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Verify

KYC & identity verification, in real time.

Confirm who you're dealing with using real-time checks against government, telco, and institutional data sources — cross-referenced with digital identity signals like ID age and consent-verified income data. It's the foundation every downstream decision draws from.

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Overview

Real-time identity verification for fintechs and digital banks

Every onboarding flow starts with the same question: is this person who they say they are? Smile's identity verification API answers it in real time — matching a submitted ID, name, or biometric against government, telco, and institutional data sources, so a fintech, digital bank, or lending platform can confirm identity in seconds instead of routing every applicant through manual review.

Identity verification is the foundation of Smile's Verify stage, and it doesn't stop at document matching. Every check is cross-referenced against digital identity signals — how long an applicant's digital footprint has existed, how it correlates with their device and location, and whether their income and employment can be independently confirmed through consent-based payroll data — so a single positive match carries more weight than a document check alone.

Coverage varies by product. Government ID matching covers national IDs, passports, tax IDs, driver's licences and professional licences in supported markets, while bank account validation works with IBAN and local account numbers.

What you get

Features

Real-time ID matching
Match a submitted ID, name, or ID number against government, telco, and institutional records in seconds, not days.
Biometric and liveness matching
Document capture paired with biometric and liveness checks confirms the person applying is the person on the ID.
Digital identity signals
ID age, velocity, and risk-linked identity checks add a second layer of assurance beyond the document itself.
Consent-based income verification
Cross-reference identity claims against consent-verified payroll data — proof of who an applicant really is, not just what they submit.
Configurable KYC workflows
Tune verification depth, required checks, and pass/fail thresholds to your risk appetite and jurisdiction.
Bank account validation
Confirm that an account holder's name matches the bank account — by IBAN or local account number — and get a match score before you pay out or collect.
Automatic document classification
Uploaded files are classified on arrival — government ID, payslip, tax document, utility bill, and more — so applicants never have to pick a document type.
Why it matters

Benefits

Faster onboarding
Real-time checks replace manual document review, cutting identity verification from days to seconds and reducing signup drop-off.
Fewer fraudulent accounts
Biometric matching and digital identity signals catch synthetic and stolen identities that document checks alone miss.
One profile, not five checks
Identity verification results feed the same risk profile used for income, fraud scoring, and AML — no re-entering applicant data.
Built for local compliance
Verification workflows are designed around each market's identity documents and data privacy requirements — not a one-size-fits-all global default.
FAQ

Common questions

What documents and data sources does Smile's identity verification (KYC) check against?

Smile checks submitted identity documents and biometrics against government, telco, and institutional data sources, and layers on digital identity signals — such as how long an applicant's digital identity has existed and whether it's linked to other risk indicators — as part of its Verify stage.

How fast is a Smile identity verification (KYC) check?

Identity checks run in real time — typically returning a match or no-match decision in seconds, so the check can sit directly inside a signup or onboarding flow instead of routing applicants to manual review.

Can identity verification be combined with income and employment checks?

Yes. Identity, income, and employment verification share the same underlying risk profile in Smile's Verify stage, so a lender or fintech confirms who an applicant is and what they earn through one integration instead of stitching together separate vendors.

Does Smile support local identity documents and regulations in different markets?

Yes. Identity verification workflows are built around each market's government-issued IDs and institutional data sources, and every check is handled in line with that market's data privacy regulations.

Get connected

Ready to get connected?

Start with one capability or deploy the full lifecycle — Smile plugs into your existing onboarding and underwriting flows either way.

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