The Top 10  Most Difficult Countries for Identity Verification

The Top 10  Most Difficult Countries for Identity Verification

Download Report

    n-img-roi-cross

    Before You Go, Schedule Your Free Demo Today

    Valid Invalid number


    Note: Fields marked with an asterisk(*) are mandatory.

    n-exit-img-roi-cross

    Thank you for your demo request

    We appreciate your interest and look forward to discussing how our solution can meet your needs. Expect to hear from us shortly with scheduling details.

    Close

    us

    2a03:2880:f800::

    Fintech Compliance – Boogeyman for Trillion Dollar Industry?

    Fintech Compliance

    Fintech industry is flexing its muscle by bringing onboard more and more customers and innovating their way to higher valuation and larger transaction volumes. Only in the US alone, the year 2018 saw $11.89 Billion funding go into Fintech ventures and more than $ 100 Billion was invested globally in Fintech Ventures. Right now there are 39 Fintech Unicorns in the world with a total estimated worth of $147.37 Billion. Digital payments through Fintech products surpassed $3.5 Trillion in 2018 and are expected to hit the benchmark of $6.6 Trillion in the next 5 years. Fintech companies have ventured into diverse business categories and financial services such as mobile payments, crowdfunding, P2P lending, online transaction platforms, and some Fintech are now even developing products for asset management as well. But this innovative brother of the conventional financial industry has had his own share of problems, with Fintech Compliance being the most prominent one among the rest.

    It was recently declared on a Fintech forum that by 2030, the biggest bank of the world will be a tech company, but without properly introducing a tech-friendly regulatory landscape and investing substantial resources in regulatory compliance, this seems to be a distant dream.

    The Cost of Non-Compliance

    Several Fintech companies have been fined millions of dollars for one reason or another because of their inability to comply with specific user-centric regulatory guidelines. Dwolla was slapped a $100,000 fine by Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for misrepresenting its data security practices. Ripple Labs was made to pay $700,000 by FinCen for their inability to identify their business model as Money Service Business (MSB). One Fintech company had to pay $6 million after CFPB declared that the lending practices of the platform violated the consumer protection guidelines of the regulator. There are many other instances where Fintech companies were fined substantial penalties either for their inability to adopt consumer security compliance or because of lack of satisfactory safety net for user data protection.

    Why Fintech Compliance is so complicated?

    The idea behind Fintech was to use the latest technology, mobile phone leading the roost in the current decade, to create a streamlined user experience when it comes to the financial services industry. Small businesses and the common users were particularly sick of brick-and-mortar branch model and aspired for a service delivery model that was swift and efficient at the same time. Enter the Fintech products that championed the cause of “lightning fast transactions” and “minimal to no paperwork” business model.

    But regulators were more concerned with the relative anonymity attached with Fintech products, transactions processed through these channels and susceptibility for these innovative solutions to be exploited by criminal elements to transfer funds for illegal activities. Money laundering and terror financing were even bigger concerns that called for strict financial technology compliance. But as one can assume, this was totally against the basic working principles of Fintech.

    The Fog around Fintech Compliance

    The complication of Fintech compliance is aggravated by the fact that the majority of regulators overseeing the financial service industry lack the specific guidelines to govern unique and innovative business models adopted by multiple Fintech companies. With the fluid and amorphous nature of Fintech companies, the brilliant minds behind such a booming tech industry also find it hard to pin down a single regulator that single-handedly deals with the kind of services that they have to offer.

    And even when there is clarity about the regulator or the specific guidelines that a Fintech has to follow, it creates friction for user-experience. For example, if a Fintech startup is operating as a digital wallet, mobile payment system or peer-to-peer funds transfer service within US, they have to comply with Bank Secrecy Act’s (BSA) and will be designated as “Money Service Business”. As a result of this, the Fintech platform will have to develop an AML Compliance solution, perform KYC for every incoming user, report transactions beyond $10,000 and even have to file suspicious activity reports and if you are thinking that is it, then you are wrong. As a Fintech based in the USA, companies can fall under the purview of OFAC, FinCEN and SEC. For Canada, there is FinTRAC, UK has its FCA and Fintech companies Down Under have to follow the guidelines from Austrac.

