Country _ Name
Russia
SectionTitle
KYC requirements
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The know your customer or know your client (KYC) guidelines and regulations for financial services require that professionals try to verify the identity, suitability, and risks involved with maintaining a business relationship.

Legal affairs

National regulatory framework regarding AML and effective date of the regulations

In the Russian Federation, the regulatory framework in the field of combating money laundering is governed by the Federal Law of August 7, 2001 No. 115-FZ "On Countering the Legalization of Illegal Earnings (Money Laundering) and the Financing of Terrorism", which came into force on February 1, 2002 (“Anti-Money Laundering Law”).

National regulator or relevant authority for AML controls

The federal executive body responsible for combating the legalization (laundering) of illegal earnings, the financing of terrorism, extremist activities and the financing of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the Russian Federation is the Federal Service for Financial Monitoring (Rosfinmonitoring).

At the same time, in the area of FinTech, Rosfinmonitoring carries out its functions in close cooperation with the Bank of Russia. In particular, requirements for credit and non-credit financial institutions in the field of identification of customers, their representatives, beneficiaries and beneficial owners are approved by the Bank of Russia in agreement with Rosfinmonitoring.

Customer Due Diligence

Conduct of a typical KYC identification process

Organizations carrying out transactions with funds or other property are required to identify the customer, customer representative and (or) beneficiary before accepting services, and also take internal control measures (subpar. 1 of par.1 of Article 7 and subpar. 3.2 of par. 1 of Article 7 of the Anti-Money Laundering Law).

In addition, the Bank of Russia has developed the Know Your Client platform, within which the Bank of Russia classifies legal entities / individual entrepreneurs (with the exception of credit organizations, branches of foreign banks, state bodies and local governments) registered in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation as risk groups for committing suspicious transactions (part 4 of Article 9.1 of the Federal Law No. 86-FZ dated July 10, 2002 "On the Central Bank of the Russian Federation (Bank of Russia)").

When exercising internal control, from the moment they receive the specified information from the Bank of Russia, credit organizations and branches of foreign banks are entitled to use as an additional factor influencing the assessment of the degree (level) of risk of commission by a customer – a legal entity / individual entrepreneur (with the exception of credit organizations, branches of foreign banks, state bodies and local governments) registered in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, suspicious transactions, information about the classification of such a customer into one of the risk groups for carrying out suspicious transactions (part 2 of Article 7.6 of the AML).

In June 2025, Federal Law No. 41-FZ of 01.04.2025 "On the Creation of a State Information System for Combating Offenses Committed with the Use of Information and Communication Technologies, and on Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation" entered into force in the Russian Federation. This law provides for the creation of a state information system for combating offenses committed with the use of information and communication technologies for the prompt prevention, detection and suppression of offenses and crimes committed with the use of information and communication technologies. This law also amends the provisions of certain federal laws regulating the identification of individuals and legal entities - consumers of financial services.

Possibility to meet customer due diligence requirements by relying on third parties who are obliged by law themselves to comply with AML regulations

Customer due diligence can be outsourced entirely to a third party. Meanwhile, even in the case of a partial assignment of customer due diligence (for example, identification), the organization that entrusted the identification is responsible for compliance with the identification requirements established by the AML (par. 1.6 of Article 7 of the AML).

Possibility to outsource customer due diligence by contract to other third parties who are not obliged by law to meet AML regulations and rely on these (e.g., WebID, IDnow, PostIdent)

Customer due diligence may be outsourced to third parties who are not legally required to comply with the AML. However, this third party shall comply with the requirements of the AML.

Presence of a license or registration requirement for the third party in case of outsourcing customer due diligence

A third party that conducts customer due diligence is not required to obtain a license under the Russian law.

Further questions

Entities that could be relied on specifically by law as a third party to comply with AML regulations (regardless of outsourcing)


Yes credit institutions
Yes financial institutions
Yes auditors, external accountants, and tax advisors
Yes notaries and other independent legal professionals
  other trust or company service providers
  estate agents
  other persons trading high-value goods
  providers of gambling services


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