SanctionsAI › Glossary › KYA

What is KYA?

Also known as: Know Your Agent

Know Your Agent (KYA) is the emerging practice of establishing controls around autonomous AI agents that transact — verifying what an agent is authorized to do, screening the parties and wallets it pays, and keeping an auditable record — so that agent-initiated payments meet the same sanctions obligations as human-initiated ones.

Screening for KYA-related risk is exactly what SanctionsAI automates — a single API (HTTP, CLI, or MCP) that screens names and wallets against OFAC lists before your agent pays. Free tier, no key: see the docs →

Related terms

OFAC · SDN List · Blocked Person · OFAC 50 Percent Rule · Secondary Sanctions · Facilitation · Strict Liability · Sanctions Screening · Consolidated Sanctions List · False Positive

This glossary is general information for educational purposes, not legal or compliance advice. Sanctions rules change; always verify against the official source (OFAC / FinCEN / your regulator) and consult qualified counsel. Definitions summarize public guidance from the U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and FinCEN.