    But the hardest cooky of all was launched last year in the European Union, by the name of General Data Protection Regulation, a.k.a. GDPR that takes data security and user privacy to a whole new level even for the companies that are not based in EU but want to serve the clients based in its jurisdiction.

    Recommended For You: 3 Reasons why RegTech is the Future of Innovation?

    The Economics of Fintech Compliance

    The cost of having a KYC utility or implementing an AML compliance solution can be really tricky for Fintech businesses. Not to forget the importance of a GDPR checklist for businesses to ensure that no provision of this EU data privacy law is left out in their business or service delivery practices. Now for conventional financial services companies such as banks or insurance industry, it is easy to bear the cost of compliance related expenses because of their large coffers of revenue, but for Fintech companies that are in their nascent stage of existence, it is important to scale the operations and balance their budgets accordingly. Fintech startups, like all other startups, are already limited in terms of resources and such huge regulatory fines can cripple the backbone of such early stage startups.

    Another economic factor linked with Fintech compliance is that whenever a company, especially in their pre-valuation days, is fined by a regulator for non-compliance, it attracts a lot of bad press that is going to hit any future prospects of VC funding or pledge of investment from even a private equity as well.

    Conclusion

    It is not hard to guess that the future of the global financial system is dependent on Fintech products and even sovereign states and economic powers such as Germany has publicly admitted this fact in the recent G20 summit. But complying with regulatory guidelines will be crucial to sustaining the growth and trust in these products.

    Regtech seems to be the right solution to counter the needs and demands of the Financial industry in general and Fintech companies in particular. There are several third-party service providers that are offering KYC services, AML compliance, and other tech products to comply with official guidelines of regulators. With a common technical background and hunger to disrupt conventional service delivery models, Fintech and Regtech can change the future of personal as well as institutional finance forever.

    Find more relevant resources:

    Fintech Compliance

    Related Posts

    Blog

    Financial Institutions and Prevailing Crimes – How Shufti’s AML Screening Solution can Help

    The year 2021 has been a year of two halves, the first businesses and individuals were dealing wi...

    Financial Institutions and Prevailing Crimes – How Shufti’s AML Screening Solution can Help Explore More

    Blog

    Shufti Marks 4 Years of Streamlining KYC and AML for Global Businesses

    October 2021 marks four complete years since the launch of Shufti. As years begin to stack, t...

    Shufti Marks 4 Years of Streamlining KYC and AML for Global Businesses Explore More

    Blog

    Integrated Compliance Management – Mitigating the Regulatory Risks

    Businesses operating in the financial sector often face organizational and compliance challenges....

    Integrated Compliance Management – Mitigating the Regulatory Risks Explore More

    Blog

    China’s Data Protection and Privacy Laws | 2023 Update

    China has witnessed massive growth in the last few decades. However, the rise of the digital econ...

    China’s Data Protection and Privacy Laws | 2023 Update Explore More

    Blog, Business Technology, Fraud Prevention, Identity & KYC

    Face Verification – One Solution for Several Identity Frauds

    Biometrics is the technology that verifies the unique personality traits of a person to identify ...

    Face Verification –  One Solution for Several Identity Frauds Explore More

    Blog

    UAE’s Targeted Financial Sanctions (TFS) – How Shufti Can Help Ensure AML Compliance

    Money laundering has always remained a huge challenge for global economies, and all the major jur...

    UAE’s Targeted Financial Sanctions (TFS) – How Shufti Can Help Ensure AML Compliance Explore More

    Blog

    Financial Regulations Against Crypto Sanctions Evasion in the UK – Is the Crypto Sector Safe?

    Many governments throughout the world are facing concerns of money laundering and sanctions evasi...

    Financial Regulations Against Crypto Sanctions Evasion in the UK – Is the Crypto Sector Safe? Explore More

    Blog

    AML Solutions: Eliminating the Risks of Money Laundering

    Money laundering is a serious crime that can have serious and long-term consequences for your bus...

