What is Simplified Due Diligence (SDD)?
The short answer
Simplified due diligence adjusts the intensity of checks where the applicable framework permits a lower-risk approach.
Simplified Due Diligence (SDD): why it matters
An onboarding or review decision can contain several different questions. Keeping this concept distinct helps the team assign the right evidence and decision owner, rather than rely on a single completed status.
How to assess it in practice
Document why the lower-risk treatment is appropriate and retain a route for escalation if new information changes the assessment. Start by defining the question the team needs to answer. Identify the relevant record or evidence, check its scope and date, and retain the reasoning behind the result. If evidence conflicts, keep that conflict visible for review.
Worked example
Illustrative workflow: a team reviewing a business adds a separate check for simplified due diligence (sdd). The reviewer’s task is to document why the lower-risk treatment is appropriate and retain a route for escalation if new information changes the assessment. The outcome is recorded together with the supporting evidence; an unresolved question stays open rather than being converted into a positive result.
A previously low-risk relationship changes its ownership and activity. Reassess the original basis for simplified treatment before relying on the old file.
Distinctions that matter
Simplified Due Diligence (SDD) belongs to the due diligence methods topic family. Read Customer Due Diligence (CDD) alongside it to understand the adjacent question. Each page has its own intended scope; shared context does not make the concepts equivalent.
Evidence and review output
Review these
- Customer and relationship context
- Risk factors and evidence gaps
- Review depth and approval basis
The review should produce
A documented assessment explaining the review approach, evidence considered and conditions attached to any acceptance decision.
Across this family
The depth of review should follow the specific risk question and applicable framework. Document why additional or reduced checks are appropriate, which evidence can answer the question and what uncertainty remains. Escalation should resolve a defined issue rather than merely add another approval signature.
A note from practice
A lower-intensity review needs a documented basis under the applicable framework. Keep the facts supporting that treatment and the circumstances that would invalidate it, rather than treating simplified review as a permanent exemption.
Limits and common mistakes
The practical boundary is important: Document why the lower-risk treatment is appropriate and retain a route for escalation if new information changes the assessment. Do not substitute a related label for this check or assume that missing information is a negative finding. Source-specific and jurisdiction-specific rules require their own review.
Frequently asked questions
Which evidence should I review?
How is Simplified Due Diligence (SDD) different from Risk-Based Approach?
What should the result of the review contain?
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Related topics
- 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 methodsRisk-Based ApproachA risk-based approach allocates controls and review effort according to the assessed likelihood and impact of relevant risks.
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