Glossary
Verifying the identity and behavior of AI agents that transact.
Know Your Agent extends KYC principles from humans to agents: verify who built it, what it can do, what it has done.
Regulators are signaling that agent operators will bear responsibility for their agents' actions.
Financial institutions, payment rails, agent platforms, and compliance teams are all developing KYA frameworks.
KYA means identity verification of the deploying party, behavior monitoring of the agent, and sanctions screening of every transaction.
agentmail covers the sanctions screening leg of KYA.
Not yet codified, but regulators including the UK FCA and US Treasury have indicated operators will be held responsible.
KYC verifies a human. KYA extends the same logic to AI agents.
Sanctions screening verifies both parties in an agent transaction are not SDN-listed.