    AML Solutions: Eliminating the Risks of Money Laundering Explore More

    Blog

    Avoiding Billion-dollar Fraud & Non-Compliance Costs With Shufti

    Businesses deplete millions of dollars each year on outdated technologies, employee training, and...

    Avoiding Billion-dollar Fraud & Non-Compliance Costs With Shufti Explore More

    Blog, Identity & KYC

    CRA Looking to Launch Digitally Secure Ways with Identity Verification Services

    Canada Revenue Agency or CRA in collaboration with an identity verification service called Secure...

    CRA Looking to Launch Digitally Secure Ways with Identity Verification Services Explore More

    Blog

    Identity checks – A Profitable Business Strategy or Another Business Expense?

    Online commerce is a necessity of every business these days. With nearly every consumer carrying ...

    Identity checks – A Profitable Business Strategy or Another Business Expense? Explore More

    Blog

    Shufti’s Growth Skyrockets Above 100% in the Fiscal Year 2020

    In 2020, Shufti witnessed a remarkable growth of over 100%. Together with this, it can comfor...

    Shufti’s Growth Skyrockets Above 100% in the Fiscal Year 2020 Explore More

    Blog

    The FATF Travel Rule: What Business Owners Must Know

    The rapidly evolving landscape of technology and cryptocurrency has made the regulation of digita...

    The FATF Travel Rule: What Business Owners Must Know Explore More

    Blog

    How Deepfakes Deceptions are Affecting Businesses

    The word deep fake comes from the terms “deep learning” and “fake,” and is a type of artificial i...

    How Deepfakes Deceptions are Affecting Businesses Explore More

    Anti Money Laundering, Blog, Business Technology, Identity & KYC

    Customer Due Diligence: From KYC to KYB

    Why CDD is significant for both Know Your Customer and Know your Business verification? Banking i...

    Customer Due Diligence: From KYC to KYB Explore More

    Blog

    How ID Verification can Help you Boost your Revenue in 2019?

    For years now banks have been using laid back and inconvenient methods for ID verification of cus...

    How ID Verification can Help you Boost your Revenue in 2019? Explore More

    Blog

    Divergent AML/CFT Rules and Cross-border Payment Challenges – What FATF Has to Say?

    While addressing AML/CFT requirements for cross-border payments, the global financial watchdog, F...

    Divergent AML/CFT Rules and Cross-border Payment Challenges – What FATF Has to Say? Explore More

    Biometric Technology, Blog, Identity & KYC

    ID Verification API – Smooth Integration With Online Systems

    The financial services (FS) sector has the highest ever recorded abandonment rate of 83.6% amongs...

    ID Verification API – Smooth Integration With Online Systems Explore More

    Blog

    Shufti’s ID Fraud Report: Reviewing 2022 and a Preview of 2023

    Twenty years back, “identity theft” was imagined as pictures of shady figures rifling through gar...

    Shufti’s ID Fraud Report: Reviewing 2022 and a Preview of 2023 Explore More

    Blog, Business Technology

    The demand for OCR Technology increasing for ID Verification

    ID verification is core to overall identity verification services that help business around the g...

    The demand for OCR Technology increasing for ID Verification Explore More

    Blog

    Affiliate Fraud Detection | How to Prevent it in 2024

    Affiliate marketing is growing at an exceptional rate, worth $17 billion by the end of 2023, and ...

    Affiliate Fraud Detection | How to Prevent it in 2024 Explore More

    Blog

    An Insight Into AML Compliance Concerns Amid Russia Sanctions

    With Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the international financial landscape is facing concerns of comp...

    An Insight Into AML Compliance Concerns Amid Russia Sanctions Explore More

    Blog

    Japan’s AML/CFT Assessment – August 2021 Report

    Financial crime is soaring sky high with digitisation becoming a part of our daily lives. Cyber a...

    Japan’s AML/CFT Assessment – August 2021 Report Explore More

    Blog

    Enhancing security in the cryptocurrency world with KYC verification

    Almost 20 years after the legislation on combating money laundering, regulators around the world ...

