Insight category
Compliance insights: AML, risk and “bank-ready” controls that make projects workable.
This category focuses on practical compliance for crypto and tokenization projects:
what regulators, banks and partners consider “reasonable”, what is often overbuilt,
and how to design AML/KYC, risk controls, governance and monitoring without killing the business.
What you’ll get from this category
Compliance that actually works:
- AML/KYC expectations that banks and regulators typically accept.
- Risk controls and governance that match your real model.
- Monitoring, recordkeeping and audit trail basics (without overengineering).
- Common mistakes: “copy-paste policies”, unclear flows, and missing accountability.
The goal is not “perfect paperwork” — the goal is controls that match your risks and are provable.
Quick map
The 3 blocks that banks and regulators ask about first
If these are clear, onboarding partners and licensing routes become dramatically easier.
AML / KYC
Foundation
Risk-based onboarding, screening, monitoring and clear escalation (who does what and when).
Risk & governance
Structure
What controls exist, who owns them, and how reporting/audit is handled.
Evidence
Proof
If you can’t demonstrate controls, they don’t exist (from a bank/regulator perspective).
Key topics
Compliance explained in a “doable” way
These blocks cover what “reasonable compliance” looks like for crypto, tokenization and financial platforms.
1) AML/KYC that matches real flows
- Risk-based approach: what it means in practice (not just in wording).
- Customer onboarding: identity, source of funds/wealth, beneficial owners.
- Sanctions/PEP screening and transaction monitoring basics.
- Escalations, STR/SAR logic, and who is responsible operationally.
Practical output: an onboarding + monitoring flow that you can demonstrate to a bank or regulator.
2) Risk management & governance
- Risk registers that reflect your model: custody, market abuse, fraud, tech, counterparties.
- Roles: compliance officer/MLRO, risk function, internal audit (or equivalent).
- Conflicts of interest, outsourcing oversight, and change management.
- Reporting: what management and regulators typically want to see.
Practical output: a governance map (who owns which controls) and a reporting cadence.
3) Audit trails & recordkeeping
- Evidence over paper: logs, approvals, screening results, onboarding files, alerts.
- IT basics: access control, role separation, backups, incident response.
- Policies vs procedures: what must be operational, not only documented.
- Retention periods and how to answer “show us” questions confidently.
Practical output: a “proof pack” you can show to banks, partners, auditors or regulators.
4) The most common compliance mistakes
- Copy-paste policies that don’t match your flows (banks spot it instantly).
- Unclear accountability: everyone “supports” compliance but nobody owns it.
- Overbuilding: heavy controls before you have a stable model and client profile.
- Underbuilding: ignoring monitoring, recordkeeping and escalation until it’s too late.
Practical output: a short prioritized gap list (what to fix first to unblock banking/licensing).
Featured in Compliance
Start with these compliance insights
Anchor texts that clarify what “reasonable” compliance looks like today.
Compliance • AML
Guide
What banks, EMIs and regulators typically expect to see — and where projects over-complicate or under-prepare.
Useful before approaching banking or licensing.
Roadmaps • Practical
Framework
How projects evolve controls step-by-step: MVP → bank-ready → license-ready, without freezing the business.
Connected to governance and control build-out.
Documentation • Execution
Checklist
A practical view on policy content, procedures, roles, monitoring and evidence requirements.
Relevant even before licensing if banking is required.
Related to Compliance
Turn compliance into a usable system
If you are already getting questions from a bank, regulator or partner, these are the fastest next steps.
Services
Workstream
Practical compliance build-out: AML/KYC, risk framework, governance, procedures, and evidence pack.
Products
Package
A structured starting point: core policies, procedures, role allocation, and a bank/regulator-ready narrative.
Licensing
Dependencies
If you plan licensing, compliance requirements should be designed for that scope from the start.
How to use this category
A simple way to build “reasonable” compliance without overbuilding
Your goal is clear: controls that match risks and can be demonstrated — not paperwork for its own sake.
If you are a founder or operations team
- Write down the real flows: who pays, who receives, custody, counterparties.
- Define client profile: retail/professional, countries, transaction sizes.
- Build a risk-based AML/KYC process and decide who owns it operationally.
- Create an evidence pack: logs, reports, approvals, monitoring outputs.
If a bank asks “show us controls”, you should be able to show a process — not only a PDF policy.
If you are an investor or advisor
- Ask for a control map: risks → controls → owners → evidence.
- Check whether AML/KYC matches the actual customer journey.
- Look for real monitoring and escalation, not just “we have a policy”.
- Confirm whether compliance is scalable as volume grows.
Need a compliance setup that banks accept?
Send a short description of your flows, client geography and whether you touch custody or exchange.
We’ll point you to the most relevant Insights and outline a practical compliance roadmap.
Focus: AML/KYC, risk controls, governance and an evidence pack — not generic templates.
What to include in a short message:
- Your model (exchange, custody, issuer, platform, advisory).
- Countries of clients and whether retail is involved.
- Money flows and custody (who holds funds/keys).
- What you need next: banking, partner onboarding, licensing, or audit readiness.
If you already have policies, share them — we can quickly spot gaps and misalignment with your flows.