KYA is the next compliance primitive after KYC and KYB.
AI agents are starting to hold wallets, trigger payments, route trades, call tools, and represent users. KYA answers the question regulators and exchanges will ask next: who controls the agent, what is it authorized to do, and how can its actions be audited?
KYA Framework
Seven dimensions for scoring agent identity, mandate, wallet control, transaction authority, venue exposure, auditability, and jurisdictional fit.
Daily KYA Insights
English-language analysis built from AI agent, wallet, payment, and exchange compliance signals.
KYA Registry
Agent profiles and compliance paths mapped back to the APAC FINSTAB agent directory.
KYA News Watch
Regulatory and market-structure signals that may shape Know Your Agent obligations.
KYC vs KYB vs KYA
| Control | Subject | Primary question | Evidence | Crypto-agent example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KYC | Natural person | Who is this customer? | ID, address, screening, source of funds | User opens an exchange account. |
| KYB | Legal entity | Who owns and controls this business? | Registration, UBOs, directors, sanctions checks | Project team applies for a listing or market-maker account. |
| KYA | Autonomous or semi-autonomous agent | Who deployed this agent, what can it do, and who is accountable? | Operator identity, mandate, wallet permissions, tool logs, policy constraints | Trading agent routes orders, signs messages, or executes a treasury strategy. |
Latest KYA insights
Maps Unit 42 autonomous AI-enabled attack research, Hermes Agent, MCP tool access, proxy-routed coding agents, disabled local logs, audit trails, abuse controls, and finance-agent risk evidence into the seven KYA dimensions.
August 11, 2026 signalCloudflare Agents Week Makes KYA a Full Control-Plane Evidence ProblemMaps Cloudflare Agents Week, live tracing, replay, human-in-the-loop approvals, agent wallets, Agent Access Model, identity-aware analytics, WriteGuard for MCP, WebMCP, Kitesurf, MCPv2, AI Search, and Radar into the seven KYA dimensions.
August 10, 2026 signalOKX AI Agent Security Hiring Makes Production Control Evidence the KYA TestMaps OKX AI Agent Security hiring, exchange compliance controls, tool invocation sandboxing, human-machine intervention, agent behavior audits, stablecoin payment infrastructure, and runtime visibility into the seven KYA dimensions.
August 7, 2026 signalAI Agent Command Approval Miss Rates Make Human-in-the-Loop a KYA Evidence TestMaps AI agent command-approval miss rates, permission fatigue, OSL AgentPay, MetaMask Agent Wallet, agent-wallet controls, tool verdicts, audit trails, and abuse controls into the seven KYA dimensions.
August 6, 2026 signalAtlassian Rovo Exfiltration Makes Outbound Tool Use a KYA Audit TestMaps Atlassian Rovo exfiltration research, indirect prompt injection, URL retrieval, remote rendering, connector boundaries, Cloudflare OS Gatekeepers, and outbound audit trails into the seven KYA dimensions.
August 5, 2026 signalCloudflare Wallets Turn Agent Identity and Spending Caps Into KYA EvidenceMaps Cloudflare Wallets, cloudflare.pay, x402, Account Wallets, Virtual Wallets, stablecoin budgets, MCP tool purchases, merchant allow lists, human overrides, and audit trails into the seven KYA dimensions.
August 4, 2026 signalGemini Spark Makes Long-Running Agent Identity a KYA Handoff RecordMaps Gemini Spark, background AI agents, Google Workspace actions, schedules, skills, app connectors, non-human identity, MCP governance, human checkpoints, and audit trails into the seven KYA dimensions.
August 3, 2026 signalStarchild x402 Marketplace Turns Agent-to-Agent Payments Into KYA Counterparty EvidenceMaps Starchild x402 payments, AI agent marketplaces, agentic wallets, USDC approval flows, on-chain service records, counterparty evidence, MCP tool verdicts, and jurisdiction fit into the seven KYA dimensions.
