As already mentioned, KYC, which stands for "Know Your Customer" or "Know Your Client," is a set of procedures and requirements that financial institutions, including forex brokers, must follow to verify the identity of their customers or clients.

KYC procedures are essential in the forex industry and other financial sectors to prevent money laundering, terrorist financing, fraud, and other illegal activities.

KYC procedures serve a number of key functions for forex brokers, as well as regulators. 

Identity Verification

KYC procedures require forex brokers to collect and verify the identity of their clients.

This typically involves obtaining official identification documents, such as passports, driver's licenses, or national identity cards, as well as proof of address, such as utility bills or bank statements.

This is done to verify the identity and source of funds of the client, and to double check the information provided by them in the registration blank. In the case of major discrepancies, the brokerage may reserve the authority to deny the user from opening a verified account.

Risk Assessment

By understanding their clients' identities and financial backgrounds, forex brokers can assess the level of risk associated with each client.

This helps brokers determine whether a client is suitable for certain types of trading accounts and investment products.

For example, for options traders, some degree of options knowledge and experience is required and the brokerage may refuse to allow the client to trade these assets, if they are deemed to be inexperienced.

Regulatory Compliance

Forex brokers are subject to regulatory requirements that mandate the implementation of KYC procedures. These can vary between jurisdictions, which is why licenses from certain countries are valued more highly than others. Top-tier forex brokers are well-regulated and trusted by clients around the world. 

Compliance with these regulations is essential to avoid legal and regulatory sanctions, including fines and license revocation.

Preventing Illicit Activities

KYC procedures are a crucial tool in the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

By verifying the identity of clients and monitoring their transactions, forex brokers can detect and report suspicious activities to relevant authorities.

Despite regulatory differences between countries, most forex brokers will have a relatively similar KYC policy when it comes to conducting background checks.

Here are some common KYC steps taken by forex brokers:

• Document Verification: Clients are required to provide official identification documents and proof of address. These documents are usually submitted during the account registration process.
• Customer Due Diligence (CDD): Forex brokers conduct background checks on clients to assess their risk profile. This may involve checking for any adverse financial history, politically exposed person (PEP) status, or sanctions list matches
• Ongoing Monitoring: Forex brokers continuously monitor client accounts and transactions for any unusual or suspicious activities. This includes monitoring for large or frequent transactions and patterns that may indicate money laundering or fraud
• Transaction Reporting: Brokers are often required to report certain transactions to regulatory authorities, particularly those that meet specific criteria, such as large cash deposits or withdrawals

• KYC, or “Know Your Customer”, is a set of procedures that aim to identify and verify the prospective client to ensure that their registration data is correct 
• KYC is important for forex brokers and regulators to avoid any illicit trading on the market, which includes money laundering, terrorist financing, tax avoidance, etc 
• Certain individuals, such as those affiliated with political parties or those who hold office, are subject to increased scrutiny to avoid the use of insider information for trading and investment purposes to gain an unfair advantage