KYC is essential to verify that the customers are who they claim to be and enables institutes to understand their customers better. This is vital for companies operating in the banking and financial sector that need to adhere to strict KYC and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) norms prescribed by regulatory authorities.
FIs also have to assure their customers that the sensitive personal data they are required to share to complete such procedures are in safe hands. While FIs need to ensure that the people signing up for their services are legitimate and not blacklisted or liable to commit illegal transactions, their clients need to know that their identity documents will not be misused.
Physical KYC requires customers to visit the company’s branch office to submit their identity documents and proof of address. While this is a very secure form of KYC, it is also very time consuming and inconvenient, especially for customers residing in towns where the company does not have a branch office.
Thus, a physical face-to-face KYC is not always a feasible option in a large country like India. So, companies need other alternatives to tap the vast market that exists in tier II and tier III cities and their suburbs.
Video KYC verification (approved method of KYC as per recent regulations) has emerged as a strong contender in recent times to resolve a myriad of KYC operational issues. It is a cost-effective and speedy way for organizations to ensure better customer experience while maintaining requisite process-adherence.
Unlike Digital KYC that still required a visit to the customer’s doorstep or nearest access point, video KYC makes the entire process digital. It not only provides companies remote access to potential customers but has also made the entire process paperless as there is no need for a wet signature. The videos and recordings taken during the KYC are encrypted to ensure data security.
Here are the overall advantages of Video KYC over Physical KYC:
| Physical KYC | Video KYC |
| INR 150+ per application | INR 20-50 per application |
| 8-10 applications per agent per day | 100+ application per agent per day |
| Asynchronous identity check | Real time identity verification |
| Delayed audit; error prone | Concurrent audit |
| Outsourced vendor; data risk | On premise; secure – RBI compliant |
| High training & operational cost | Negligible; on-job prompts |
| Susceptible to customer, DSA, employee fraud | Extremely potent against fraud |
As a fast, regulatory compliant and secure KYC process, video KYC leaves everyone feeling a winner. The additional value generated through cost reduction makes it a must-have in the KYC paraphernalia. However, the only limiting factor of Video KYC is the heavy dependency on network bandwidth. But with the penetration of mobile handsets into every household, coupled with a minimum 4G data offered by telecom operators, this issue can be tackled smoothly.
