Architecture and Components
🏗️ KYC Architecture and Components
📊 KYC Architecture Diagram
🏛️ KYC Architecture and Components
The KYC (Know Your Customer) system is a modular platform for automated identity verification based on uploaded document images, selfies, and other sources. The system architecture flexibly adapts to various business scenarios and requirements — from banking and fintech to marketplaces and government services.
Supported scenarios:
Document — the user uploads a photo of a passport, ID card, or other identification document.
Selfie with document — verifying the match between the user's face and the document photo.
Selfie — verification using a single face image.
Liveness check — confirming that a live person is in front of the camera, not a photo or forgery.
Combined scenarios — e.g., document + selfie with document + liveness.
Component purpose:
Each KYC component is responsible for a specific stage of processing and verification:
Document image processing: detection, alignment, classification, and segmentation of the document into fields (photo, name, dates, etc.).
Text recognition (OCR): extracting data and validating checksums.
Face image analysis: comparing the face to the document photo, estimating age and gender.
Anti‑fraud mechanisms: detecting photocopies, screenshots, Photoshop edits, screen captures, physical wear.
Liveness check: detecting whether a living person is in front of the camera.
External database integrations: checking the document and user against police, bailiff, and blacklist databases.
Decision Engine: the final stage, where all results are aggregated and a final decision is formed: “Approved”, “Rejected”, or “Manual review required”.
Thus, the KYC architecture is built around a set of independent, scalable, and interconnected modules that allow it to quickly adapt to any verification scenario.
🗂️ Architecture and Module Interaction
Text diagram of the typical DOCUMENT + SELFIE WITH DOCUMENT workflow
1. Document Detector
Responsible for detecting the presence of a document in the image, validating quality, and preparing it for further processing.
Functions:
File format validation (JPEG, PNG)
Image size and resolution check
Lighting and shadow check
Document alignment and normalization
2. Selfie with Document Detector
Responsible for verifying the selfie with document, matching identity, and detecting fraud attempts.
Functions:
Face Matching between selfie and document photo
Age and gender consistency check
Detection of screen images (photo of a monitor/phone)
Detection of graphic editor traces
Detection of photocopies/prints
Document detection in selfie and document type identification
3. Liveness Check
Responsible for confirming that a live human is in front of the camera. The module analyzes face behavior, skin texture, micro‑movements, and signs of real presence.
Functions:
Analysis of image sequences or video for liveness signals
Rejection of photos or screen captures
Deepfake detection — identifying manipulated or AI‑generated face images
Detection of fully synthetic images (GAN/Stable Diffusion/FaceApp etc.)
4. External Database Verification
Responsible for checking the user against official registries, government databases, financial datasets, and sanctions lists.
Functions include:
Document & identity checks
Passport validity check
Driver license verification
Passport validity checks (number verification, lost/stolen database)
Debts & financial checks
Court Enforcement Office debt search
IRS/ HMRC tax liabilities
Self-employment tax status (IRS Schedule SE / HMRC Self Assessment)
Credit bureau score (Equifax / Experian / TransUnion)
Short-term loan default risk score
Mortgage and lien records search
Phone number activity & carrier history
Name-to-phone reverse lookup validation
Legal and judicial checks
U.S. Bankruptcy Register / UK Insolvency Register
Commercial court cases (UK: High Court / US: Commercial Division)
Civil and criminal court cases
Register of company directors (Companies House / SEC records)
Corporate affiliation records (SEC/Companies House)
Wanted lists: FBI / U.S. Marshals Service / HM Prison & Probation Service
Identity data checks
Social Security Number (SSN) ↔ full name validation
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) lookup by name & ID
Email ↔ Full name correspondence check
Phone number ownership check
Sanctions & restrictions
Terrorist lists
Sanctions lists (EU, UK, OFAC, UN)
Frozen business accounts (IRS/OFAC compliance)
Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) register
Child support debtors (Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement)
5. Document Classification & Segmentation
Responsible for determining the document type and extracting important regions.
Functions:
Document type classification (passport, driver license, ID card, etc.)
Segmentation into fields (photo, text areas, stamps, signatures)
6. OCR & Field Verification
Recognizes the text and validates authenticity.
Functions:
OCR text extraction
Detection of tampering (inserted/replaced fields)
MRZ checksum verification
7. Document Antifraud Checks
Responsible for identifying attempts to forge or alter the document.
Functions:
Detection of screen images
Detection of photocopies/printed documents
Graphic editor manipulation detection
Document wear/damage detection
Logical consistency validation (dates, numbers, series)
8. Decision Engine
Aggregates all results and produces the final KYC decision.
Functions:
Collecting outputs from all modules
Producing final status: “Approved”, “Rejected”, “Manual review”
Returning error codes and diagnostic descriptions
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