What KYB covers
KYB is the corporate equivalent of customer KYC. Where KYC verifies an individual customer, KYB verifies a business entity that the operator transacts with as a partner, supplier, or affiliate. The objective is identical: confirm the counterparty is who it claims to be, identify the beneficial owners behind it, screen against sanctions and adverse media, and assess the regulatory standing of the entity and its principals.
Regulatory drivers include EU AML Directives (which require KYB on business relationships), FATF Recommendation 10, UK Money Laundering Regulations, and gambling-specific supplier rules in UKGC LCCP and MGA frameworks. UKGC requires licensees to manage third-party risk; MGA requires similar through its supplier-management requirements.
Standard KYB components
A standard KYB pack covers: incorporation documents (certificate of incorporation, articles, registered address), corporate-structure documentation including parent and subsidiary mapping, ultimate beneficial ownership identification (typically anyone holding more than 25 percent or with significant control), sanctions and PEP screening of the entity and its UBOs, adverse-media review, licence and registration verification for regulated counterparties, financial-standing assessment, and tax and VAT registration confirmation.
For higher-risk relationships, the pack extends to enhanced source-of-funds checks on the entity, more detailed financial review, on-site or video-based site visits, and reference checks with existing operator customers of the counterparty. KYB cost per check ranges from a few currency units for automated corporate-data lookups to several hundred for enhanced reviews requiring manual analysis.
KYB in iGaming B2B specifically
iGaming operators conduct KYB on a wide universe of counterparties: payment processors, KYC vendors, game studios, platform providers, marketing affiliates, white-label brand partners, and consultants. Each carries different risk weights. Affiliates conducting high marketing spend through paid social channels typically attract higher KYB scrutiny than software vendors with established certifications and long operating histories.
For B2B vendors, presenting clean and current KYB documentation accelerates contract closure. Common documentation includes audited financial statements, certificate of incorporation, UBO declarations, sanctions-screening certifications, certifications such as ISO 27001 and SOC 2, and references from existing customers. Mature vendors maintain a vendor-data-room package ready for operator review.
Frequently asked questions about What Is KYB (Know Your Business) in iGaming?
KYC verifies individual customers; KYB verifies business counterparties. The principles are parallel but the artifacts differ. KYC focuses on identity documents and address proof; KYB focuses on incorporation documents, corporate structure, beneficial ownership, and regulatory standing. Operators typically run both processes through different tooling.
A UBO is an individual who ultimately owns or controls a corporate entity, typically defined by jurisdiction as anyone holding more than 25 percent of shares, voting rights, or otherwise exercising significant control. EU AML Directives, UK Money Laundering Regulations, and FATF guidance all use a 25 percent threshold as the default.
Yes, in most frameworks. Listed companies on regulated exchanges typically qualify for simplified KYB because their ownership structure is already publicly disclosed. Operators still verify the listing status, conduct sanctions and adverse-media screening, and confirm the counterparty is the listed entity rather than a subsidiary.
Standard practice is to refresh KYB at contract renewal and on detected change events (ownership change, regulator action, sanctions exposure). Many operators run continuous monitoring against corporate registries, sanctions feeds, and adverse-media sources between formal refreshes.