August 2, 2026 signalXDC AI Turns x402 USDC Per-Call Payments Into KYA Spend-Limit EvidenceMaps XDC AI, x402 USDC per-call payments, non-custodial smart wallets, MCP connector access, on-chain spending limits, compliance controls, and agentic finance evidence into the seven KYA dimensions.
August 1, 2026 signalPublic MCP Trading Makes Third-Party AI Agents a KYA Brokerage Mandate TestMaps Public's MCP trading integration, third-party AI agents, brokerage account access, automated order placement, trade confirmations, MCP server security, audit trails, and jurisdiction fit into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 31, 2026 signalYield.xyz AgentKit Turns Onchain Yield Into KYA Wallet and MCP EvidenceMaps Yield.xyz AgentKit on x402, autonomous AI agents with wallets, paid MCP access, onchain yield routing, zerohash agentic finance, audit trails, security controls, and jurisdiction fit into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 30, 2026 signalHugging Face Agent Intrusion Makes Sandbox Escape a KYA Control TestMaps the Hugging Face and OpenAI agent intrusion timeline, sandbox escape, tool boundaries, runtime containment, audit trails, security abuse controls, and jurisdiction fit into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 29, 2026 signalCorpay Agent Card Turns Agentic Commerce Into KYA Spend-Control EvidenceMaps Corpay Agent Card, controlled virtual cards, spend-intent authorization, MCP tool access, agentic commerce, audit trails, and abuse controls into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 28, 2026 signalDelegated Identity Stacks Turn Agent Authentication and Payments Into KYA EvidenceMaps 1Password credential delegation for Claude, DNP verifiable authority for agentic commerce, x402 payment proof, and MCP request-level authorization into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 27, 2026 signalLianlian and UnionPay Put AI-Agent Payments Into KYA Mandate EvidenceMaps Lianlian DigiTech and UnionPay International AI-agent payments for global procurement, human-in-the-loop approval, supplier matching, payment execution, AI token replenishment, and reconciliation into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 26, 2026 signalFastly and Experian Move Agent Trust to the Edge of KYAMaps Fastly joining Experian Agent Trust, Human to Agent Binding, agent identity, delegated authority, intent, payment credentials, trust scores, and edge authorization into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 25, 2026 signalSunrate and Mastercard Put B2B Payment Agents on the KYA Chain of ActionMaps Sunrate and Mastercard's Agentic Global Payments white paper, B2B payment agents, supplier onboarding, FX routing, compliance screening, auditability, and accountable action into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 24, 2026 signalMoonPay PayBox Turns AI Shopping Wallets Into KYA Purchase-Authority EvidenceMaps MoonPay PayBox, Claude and ChatGPT shopping wallets, x402, Salesforce B2B Buyer Agent, Kakao AI commerce, APAC bot security, and agentic B2B payment controls into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 22, 2026 signalApify x402 Turns Paid Tool Calls Into KYA Wallet and MCP EvidenceMaps Apify x402 agentic payments, Coinbase Agentic Wallet CLI, paid MCP tool calls, USDC on Base, settlement, refunds, compromised-agent wallet risk, and jurisdiction fit into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 21, 2026 signalNatural Makes AI Agents Financial Actors Requiring KYA Payment EvidenceMaps Natural's agent-payment stack, wallets, vaults, payment rails, fraud and compliance, agent identity, observability, settlement, dispute handling, and jurisdiction fit into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 20, 2026 signalEPAA and HSBC Make Agentic Payment Liability a KYA Evidence ProblemMaps the EPAA AI & Agentic Payments Working Group with HSBC, APAC agentic commerce, agent identity, mandate liability, fraud controls, payment proof, and dispute evidence into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 19, 2026 signalAlibaba Agent Native Cloud Turns Agent Lifecycle Governance Into KYA EvidenceMaps Alibaba Cloud Agent Native Cloud, AgentTeams, AgentRun, AgentLoop, enterprise agent orchestration, tool access, audit trails, security controls, and jurisdiction fit into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 17, 2026 signalLedger