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Introduction to the KYC Module

The Know Your Client (KYC) Module in Practice Gateway is designed to help firms meet regulatory requirements while streamlining the client onboarding and compliance process. It provides a structured workflow that ensures all necessary checks are completed, recorded, and approved in line with Anti-Money Laundering (AML) obligations.

By integrating with Practice Gateway’s wider platform, the KYC Module enables advisors to:

  • Collect and verify client information securely.
  • Assess client risk levels through guided business process flows.
  • Run automated AML checks using SmartSearch integration.
  • Manage approvals from designated Partners and Money Laundering Reporting Officers (MLROs).
  • Generate and issue engagement documents with digital signature capability.

This module not only strengthens compliance but also enhances efficiency by automating invitations, identity verification, and document approvals. It ensures that firms can confidently onboard clients while maintaining the highest standards of data protection and regulatory adherence.

Key Features​

  • Automated invitations and portal registration.
  • Risk assessment workflow with staged approvals.
  • Integration with SmartSearch for AML checks.
  • Secure document handling and digital signatures.
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Depending on your organisation’s structure, please note that you may not have an access to this section. You will need to be added to the “KYC” team in the backend and this can be achieved by contacting your PG admin team for assistance with user rights.

Summary

The KYC Module provides a complete compliance workflow:

  • Create and invite the client.
  • Prepare and launch the KYC check.
  • Assess risk and run AML checks.
  • Verify client identity through the portal.
  • Obtain Partner and MLRO approvals.
  • Finalise engagement with document approval and digital signature.

This ensures firms meet regulatory obligations while delivering a secure and efficient client onboarding experience.

User Guide

Access and Permissions​

  • Ensure you are a member of the KYC Managers team.
  • For approvals requiring Anti-Money Laundering (AML) authority, you must also belong to the Money Laundering Reporting Officers (MLROs) team.

Create a Contact​

  • Open the Contact Requests form.
  • Complete the required fields: Is Portal Contact, Name, Contact Code, Email, Owning Team, Primary Contact, Secondary Contact.
  • Set Is Portal Contact to Yes so the client can log in via the portal.
  • Save the record, then refresh after approximately one minute to populate the Contact lookup.

Prepare the Contact​

  • Assign a Partner to the contact.
  • Send an invitation via the command bar:
    • Personal Invitation (username and password), or
    • Microsoft Invitation (work account login).
  • Register the contact in the portal using the email invitation.

Launch the KYC Check​

  • Click Prepare KYC Check in the command bar.
  • A Specific Risk Assessment form will open.
  • Complete the sections: Services Provided, Knowledge of Client, Nature of Client.
  • Assign a Risk Rating based on responses.

Determine Risk and Run AML Check​

  • Open the Determine Risk stage.
  • Click Prepare AML Check.
  • Run the SmartSearch AML Check.
  • Review the results, which include the outcome and credit reference data.
  • The SmartSearch PDF is saved in Dataverse and accessible via the Documents section.

Client Identity Verification​

  • Send a notification to the client to complete identity verification in the portal.
  • The client reviews pre-populated data, adds missing information, and uploads identification documents (passport or driving licence).
  • Automation extracts data in real time.
  • Once submitted, the form status changes to Sent to advisor.

Approvals​

  • Partner Approval: The assigned Partner clicks Approve as Partner.
  • MLRO Approval: Required if the risk rating is Enhanced.
  • Add comments in the Approval tab as appropriate (e.g., enhanced due diligence measures).

Document Approval and Engagement​

  • Proceed to the Prepare Document Approval stage.
  • Click Prepare Letter of Engagement.
  • Attach the required PDF via Related > Documents.
  • Use Adobe Sign or DocuSign to request the client’s signature.
  • The client approves via the Document Approval section in the portal.

KYC Individual Journey

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The following steps represent the standard business process flow for Practice Gateway customers. If you require any modifications, then please liaise with your support team and provide specifications.

Step 1: Review User KYC Access

To use the KYC module, you will need to be a member of the “KYC Managers” team. To approve Specific Risk Assessments with the authority of a Money Laundering Reporting Officer, you will need to be a member of the “Money Laundering Report Officers” team.

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Step 2: Cerate a Contact via Contact Request

As a User in the Practice Gateway, you can either select an existing Contact or create a new Contact using the Contact Requests form. Note the required fields: Is Portal Contact, Name, Contact Code, Email, Owning Team, Primary Contact and Secondary Contact. Set “Is Portal Contact” to Yes so that you can log in via the Portal, save the form, click “Create Contact” and then wait for the “Contact” lookup to populate with the new Contact.

