platforms first.

We keep honest comparison pages if you want the detail: CompanyData vs Dun & Bradstreet and CompanyData vs Moody's.

CompanyData uses credit-based pricing starting at $34/month with 2,000 credits per year. A KYB verification costs 1 credit for the entity record. The trial is free: 150 business lookups and 10 exports in the first week, no card required. Volume discounts apply at higher tiers.

Every account starts with a free week: 150 lookups and 10 exports against the full API, key issued instantly on signup. That is enough to verify a real sample of your customer base before you pay anything. National registers also publish free APIs, but each covers one country and rarely includes structured financials or group linkage.

Yes, where the jurisdiction publishes it. The response includes directors, group structure up to the ultimate parent, and beneficial ownership where the register maintains a UBO record. You can use this to fan out KYC checks on the relevant individuals without a second integration.

It is a standard REST API with JSON responses, authenticated with an x-api-key header. Sign up for a key, send a GET request to the search endpoint with a business name or registration number, and export the full record by ID. SDKs for Python and JavaScript are available; the quickstart walks the first call in five minutes.

CompanyData is GDPR compliant with transparent data sourcing from official registries and verified partners. The data supports KYB requirements under AMLD5/6, FinCEN's CDD Rule, the UK Money Laundering Regulations and similar AML frameworks. Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) are available on request.