Agent Stack Turns Hardware Approval Into KYA Wallet EvidenceMaps Ledger Agent Stack, AI wallet access, hardware approval, signer controls, wallet custody, x402-style payment proof, and audit evidence into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 16, 2026 signalClaude Web Fetch Memory Exfiltration Turns Tool Navigation Into KYA EvidenceMaps Claude web_fetch memory exfiltration, indirect prompt injection, private data access, outbound link navigation, tool controls, audit trails, and jurisdiction fit into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 15, 2026 signalEnterprise DeFi Agents Make x402 and MCP Control Evidence a KYA TestMaps enterprise DeFi agents, x402 autonomous payments, MCP server access, delegated mandates, wallet controls, audit trails, prompt confidentiality, and jurisdiction evidence into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 14, 2026 signalDisposable Coding-Agent Sandboxes Turn Tool Boundaries Into KYA EvidenceMaps disposable Linux VMs, deterministic policy enforcement, MCP security gateways, agent identity, audit logs, payment-agent identity gaps, and runtime isolation into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 13, 2026 signalAI-Native Exchange Compliance Turns KYA Into an Operating ModelMaps OKX and Binance compliance product, AI analytics, transaction monitoring, case management, AML, sanctions, KYC/KYB, and auditability signals into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 12, 2026 signalRobinhood Agentic Trading Makes MCP Venue Access a KYA Control FileMaps Robinhood agentic trading, Trading MCP access, dedicated agentic accounts, third-party AI agents, crypto trading plans, user mandate evidence, and venue-access controls into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 11, 2026 signalBase Agentic Payment Volume Turns Settlement Records Into KYA EvidenceMaps Base agentic payment volume, x402 settlement, wallet authority, resource access, liability gaps, and payment-agent audit trails into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 10, 2026 signalAWS ERP Agent Controls Turn Identity and Deny-by-Default Rules Into KYA EvidenceMaps AWS Agentic AI ERP automation, separate agent identity, deny-by-default policy, immutable audit state, human escalation, and finance-agent controls into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 9, 2026 signalGitLost Shows Why Agent Tool Boundaries Are KYA EvidenceMaps GitLost prompt-injection reporting, private repository exposure, public write destinations, workflow permissions, prompt trust labels, tool boundaries, and audit trails into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 8, 2026 signalFactSet and Google Cloud Put Finance Agent Audit Trails at the Center of KYAMaps the FactSet and Google Cloud finance AI partnership, Gemini Enterprise agent governance, MCP access, sourced outputs, audit trails, tool controls, and jurisdiction fit into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 7, 2026 signalFCA Mills Review Turns Agentic Finance Consent Into KYA EvidenceMaps the FCA Mills Review, delegated retail-finance decisions, consent boundaries, payment initiation, product switching, audit trails, consumer outcomes, and jurisdiction fit into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 6, 2026 signalB2B Payment Agents Turn Approval and Reconciliation Into KYA EvidenceMaps agentic AI in B2B payment operations, invoice exceptions, approval controls, payment initiation, settlement, reconciliation, fraud monitoring, and jurisdiction fit into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 5, 2026 signalAgent Wallet Programmable Controls Make Mandate Drift the KYA TestMaps session keys, scoped permissions, spend caps, approval tiers, x402 payments, stablecoin settlement, and emergency pause controls into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 3, 2026 signalVisa Trusted Agent Protocol Turns Signed Intent Into KYA EvidenceMaps Visa Trusted Agent Protocol, Visa Intelligent Commerce, BBVA agent-initiated payments, cryptographic signatures, consumer recognition, and merchant-side verification into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 2, 2026 signalx402 Monetization Gateway Makes Payment Proof a KYA Control PointMaps Cloudflare Monetization Gateway, x402 stablecoin settlement, MCP tool charging, BNB Agent Studio wallets, and edge enforcement into the seven KYA dimensions.