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Step 3: Start a new KYC Journey

User can navigate to KYC Section in the top bar and once opened, can select an existing KYC draft or start a new KYC. Once KYC has started, a pop up with Request identification details with appear on the screen with an option to notify a contact via an email to start the Identification Verification form in the Client portal

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Step 4: Fill in Details

Click on a stage to check what you need to do next. Once all steps have been completed, click “Next Stage” to proceed. Wherever you see a lock icon beside a field, this indicates that a command needs to be run first (and the field will be set to “Yes” once that has been done).

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The audit trail will automatically be maintained in the approval section.

Step 5: Add Partner or Approver

At this point you will need to add a partner for approval, the user can either Type in a name or Click on the Partner field and press enter in order to retrieve entire list of options. Note: if you are testing, you will want to set yourself as the Partner – this is so that you are able to use the partner approval buttons later on.

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Step 6: Fill in Details

User can navigate to KYC Section in the top bar and once opened, can select an existing KYC draft or start a new KYC:

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  1. You will see KYC Section in top bar and once opened, you can start a new KYC:

  2. Once KYC has started, a pop up with Request identification details with appear on the screen with an option to notify a contact via an email to start the Identification Verification form in the Client portal

  3. Click on a stage to check what you need to do next. Once all steps have been completed, click “Next Stage” to proceed. Wherever you see a lock icon beside a field, this indicates that a command needs to be run first (and the field will be set to “Yes” once that has been done).

  4. The audit trail will automatically be maintained in the approval section.

  5. At this point you will need to add a partner for approval, the user can either Type in a name or Click on the Partner field and press enter in order to retrieve entire list of options. Note: if you are testing, you will want to set yourself as the Partner – this is so that you are able to use the partner approval buttons later on.

  6. To complete the first stage, the user must fill in all mandatory fields and ensure that any related information is provided. Once this stage is complete, click Next Stage.

  7. The next stage is called Validate Details, where the user can determine the SmartSearch level as either Normal or High. Alternatively, the request will be sent, and depending on the outcome of the SmartSearch, it will return as either Normal or High.

  8. Additionally, during the Validation stage, the user or contact must complete all mandatory information fields, such as name, address, bank information, and other required details.

  9. Depending on the provided information, the request will be sent for an AML check, and it will return as either Normal or High, along with the outcome details from the Credit Reference Agency results.

  10. When you are ready to proceed, press Next Stage.

  11. The next stage is for validating the details on the UK Individual AML form. This will be pre-populated with information stored on the Contact record, so while this will be blank for new contacts it will be easier to fill out in future. For now, add any information that you do know and leave the rest blank for the contact to fill in. When you have filled in what you can click “Next Stage”.

  12. Next, you can send an email to the contact requesting that they log into the Portal and complete the form, or the Advisor/Partner can add the information manually. The contact will see the information you have provided and will add any missing details, as well as validate pre-populated information if required. For the contact, this will appear as an Identity Verification page rather than a UK Individual AML page. When the Contact has submitted the form, its status will be set to Inactive with a status reason of “Sent to advisor”. User now ready to run the UK Individual AML check with SmartSearch. Click the “Run AML Check” button when ready.

  13. The SmartSearch check will take a few minutes to run. Keep an eye on the notification that appears below the command bar as it will alert you once complete. The Document Associated Grid for this form will show a new SmartSearch PDF – this is the standard output PDF of the SmartSearch application. You can download and use this PDF as needed, and all of the information within is saved in Dataverse where it can be reported on and accessed in Power BI.

  14. Upon completion, the “AML Check Results” tab will be populated with an Outcome as well as Credit Reference Agency Results rows.

  15. Now click the Approve Assessment tab and choose either Approve or Reject. Once this is done by the MLRO, press Next Stage. “Approve as MLRO” is available to Users in the Team “Money Laundering Reporting Officers”. Provide the Partner approval.

  16. If the Specific Risk Assessment has a risk rating of “Enhanced” then MLRO approval is also required. Provide the MLRO approval if required, and go to the Approval tab to additional comments as appropriate – for example, enhanced due diligence measures. Then Click “Next Stage” to proceed to the Letter of engagement stage.

  17. If not using the template then you can upload a pdf by navigating to Related and then Documents. This PDF will be used with the Adobe Sign feature to request a signature from the Contact.

  18. A Document Approval form will be presented with some pre-populated information, including the Letter of Engagement template. The Cover Message field will be populated with the value stored in the template, and can be modified without changing the template. Users in the “Content Snippet Customisers” and “Content Snippet Creators” teams can modify the template too. If using the text box for the letter of engagement, please then click generate PDF to create the Letter ready for signing.

  19. Once you are ready, click Request Signature and choose Contact. This will create an Adobe Sign agreement using the attached PDF and sent it to the Contact for their approval using the “Document Approval” section of the Portal.