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 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.