July 1, 2026 signalLocal AI Agent Security Turns Endpoint Telemetry Into KYA EvidenceMaps Microsoft Defender local AI agent discovery, MCP server exposure, prompt-injection blocking, tool metadata poisoning, and endpoint telemetry into the seven KYA dimensions.
June 29, 2026 signalMCP and A2A Turn Cross-Agent Delegation Into KYA EvidenceMaps MCP tool access, A2A AgentCards, task state, cross-agent delegation, x402, KYAPay, and payment controls into the seven KYA dimensions.
June 27, 2026 signalAgentic Commerce Trust Layer Makes Identity and Mandate KYA EvidenceMaps Know Your Agent protocols, AP2, Verifiable Intent, Coinbase for Agents, prompt-injection controls, scoped mandates, and continuous monitoring into the seven KYA dimensions.
June 25, 2026 signalCoinbase Agentic Checkout Turns Payment Authority Into KYA EvidenceMaps Coinbase agentic checkout, x402 stablecoin payments, payment APIs, agent wallets, spend limits, kill switches, and settlement records into the seven KYA dimensions.
June 24, 2026 signalBase MCP Plugin Expansion Turns Agent Tool Access Into KYA EvidenceMaps expanded onchain MCP skills, x402 payments, 0x agent-facing liquidity access, wallet review, plugin scope, and settlement evidence into the seven KYA dimensions.
June 19, 2026 signalEthereum Spend Mandate Proposal Turns Agent Wallet Limits Into KYA EvidenceMaps the Ethereum Magicians asset-enforced spend mandate discussion, asset-level gates, account-level delegation, revocation, denial reasons, and agent wallet controls into the seven KYA dimensions.
June 15, 2026 signalIMF Agentic Payments Note Makes Authorization Traceability KYA EvidenceMaps the IMF agentic payments framework, x402 payment rails, XRPL AI Starter Kit, AI Wallet products, delegated authority, audit trails, and deterministic settlement controls into the seven KYA dimensions.
June 14, 2026 signalKuCoin TON to GRAM Migration Makes Bot Venue Access KYA EvidenceMaps trading-bot shutdown, spot suspension, deposit and withdrawal closure, WebSocket instability, symbol migration, and restart approval into the seven KYA dimensions.
June 13, 2026 signalHumanity Protocol Key Compromise Makes Admin-Key Control KYA EvidenceMaps the H token incident, stolen admin keys, bridge authority, unauthorized minting, signer controls, custody exposure, and incident evidence into the seven KYA dimensions.
June 12, 2026 signalIndia UPI Agentic Payments Make Mandate Controls KYA EvidenceMaps Pine Labs P3P, UPI mandates, Reserve Pay, one-time authorization, verifiable identity, spend controls, audit trails, and revocation into the seven KYA dimensions.
June 11, 2026 signalMastercard Agent Pay for Machines Makes Settlement Controls KYA EvidenceMaps agent payment credentialing, permissioning, spending limits, multi-rail settlement, stablecoins, auditability, and machine-speed commerce controls into the seven KYA dimensions.
June 8, 2026 signalAPAC Agentic Commerce Makes Payment-Rail Mandates KYA EvidenceMaps agentic commerce, payment APIs, cross-border payment rails, FX limits, fraud controls, maker-checker workflows, consent, and audit evidence into the seven KYA dimensions.
June 7, 2026 signalStablecoin Address Freezes Make Wallet Authority Evidence a KYA RequirementMaps stablecoin address freezes, exchange trading suspensions, agent wallets, x402 payments, custody authority, sanctions reviews, and audit evidence into the seven KYA dimensions.
June 6, 2026 signalFinancial Services Agentic Traffic Makes Intent Evidence a KYA RequirementMaps financial-services agentic traffic growth, agent identity, intent classification, x402 payments, agent wallets, and audit evidence into the seven KYA dimensions.
