KYA Is Next. 1datapipe® Is the Data Layer That Makes It Work.
By Carey Anderson, CEO & Co-Founder, 1datapipe®
August 28, 2025
Quick Take
AI agents are already logging in, making payments, and acting on behalf of users. That changes everything.
KYC alone isn’t enough anymore. It’s time for KYA: Know Your Agent — and that starts with knowing the human behind the agent, and whether that agent is allowed to act in that moment.
To do that safely at scale, you need a rock-solid, continuously refreshed identity layer. That’s where 1datapipe comes in.
Why KYA Is the Next Identity Standard
AI agents aren’t just tools. They’ll soon:
- Apply for products
- Authenticate and log in
- Complete transactions on your behalf
This changes what financial institutions need to ask:
Onboarding: Is the person real and is this agent properly linked to them?
Authentication: Not just “is it a bot?” but “is this our authorized agent?”
Authorization: For high-risk actions: does this agent have permission for this amount, this merchant, this moment?
These are business questions first. But they all depend on a trustworthy, up-to-date identity foundation underneath.
KYA Only Works If You Trust the Human Behind the Agent
To enable agent-based transactions safely, institutions need a clear, current, and connected view of human identity.
That means identity data that is:
- Structured & entity-resolved — National ID–anchored, locale-aware, graph-linked.
- Continuously refreshed — frequent updates, versioned lineage, confidence-scored corrections.
- Regulatory-grade — on-prem/private cloud, residency controls, field-level encryption, exam-ready audit trails.
1datapipe® provides exactly that.
Use Case 1: Agent-Led Onboarding & Payments
An AI agent logs in and pays on behalf of a verified user. KYA ensures that:
• The human is verified through Living Identity®
• The agent is authorized for that transaction
• Guardrails (time, merchant, amount) are enforced in real time
🛡️ Result: Trusted transactions, minimal friction for good agents, and clear auditability.
Use Case 2: Autonomous Lending
A credit decision bot applies for a loan on behalf of a user. Without verifying the human and binding the agent with strict permissions, institutions risk synthetic identities and abuse. KYA powered by 1datapipe® ensures that autonomous finance runs on verified identity, not assumption.
How 1datapipe Powers KYA in the Real World
✅ Scale That Matters
• 1.5B+ verified identity profiles
• 21 emerging markets across LATAM, APAC, MENA, and Africa
✅ Foundational Attributes
• National ID, Name, Date of Birth, Address, Gender, Phone, Email
• Structured, standardized, de-duplicated, and mapped for intelligence use
✅ Continuously Refreshed
• Frequent updates and change tracking
• Data that reflects what’s true now, not last quarter
✅ Built for Regulated Environments
• On-premise and private cloud options
• Data residency controls
• Full auditability and compliance
The KYA Flow With 1datapipe
- Verify the person against Living Identity™
- Link the agent to that person and set guardrails (limits, categories, geo/time)
- Enforce those guardrails in real time at login or checkout
✅ Good agents glide through
⛔ Unauthorized agents are blocked with explainable logic
What Institutions Gain
❌ Lower fraud and chargebacks from unauthorized agents
✅ Cleaner accountability: every action tied to a verified person + agent
⏳ Faster customer experiences: agents move fast; humans step in only when needed
⚖️ Regulatory confidence: explainable, consistent identity decisions
A Phased Path to Impact (in Just 90 Days)
Phase 1: Anchor
Connect your top markets to Living Identity™ and begin linking agents to verified people.
Phase 2: Activate
Apply basic rules (spending limits, merchant categories) and enforce them in real time.
Phase 3: Expand
Scale policies and coverage across more markets as value proves out.
Bottom Line
KYC isn’t going away.
But KYA is the control that makes autonomous finance safe. To work, it needs a dependable, constantly refreshed human identity backbone.
That’s 1datapipe and Living Identity™.
Together, they form the trust layer that lets institutions:
- Authorize agents
- Prevent loss
- Move faster into what’s next
Ready to Explore a KYA Pilot?
Let’s start with your priority markets — we”ll show measurable impact in 90 days. → 1datapipe@
