As Web3 matures, more activity is driven by businesses rather than individuals. Token issuers, DAOs, foundations, funds, and operating companies are now core participants in the ecosystem. This shift changes the compliance question. It is no longer only about who the user is. It is also about who the business is behind the protocol, token, or product.
KYB exists to answer that question.
What is KYB?
KYB stands for Know Your Business. It is a compliance process used to verify that a business entity is real, legitimate, and operating legally. Standard KYB checks usually confirm company registration, ownership structure, directors, and ultimate beneficial owners.
In simple terms, KYB answers one key question: Is this business who it claims to be?
In Web3, KYB is becoming just as important as KYC. Many protocols interact with companies, not just individuals. Without proper KYB, platforms face fraud risks, regulatory pressure, and loss of trust.
Why Traditional KYB Falls Short
Traditional KYB processes were designed for banks and Web2 platforms. They rely on manual reviews, repeated document uploads, and centralized databases. This creates several problems.
- The process is slow and expensive for businesses
- Sensitive company data is stored in centralized systems that can be hacked or misused
- Every new platform asks for the same documents again
For Web3, this approach does not scale. It conflicts with the values of efficiency, privacy, and user ownership.
The Solution: zkMe's zkKYB
zkMe was built to solve identity in Web3. At first, the focus was on individuals. zkKYC allowed users to prove compliance without sacrificing privacy.
But as stablecoins, RWA, and institutional DeFi accelerated, a clear limitation appeared. Without business verification, identity remains incomplete. Platforms can verify users, but not the entities issuing tokens, managing treasuries, or controlling protocols.
zkKYB completes the picture by linking business entities with their real controllers. This creates a stronger foundation for compliance and institutional trust.
What is zkKYB?
zkKYB is a privacy-first approach to Know Your Business, powered by zero knowledge proofs.
Instead of repeatedly sharing sensitive company documents with every platform, a business completes KYB once and generates a cryptographic proof of compliance.
The proof confirms that the business meets verification requirements, while the underlying data remains protected.
With zkKYB, platforms get the assurance they need, and businesses retain control over their information.
How zkKYB Works
The zkKYB process is designed for institutional scale and real-world use cases.
- Business Verification
A company completes KYB once with zkMe. This includes submitting required business documents and ownership information. All data processing happens securely, with strong encryption and privacy protection.
- Proof Generation
Once verified, zkMe generates a zero knowledge proof that attests to the company’s KYB status. The proof contains no raw business data.
- Credential Issuance
The verified status is issued as a reusable credential. This can be a verifiable credential or an on chain SBT. It acts as a trusted proof of business compliance.
- Platform Verification
When the business interacts with a dApp, exchange, or protocol, it presents the credential. The platform verifies the proof and receives a clear yes or no result, without accessing raw data.
Why zkKYB Benefits Both Businesses and Platforms
- For businesses
zkKYB reduces repeated onboarding, protects sensitive information, and speeds up access to multiple platforms. A verified KYB credential becomes a reusable trust signal.
- For platforms
zkKYB lowers compliance costs and risk. There is no need to store corporate documents or manage sensitive data. Verification is clear, auditable, and privacy aware.
- For the ecosystem
zkKYB strengthens trust between institutions and Web3 infrastructure.
The Future of KYB is Private and On Chain
As regulations evolve, KYB will only become more important. But compliance does not have to mean surveillance or inefficiency.
zkKYB shows that it is possible to balance trust, privacy, and scalability. Businesses can prove legitimacy. Platforms can stay compliant. Sensitive data stays protected.
Ready to unlock the power of a trustless, privacy-preserving compliance layer?
In the future, reusable and privacy preserving KYB credentials will be a core part of Web3 infrastructure.
If you are building or operating in Web3, now is the time to rethink how KYB should work. With zkKYB, compliance becomes a feature, not a burden.
About zkMe
zkMe provides protocols and oracle infrastructure for the compliant, self-sovereign, and private verification of Identity and Asset Credentials.
It is the only decentralized solution capable of performing FATF-compliant CIP, KYC, KYB, and AML checks natively onchain, without compromising the decentralization and privacy ethos of Web3.
By combining zero-knowledge proofs with advanced encryption and cross-chain interoperability, zkMe enables verifiable identity and compliance data to remain entirely under the user's control. This ensures that sensitive information never leaves the user's device while maintaining regulatory-grade assurance for partners and protocols.