    Enhancing security in the cryptocurrency world with KYC verification Explore More

    Blog

    A Brief Overview of KYC Requirements for Foreign Exchanges in EMEA

    The forex industry is recognizable for being a dynamic and profitable platform due to its high li...

    A Brief Overview of KYC Requirements for Foreign Exchanges in EMEA Explore More

    Blog

    E-learning Platforms and IDV Solutions: A Natural And Much Needed Partnership

    The advancement of modern technologies and telecommunication modes has made online assistance ava...

    E-learning Platforms and IDV Solutions:  A Natural And Much Needed Partnership Explore More

    Blog, Fraud Prevention

    Internet of Things: B2B IoT Segments about to hit $300 Billion by 2020

    The Internet of Things is growing exponentially with respect to its usage and capabilities. A who...

    Internet of Things: B2B IoT Segments about to hit $300 Billion by 2020 Explore More

    Blog

    6 in 10 Leaders Aren’t Ready for Deepfake Fraud Threats

    6 in 10 Leaders Aren’t Ready for Deepfake Fraud Threats Explore More

    Blog

    6 in 10 Leaders Aren’t Ready for Deepfake Fraud Threats

    6 in 10 Leaders Aren’t Ready for Deepfake Fraud Threats Explore More

    Blog

    Elevating Document Verification with OCR in 2024 | Data Extraction in Real-Time

    The Optical Character Recognition (OCR) market was valued at US$15 billion in 2019 and is expecte...

    Elevating Document Verification with OCR in 2024 | Data Extraction in Real-Time Explore More

    Blog

    Insights Into Austria’s Biometric KYC Onboarding [2022 Updates]

    Biometric authentication is considered a convenient approach for onboarding online customers that...

    Insights Into Austria’s Biometric KYC Onboarding [2022 Updates] Explore More

    Blog

    First-party, Second-party and Third-party Frauds – How to Stop them?

    Most businesses don’t lose customers because of poor services but due to weak security measures. ...

    First-party, Second-party and Third-party Frauds – How to Stop them? Explore More

    Blog

    Digital customer onboarding – Revamping onboarding process in banks

    The first impression is what counts most when it comes to customer-oriented services. Banks and f...

    Digital customer onboarding – Revamping onboarding process in banks Explore More

    Blog

    AML Compliance and Digital Banks – Understanding the Evolving Regulatory Landscape

    The emergence of new technologies in FinTech, increasing use of digital currencies, and alternati...

    AML Compliance and Digital Banks – Understanding the Evolving Regulatory Landscape Explore More

    Blog

    The need for identity verification solutions spiking in demand

    At present, we are living in a digital world. Everyone is on the internet which is an anonymous s...

    The need for identity verification solutions spiking in demand Explore More

    Blog

    The Trade-off Between Fraud Losses and Compliance Costs in the Banking Sector

    The modern era’s demand for digital-first services in sectors ranging from e-commerce, online dat...

    The Trade-off Between Fraud Losses and Compliance Costs in the Banking Sector Explore More

    Blog

    Designing a Risk-free Customer Onboarding Flow for the Freelancing Industry

    Freelancing websites saw an increased demand during the pandemic, and the trends continued to ris...

    Designing a Risk-free Customer Onboarding Flow for the Freelancing Industry Explore More

    Blog, Reg Tech

    Effect of the Amendment to the FINMA Compliance on IDV Service Providers

    In the first quarter of the year 2018, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority rolled ou...

    Effect of the Amendment to the FINMA Compliance on IDV Service Providers Explore More

    Blog, Identity & KYC

    CRA Looking to Launch Digitally Secure Ways with Identity Verification Services

    Canada Revenue Agency or CRA in collaboration with an identity verification service called Secure...

    CRA Looking to Launch Digitally Secure Ways with Identity Verification Services Explore More

    Blog

    6 Industry Experts Share Their Thoughts on NFC ID Verification

    Thanks to the growth of contactless transaction systems like Apple Pay, NFC is now a mainstream t...

    6 Industry Experts Share Their Thoughts on NFC ID Verification Explore More

    Blog

    Top 8 Facial Recognition trends to watch in 2020

    Facial recognition has been gaining prominence in recent times, owing to the benefits it offers o...

