Instant AML and KYC compliance solution for South Africa
Country Overview
Country Overview
With well-developed infrastructure and a largely stable economy, South Africa is an attractive destination for companies looking to set up shop for several reasons. South Africa is an incredibly diverse country with 11 official languages however it is important to note ID documents are only printed in English.
Regulatory Overview
Regulatory Overview
KYC/AML regulations
AML/KYC regulations in South Africa are enforced by a number of regulators, including the:
- Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA)
- Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC)
- South African Reserve Bank (SARB)
The primary legislation governing KYC/AML in South Africa is the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA) of 2001.
Choose Smile ID, your compliance partner for AML/KYC regulations in South Africa!
Data protection regulations
South Africa’s Information Regulator is responsible for monitoring and enforcing the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of 2013 which is the regulation safeguarding data protection in the country.
The FICA also contains provisions on data protection as it pertains to KYC/AML, requiring accountable institutions to keep customer records for up to 5 years from the last contact with the customer.
Accurately authenticate and onboard users in South Africa
Scale your business in South Africa with Smile ID. We enable fast-growing businesses to stay compliant, prevent fraud, and easily streamline their user verification process with:
Access to 3+ ID API Authorities covering over 80M+ ID records in S.A
Verify up to 6 ID documents including National IDs, Passport, Driver's License, etc.
Verify up to 3 ID numbers including National ID number, Phone Number, etc.
De-biased models with a 99.8% accuracy for all African skin tones
Image capture SDKs optimised for low bandwidth and all software versions as low as Android 5.0.
Global AML Check against over 1100 global sanctions, PEPs, and adverse media watchlists.
Enterprise-level security standard with ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type 1 & 2 certifications.
Accurately verify up to 6 ID documents in South Africa
Give users the flexibility to verify their identity using any of the following ID documents. All we need is a document photo and a selfie.
South African Identity Cards
South African identity cards are documents issued by the Department of Home Affairs to South African citizens and permanent residents. They serve as official proof of identity. Examples include National IDs, Green Book, Consular IDs & Diplomat IDs. The Smart-ID, an official biometric ID issued by the South African Department of Home Affairs to all citizens and permanent residents of the country, is the most commonly used national ID.
South African Passport
This is a travel document issued by the South African Department of Home Affairs to South African Citizens for the purpose of international travel. It is not a biometric document so it is considered less reliable for KYC purposes.
South African Resident ID
Also known as the Permanent Residence Permit, it is a document issued by the Department of Home Affairs to foreign nationals who have been granted permanent residency in South Africa.
South African Driver’s License
Although primarily used for driving purposes, the South African driving license, which the Department of Transport issues, is an admissible document for KYC purposes.
Verify up to 3 ID numbers in South Africa
Our solution empowers businesses to verify South African ID numbers directly from government databases
Verify South Africans using ID documents
Verifying users with ID documents and biometric face matching is one of the most reliable ways to determine a user's true identity. Our ID document verification solution checks that an ID document is authentic, accurately transcribes the text on the document and compares a user-submitted selfie to the document image.
Transcribes document text with 96% accuracy
Checks for accurate format
Identifies tampered and forged documents
Verifies security features
Scan your document
Our image capture tools guide users to take clear photos even with older devices.
Smile for a selfie
Ensure the real user is behind the camera with a smile to test for liveness.
Get real-time results
In a few seconds, you will confirm the document is authentic and belongs to the user behind the camera.
Comprehensive Identity verification (KYC/AML) solution in one place
Choose the right option to verify and onboard your customers
Document Verification: With Smile ID, you can verify over 8500 documents across 220 countries globally (including South Africa) with 96% OCR accuracy.
Enhanced Document Verification: Add an additional layer of security when onboarding customers by combining government checks with document verification.
Improve your security with advanced authentication solutions
Smartselfie Authentication: SmartSelfie Authentication uses 6 AI-powered anti-spoof models for liveliness checks, which is crucial for detecting fraud during logins and sensitive transactions. With a remarkable 99.8% accuracy rate for African faces, it ensures secure access to your system or service.
Integrate SmartSelfie Authentication into your multi-factor authentication system to accurately verify users' identities when they attempt to access your system or service.
All you need to stop fraud in its tracks in one place
AML Check: Instantly screen users against 1100+ global and African sanctions, PEP, and adverse media lists with our robust AML check solution.
Duplicate Account: Prevent multiple account fraud by scanning previously registered faces in real-time with our Smile Secure product.
KYB solution for onboarding businesses in South Africa
In South Africa, financial institutions must comply with KYB requirements as part of their anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CTF) obligations.
The requirements include conducting business verification and verifying the identity and details of key stakeholders that use their services including information about the beneficial owners of the business.
Our solution empowers businesses to verify 7million+ companies from government databases across Africa. Receive information such as:
Company registration status
General company information and address
Beneficial owners and other stakeholders
Integration options
Seamlessly integrate our solutions with your existing infrastructure and automate your compliance. Available integration options include:
Smile Links: Flexible, no-code option for creating customised user verification flows
SDKs: iOs, Android, Hosted Web, Flutter, REACT Native
Server-to-server libraries: Ruby, Java, PHP, Python, node.js
Ready to get started?
We are equipped to help you level up your KYC/AML compliance stack. Our team is ready to understand your needs, answer questions, and set up your account.