Company data.
Clearly explained.
Your guide to business verification, ownership, financial risk and company data. Find a clear answer, understand the evidence and follow the next question.
- 300 topic explainers
- 6 knowledge areas
- 60 topic families
6 areas. 60 focused topic families.
Start broad, choose a family, then explore its connected topics.
- 01Identity & complianceUnderstand business identity before making an onboarding decision. These pages distinguish KYB, KYC and customer due diligence, so each question has a clear owner in the workflow.Explore area
- 02Ownership & corporate structureExplore who owns a business and how legal entities are connected. Follow the distinction between direct shareholders, corporate groups and ultimate beneficial owners.Explore area
- 03Registers & identifiersLearn how official entity records and identifiers support company verification. Understand why registration numbers, VAT numbers and company names answer different questions.Explore area
- 04Credit & financial riskTurn company and financial evidence into a documented risk decision. Explore credit reports, financial due diligence and the changes that can trigger a review.Explore area
- 05Company data & APIsBuild dependable workflows around company records. Understand delivery, identity matching, evidence, missing values and the limits of automated decisions.Explore area
- 06Company & CRM dataFind relevant accounts and maintain better company records. Connect prospecting and enrichment with entity matching so commercial workflows use the right business information.Explore area
Start with the question you need to answer.
Practical reading across identity, credit, ownership and company data.
- Check company creditWhat Is a Business Credit Report? How to Check and Read ItWhat a business credit report contains and how to read the evidence.Read the guide
- Verify a businessWhat Is KYB? Know Your Business Verification ExplainedUnderstand KYB identity checks and the questions they leave open.Read the guide
- Understand ownershipWhat Is a UBO? Ultimate Beneficial Owner ExplainedFollow the distinction between direct shareholders and ultimate control.Read the guide
- Search official recordsCompany Register: What It Is and How to SearchStart with the source, jurisdiction and legal entity.Read the guide
- Match company recordsEntity Resolution: Meaning, Matching and ExamplesKeep similar names from becoming the wrong company match.Read the guide
- Work with company dataCompany Data API: How It Works and What to CheckUnderstand source coverage, identifiers and reliable data delivery.Read the guide
Know Your Business.
Know what you are checking.
What a registry match proves, what it leaves open, and how identity evidence fits into a business onboarding decision.
- 01Identify the legal entity
- 02Understand ownership & control
- 03Assess the relationship
- 04Keep the evidence current
All topics, connected.
Search all 300 topics or choose an area and a topic family.
18 of 300 topics shown
- Business identity & verificationKnow Your Business (KYB)Know Your Business is the process of establishing the identity of a business, understanding who owns or controls it, and assessing whether a relationship presents unacceptable risk. A useful KYB record connects a legal entity to its registration evidence, ownership information and the decision made about it. Finding a company name is only the beginning: the record must belong to the business you intend to onboard.
- Business identity & verificationKnow Your Customer (KYC)Know Your Customer is the process of understanding who a customer is, why they are using a service and what risks the relationship creates. In a business relationship, that understanding can involve both a legal entity and the individuals acting for, owning or controlling it. Identity evidence is an input to the assessment, not a substitute for understanding the relationship.
- Business identity & verificationBusiness VerificationBusiness verification checks that an organisation corresponds to an identifiable legal entity and that its submitted information is supported by appropriate evidence.
- Business identity & verificationIdentity VerificationIdentity verification checks whether identity evidence supports the identity claimed by a person or entity in a particular workflow.
- Business identity & verificationAuthorised RepresentativeAn authorised representative is a person permitted to act for a business within a defined scope of authority.
- Due diligence methodsCustomer Due Diligence (CDD)Customer Due Diligence is the work of establishing a customer’s identity, understanding the relationship and assessing its risks. For a corporate customer, the file often combines company identity, ownership, representatives and an explanation of the intended activity. The aim is an evidence-supported decision that can be reviewed later, rather than a collection of unchecked documents.
- Due diligence methodsEnhanced Due Diligence (EDD)Enhanced due diligence applies deeper investigation to relationships whose risks or applicable requirements call for additional evidence.
- Due diligence methodsSimplified Due Diligence (SDD)Simplified due diligence adjusts the intensity of checks where the applicable framework permits a lower-risk approach.
- Due diligence methodsRisk-Based ApproachA risk-based approach allocates controls and review effort according to the assessed likelihood and impact of relevant risks.
- Due diligence methodsCustomer Risk AssessmentCustomer risk assessment evaluates the factors that make a particular customer relationship more or less exposed to relevant risks.
- Financial crime conceptsAnti-Money Laundering (AML)Anti-money laundering describes measures intended to prevent, detect and respond to attempts to disguise or use proceeds of crime.
- Financial crime conceptsFinancial Crime ComplianceFinancial crime compliance organises the controls used to address relevant financial crime risks and applicable obligations.
- Financial crime conceptsMoney LaunderingMoney laundering involves dealing with criminal proceeds in ways intended to disguise their origin or make them appear legitimate.
- Financial crime conceptsTerrorist FinancingTerrorist financing concerns providing or collecting resources for terrorist purposes and can involve funds from lawful or unlawful sources.
- Financial crime conceptsSuspicious ActivitySuspicious activity is activity that raises a reasoned concern requiring assessment under the relevant review or reporting process.
- Screening & reviewSanctions ScreeningSanctions screening compares relevant parties against sanctions information to identify possible matches requiring interpretation.
- Screening & reviewPolitically Exposed Person (PEP)A politically exposed person is an individual whose public role falls within a relevant PEP definition used in a risk framework.
- Screening & reviewAdverse MediaAdverse media is negative information about a subject found in news or other public reporting and assessed for relevance and credibility.
Put the concepts into a country context.
Registry guides that show where each concept meets an official source.
- CHEurope registry guideSwiss Company Register: Zefix & company verificationFind the right legal entity, understand the role of Zefix, and identify where further evidence is needed.Open guide
- US · MINorth America registry guideLARA Business Entity Search: Michigan company checksUse Michigan’s entity records as a starting point for business identity checks and document review.Open guide
- MXNorth America registry guideMexico Company Search: finding company dataUnderstand why identity, tax and ownership questions can require different information sources.Open guide
Go from understanding to evidence.
Connect the concepts to company information you can use in your workflow.