    Top 8 Facial Recognition trends to watch in 2020 Explore More

    Blog

    5 types of identity theft fraud and How businesses can prevent it?

    Online identity theft has the fastest growing crime rate in the world. According to a report, onl...

    5 types of identity theft fraud and How businesses can prevent it? Explore More

    Blog

    Securing Business Operations with Address Verification in 2024

    A key component of enhancing customer service and reducing fraud is gathering and validating addr...

    Securing Business Operations with Address Verification in 2024 Explore More

    Blog

    The Power of Robotic Process Automation in the Banking Industry

    Entering into the fourth industrial revolution, business processes are shifted to the digital sph...

    The Power of Robotic Process Automation in the Banking Industry Explore More

    Blog

    6 Upcoming Trends In Blockchain And Cryptocurrency For 2021

    2020 was unlike any other year. It was chaotic, happening, and has finally come to an end. In the...

    6 Upcoming Trends In Blockchain And Cryptocurrency For 2021 Explore More

    Blog

    Romance Scams: Protect Your Heart and Wallet with Identity Verification

    People searching for love online sometimes meet the unfortunate fate of a broken heart and someti...

    Romance Scams: Protect Your Heart and Wallet with Identity Verification Explore More

    Biometric Technology, Blog, Identity & KYC

    ID Verification API – Smooth Integration With Online Systems

    The financial services (FS) sector has the highest ever recorded abandonment rate of 83.6% amongs...

    ID Verification API – Smooth Integration With Online Systems Explore More

    Blog

    Shufti Marks 4 Years of Streamlining KYC and AML for Global Businesses

    October 2021 marks four complete years since the launch of Shufti. As years begin to stack, t...

    Shufti Marks 4 Years of Streamlining KYC and AML for Global Businesses Explore More

    Blog

    10 factors shaping the identity verification industry in 2020

    The identity verification industry is expected to grow steadily during the forecast period, reach...

    10 factors shaping the identity verification industry in 2020 Explore More

    Blog

    Stronger Global Identity Coverage… Where it Counts

    In today’s globalized economy, businesses are striving to expand their footprint across borders. ...

    Stronger Global Identity Coverage… Where it Counts Explore More

    Blog

    AML Compliance – Addressing the Threat of Money Laundering in NFT Marketplaces

    The NFT marketplace is flourishing even though the top platforms do not always comply with Anti-M...

    AML Compliance – Addressing the Threat of Money Laundering in NFT Marketplaces Explore More

    Blog

    Safeguarding Ride-Hailing Services with Identity Verification Solutions

    With the global digitization, mobility services are known to the world before the pandemic has ir...

    Safeguarding Ride-Hailing Services with Identity Verification Solutions Explore More

    Blog

    Customer Risk Assessment: Strengthening Security in the Digital Age

    Business partners, vendors, and third parties play essential roles in daily operations, contribut...

    Customer Risk Assessment: Strengthening Security in the Digital Age Explore More

    Blog

    The Age Verification Advantage: Speed, Trust, and Privacy

    Businesses operating in age-restricted industries like gaming, social media, and alcohol sales na...

    The Age Verification Advantage: Speed, Trust, and Privacy Explore More

    Blog

    CBN Regulatory Regime – New KYC/AML Requirements Payment Services Banks

    With the increased risk of financial crime, banks and other financial institutions within a state...

    CBN Regulatory Regime – New KYC/AML Requirements Payment Services Banks Explore More

    Blog

    Crypto Regulations 2021 – What Digital Currency Providers Need to do

    Cryptocurrency has been a hot topic ever since its advent in 2009. The ability to draw investor a...

    Crypto Regulations 2021 – What Digital Currency Providers Need to do Explore More

    Blog

    Fraud Prevention – Challenges, Strategies, Best Practices, and Technologies

    The twenty-first century is by far the most revolutionary time in the history of humans in terms ...

    Fraud Prevention – Challenges, Strategies, Best Practices, and Technologies Explore More

    Blog

    UN Sanctions List: What Every Business Owner Must Know

    Businesses must navigate a web of rules and regulations whilst onboarding customers, as one misst...

