AML / KYC policy

1. Introduction

Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) procedures are how True Vestoworthen confirms that each client is who they say they are, that their funds have an ordinary explanation, and that the platform is not being used to launder criminal property or finance terrorism. These checks are a legal expectation for financial services in the United Kingdom, and they also protect you: a verified account is far harder for an impersonator to steal.

This page explains what we collect, why, how long verification takes, what can delay it, and what happens to the information afterwards. It applies to every account; there is no tier at which checks are skipped, and where the law changes the revised policy applies from publication.

2. What KYC is

KYC is the identification of a client and the confirmation that the details they gave are genuine. In practice it means collecting your name, date of birth, address and contact details, then checking them against documents issued by reliable sources: a passport, driving licence or national identity card, plus a proof of address such as a bank statement or utility bill.

Identification is not a single event. Details are re-checked when something changes, for example a new surname or documents reaching expiry, and periodically for long-standing accounts. A repeat verification request is routine maintenance, not an accusation.

3. What AML is

AML is the set of measures that prevents the platform being used to disguise the origin of criminal money. It starts with risk assessment, judging which accounts and activities carry more risk, continues with monitoring of transactions for patterns that do not fit a client's profile, and ends with reporting obligations where suspicion cannot be resolved.

Two consequences are worth knowing in advance. First, law forbids us from telling you when a suspicious activity report about your account has been made; silence in such a period is a legal requirement, not poor service. Second, AML duties sit alongside KYC but never replace it: an account is verified because of KYC, and watched because of AML.

4. Why identity verification is required

Verification serves four purposes. It prevents fraud, by making it harder to open accounts in other people's names. It protects existing clients, because a verified ecosystem is harder for impersonators to exploit. It meets the legal and regulatory expectations that apply to our activities in the United Kingdom. And it reduces financial risk for everyone, including you, because the checks that catch criminals also catch mistakes, such as misspelt bank details on a withdrawal.

The practical benefit to you is concrete: verified accounts withdraw without repeated friction. Withdrawals must go to an account or card in your own name, and verification is what lets us confirm that quickly rather than interrogating every request.

5. Documents we ask for

For identity: a current passport, driving licence or national identity card, in your own name, with the photograph and dates clearly readable. For address: a bank statement, credit card statement, council tax bill or utility bill issued within the last three months, showing your name and residential address. Screenshots of banking apps are acceptable where the bank's name, your name, the address and the date are all visible.

For a small share of accounts we also ask for a short selfie or liveness check, a photo of you holding your document or following a simple on-screen prompt. This is used only where document checks alone leave doubt, typically where a document type is more exposed to forgery. We do not ask for documents we have no basis to request, and we never ask you to send full card numbers, passwords or one-time codes.

6. The verification process, step by step

Step one, registration: you submit your name, email and phone number through the sign-up form. Step two, document submission: your personal manager explains exactly what to provide, and you upload it through the platform; documents sent by email are not accepted, because email is not a controlled channel.

Step three, automated checking: the documents are read and matched against your account details by our verification tools. Step four, manual review where needed: anything the automated step cannot resolve, such as a name change or a foreign address, is reviewed by a trained member of the compliance team. Step five, the outcome: you are told the result, and if anything failed, precisely why and what would resolve it.

7. Enhanced due diligence

Some accounts receive enhanced due diligence (EDD). Triggers include clients classed as higher risk, such as politically exposed persons and their close associates, structures involving third parties, unusually large first deposits, and patterns of activity that do not match the profile you gave us.

EDD means more questions and more documents: the source of funds and, occasionally, the source of wealth, meaning not just where a deposit came from but how your overall financial position arose. We ask only what the risk requires, and answers are held under the same confidentiality as the rest of your file.

8. How long verification takes

Straightforward checks, clear documents and no anomalies usually complete within one business day, and frequently within hours during support hours (Monday to Friday, 9:00–17:30 GMT). The manager who activates your account will tell you when the check started and what to expect.

Longer timelines come from specific causes: documents that are blurred, cropped or expired; a mismatch between the account name and the document; a complex funding structure; or queues in review periods. If your check is taking longer than a business day without explanation, write to [email protected] and ask for a status; asking never slows a check down.

9. Why verification can be refused or paused

Checks can be declined for concrete reasons: documents that are invalid, expired or unreadable; details on the account that contradict the documents; indications of tampering; failure to provide information we have properly requested; or an established suspicion that the account is connected to money laundering, sanctions breaches or other financial crime.

Most declines are curable, and we say which category applies so you can fix it, a better photograph, a newer bill, a legal document explaining a name change. Where suspicion is established rather than a paperwork problem, the account may be restricted or closed and reporting obligations follow. A decline is not an accusation; most are clerical.

10. Transaction monitoring

Deposits and withdrawals are monitored against your profile: the amounts, the cadence, the counterparties and the methods. Monitoring looks for the patterns that typify laundering, for example rapid pass-through of funds shortly after arrival, use of third-party accounts, or activity that contradicts the stated source of funds.

Where monitoring raises a question, functions on the account can be limited while it is resolved, most commonly withdrawals and new deposits, and you may be asked to explain a transaction. Limitations are proportionate and are lifted once the question is answered; we would always rather ask than assume.

11. Your responsibilities as a client

You are responsible for providing accurate, current and genuine information, and for updating it when it changes, including address, surname and contact details. You must be the beneficial owner of the funds you deposit; accounts funded from, or withdrawing to, accounts in other people's names breach this policy, however innocent the arrangement feels.

Providing false information, forged documents or a fabricated explanation has consequences: verification fails, balances can be frozen pending review, accounts can be closed, and where the law requires it, reports are made to the authorities. If you realise you have made a mistake, tell us early; an error corrected by its owner is a very different matter from one discovered by monitoring.

12. Storage and protection of verification data

Identity documents and verification records are stored encrypted, with access limited to the compliance personnel who need it for this policy's purposes. Retention follows the periods set out in the Privacy Policy: verification records are kept for the life of the account and the period required by law afterwards, then deleted or anonymised.

The Security page's wider measures, encryption in transit and at rest, access control and audit logging, apply with full force here. You can ask what verification data we hold about you at any time, using the rights described in the Privacy Policy.

13. Who verification data is shared with

Recipients are limited to those necessary to run the checks: identity verification providers, IT providers processing the data under contract, affiliated companies involved in operating the service, and regulators or other authorities where the law requires disclosure. Providers process data only on our documented instructions, under confidentiality obligations, and no recipient may use it for their own marketing.

We do not sell verification data, ever, and we do not transfer it without an adequate legal basis. The full data-sharing picture, including retention periods per category, is in the Privacy Policy.

14. Compliance with the requirements that apply to us

True Vestoworthen applies the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing requirements applicable to its activities in the United Kingdom, alongside the data protection requirements described in the Privacy Policy. The company maintains the registrations and procedures provided for by the services it offers, as described on the Licensing and regulation page, and reviews them regularly.

Staff involved in verification and monitoring receive periodic training, and the programme is overseen by a nominated compliance officer. Where our obligations and a client's convenience conflict, the obligation wins; that is a feature of a compliant service, not a failure of it.

15. Contact for KYC and AML questions

Questions about verification, documents, a paused check or this policy go to [email protected], marked for the Client Support & Compliance team, during support hours (Monday to Friday, 9:00–17:30 GMT). Replies usually arrive within one working hour.

If your concern is about how your personal data is handled rather than the checks themselves, address it through the rights described in the Privacy Policy; if it is a disagreement about a decision, the Complaints page sets out the process. We would always rather answer a question twice than have a client guess.