June 4, 2026 signalWorkday Agent Passport Turns Agent Verification Into KYA EvidenceMaps Workday Agent Passport, Agent-Ready Tools, MCP access to HR and finance data, third-party attestations, runtime monitoring, and audit evidence into the seven KYA dimensions.
June 3, 2026 signalIETF MCP Security Draft Makes Agent Access Control a KYA BaselineMaps the June 2026 MCP security Internet-Draft, Noma agent access control, Okta agent identity, tool permissions, runtime authorization, and audit evidence into the seven KYA dimensions.
June 2, 2026 signalNSA MCP Security Guidance Turns Tool Access Into KYA EvidenceMaps NSA MCP security guidance, agent tool access, trust boundaries, sandboxing, approval paths, audit logs, and jurisdiction evidence into the seven KYA dimensions.
May 30, 2026 signalFinancial Services Agent Zero Trust Becomes KYA EvidenceMaps financial services AI agents, zero-trust tool calls, policy enforcement, MCP governance, audit logs, kill switches, lifecycle controls, and jurisdiction evidence into the seven KYA dimensions.
May 29, 2026 signalEnterprise Finance Agent Handoffs Turn Into KYA EvidenceMaps Workday and Google Cloud finance agents, A2A handoffs, A2UI workflows, MCP access, permissions, approvals, and audit evidence into the seven KYA dimensions.
May 28, 2026 signalRetail Agentic Trading Makes KYA a Mandate-Control FileMaps retail AI trading agents, MCP brokerage access, agentic credit cards, manual approvals, fraud review, and delegated financial authority into the seven KYA dimensions.
May 27, 2026 signalBase MCP Makes Wallet Approval the KYA Control PointMaps Base MCP, wallet proposals, DeFi plugins, x402 payments, transaction simulation, and user confirmation into the seven KYA dimensions.
May 24, 2026 signalAgentic Payments Billing Turns Stablecoin Wallets Into KYA EvidenceMaps AI agent billing, stablecoin wallets, usage events, real-time settlement, fraud controls, and machine-to-machine commerce into the seven KYA dimensions.
May 23, 2026 signalAccounts Payable MCP Agents Make KYA a Finance Control PlaneMaps AP agents, MCP tool access, RBAC inheritance, audit logging, fraud review, and local compliance assistants into the seven KYA dimensions.
May 22, 2026 signalAgentic Brokerage Makes Trade Execution a KYA Mandate ProblemMaps AI investing agents, natural-language trading mandates, cash movement, execution authority, and agent authorization into the seven KYA dimensions.
May 21, 2026 signalMCP Security Turns Tool Access Into KYA EvidenceMaps verified MCP connections, scoped credentials, sandboxes, immutable action logs, and tool-risk classification into the seven KYA dimensions.
May 18, 2026 signalAgent Payments Turn Wallet Controls Into KYA EvidenceMaps agent wallets, spend mandates, approval receipts, x402-style payments, and dispute paths into the seven KYA dimensions.
May 17, 2026 signalRead-Only Finance Agents Define the Next KYA BoundaryShows why financial agents need separate KYA records for data visibility, recommendations, approval routing, and execution authority.
May 16, 2026 signalAI Agent Credentials Are Becoming KYA EvidenceMaps agent credential scope, runtime auditability, and security-review evidence into the seven KYA dimensions.
May 15, 2026 signalAgent Identity Is Becoming the KYA Control PlaneMaps fresh autonomous-agent security guidance into KYA controls for operator identity, permissions, wallet access, audit trail, and jurisdiction fit.
Definition paperAfter KYC and KYB, Crypto Compliance Needs KYA: Know Your AgentThe category-defining article for agent identity, authorization, wallet control, and audit trails.
Existing researchAI Agent Compliance FrameworkBaseline governance work migrated into the KYA reading path.
Wallet riskAI Agent Crypto Wallets ComplianceWallet custody, authorization, and transaction accountability for agentic systems.