    UN Sanctions List: What Every Business Owner Must Know Explore More

    Blog

    Impact of COVID-19 on disruptive Fintech industry

    The economy and society worldwide are affected by the corona crisis. The effects of COVID-19 on b...

    Impact of COVID-19 on disruptive Fintech industry Explore More

    Blog, Reg Tech

    Shufti GDPR Review 2018: How we protected our clients from regulatory fines?

    Shufti stands out in KYC industry not only because of its highly customizable and global iden...

    Shufti GDPR Review 2018: How we protected our clients from regulatory fines? Explore More

    Blog

    Anti-Money Laundering Screening | Securing Digital Economies from Financial Crimes

    The increased reliance on digital banking and the advent of virtual currencies in today’s d...

    Anti-Money Laundering Screening | Securing Digital Economies from Financial Crimes Explore More

    Blog, Online Marketplace

    Document Verification Services for a Secure Freelance Platform

    Picture this you have recently started a freelance website you have marketed it properly and foll...

    Document Verification Services for a Secure Freelance Platform Explore More

    Blog

    Customer Identification Programme (CIP) vs Know Your Customer (KYC) | What’s the Difference?

     Often, people confuse CIP and KYC and think both are the same. Customer Identification ...

    Customer Identification Programme (CIP) vs Know Your Customer (KYC) | What’s the Difference? Explore More

    Blog

    Know Your Patient – Eliminating Fraud and Crime in the Healthcare Sector

    The digital transformation has reached the healthcare sector with new remote onboarding options f...

    Know Your Patient – Eliminating Fraud and Crime in the Healthcare Sector Explore More

    Blog

    Enhanced Due Diligence Vs. Customer Due Diligence – The Practical Approach to Counter Cybercriminals

    The nature of digital operations is changing, and users are now preferring to use remote services...

    Enhanced Due Diligence Vs. Customer Due Diligence – The Practical Approach to Counter Cybercriminals Explore More

    Blog, Identity & KYC

    KYC/AML Compliance in light of FinTRAC

    Witnessing the updated AML/CTF regime; the guidelines by FinTRAC regarding ID verification have b...

    KYC/AML Compliance in light of FinTRAC Explore More

    Blog

    Multi-Tier Security – Another Line of Defense Against Bank Account Scammers

    The banking sector has been witnessing a significant rise in criminal activities is a major conce...

    Multi-Tier Security – Another Line of Defense Against Bank Account Scammers Explore More

    Blog

    AML in Real Estate – Combating Property Scams at the Forefront

    Real estate is deemed to be a profitable and safe business to invest in thanks to its ever-growin...

    AML in Real Estate – Combating Property Scams at the Forefront Explore More

    Blog

    January 2023 Recap: Major Events Worldwide and How AML Verification Solution Can Help

    Noncompliance with Know your Customer and Anti Money Laundering (KYC) regulations continue to pla...

    January 2023 Recap: Major Events Worldwide and How AML Verification Solution Can Help Explore More

    Blog

    Understanding and Implementing Age Verification Requirements in Accordance with the FDA Deeming Rule

    Youth is considered the most valuable asset for any country, and it is the government’s responsib...

    Understanding and Implementing Age Verification Requirements in Accordance with the FDA Deeming Rule Explore More

    Blog

    AML & KYC Compliance – 5 Ways AI is Supporting the Fight Against Financial Crimes

      Reforming AML & KYC Compliance Structures for Financial Institutions The capabilities ...

    AML & KYC Compliance – 5 Ways AI is Supporting the Fight Against Financial Crimes Explore More

    Blog

    Safeguarding Telecommunication Industry with Robust ID Verification Solutions – What Shufti Offers

    Technology transformation, growing transactions and global digitisation are increasing the potent...

    Safeguarding  Telecommunication Industry with Robust ID Verification Solutions – What Shufti Offers Explore More

    Take the next steps to better security.

    Contact us

    Get in touch with our experts. We'll help you find the perfect solution for your compliance and security needs.

    Contact us

    Request demo

    Get free access to our platform and try our products today.

    Get started