KYC and AML in India: what merchants should check before choosing a provider

What this page covers

Every merchant that takes card or wallet payments has to complete a customer-diligence review before a provider will let them take money. In India that review sits inside a wider set of expectations that providers apply to merchants. This page explains what our directory has verified about the providers recorded for India, what the review usually asks of you, and how to keep it from stalling.

What our directory has verified

Eleven provider profiles carry an India market coverage record, each created from the provider's own website or a staff check with a date attached: Atom Technologies, BillDesk, Cashfree Payments, CCAvenue, Easebuzz, Instamojo, Juspay, Paytm, PhonePe, Pine Labs and Razorpay.

A coverage record links a provider to the India market on the strength of an official source. It says nothing about the documents a provider will ask you for, how long its review takes, or whether it will accept your business. Where our records hold nothing, the profile says "Not publicly disclosed".

What the review usually asks of you

The document set varies, but the same categories recur: company registration and incorporation records, a tax identification number, bank account details in the business's own name, director or ownership information, a description of what you sell and who buys it, and access to the website where you sell it. Providers also look at how you handle refunds and cancellations, because those patterns show up later in transaction monitoring.

The useful questions are the boring ones: who reviews the file, how long a complete submission normally takes, what triggers a second review, and what happens to funds while the file is open.

What our records do not cover

For these providers the directory does not hold verified data on document lists, review times, rejection reasons, screening tools, or transaction-monitoring rules. Those answers must come from the provider, in writing, so that you can compare two or three of them on the same basis.

A routine that keeps the review moving

1. **Prepare one folder** with current registration, tax, bank and ownership records, plus a short written description of what you sell and who buys it. 2. **Ask for the document list before you sign**, and ask which items apply to your specific business type rather than the general list. 3. **Ask what causes a hold**, and how a held amount is released. 4. **Ask how often records are refreshed**, so you are not asked for the same file eight months later without warning. 5. **Read the regulator's published material** at https://www.rbi.org.in for yourself and form your own view on what applies to your company. 6. **Keep every reply with its date.** In a dispute, the dated written answer is the evidence. 7. **Get advice from a qualified professional** on your own obligations; this page is general information.

Where to look next

The India country page lists the providers our directory has recorded for that market. Open two or three profiles, place them in the comparison tool while your reviews run, and use the correction form if a provider gives you an official document that answers one of the open questions. We check every submission against its source before a record changes.

Why the same file gets asked for twice

A refresh request is rarely arbitrary. A change of ownership, a new website, a shift in what you sell, or a change in the volume you process can all put a file back in front of a reviewer. Telling your provider early about a change usually costs you a short conversation; telling them late can cost you a hold on funds. Ask at the start which changes you are expected to report, and keep that list somewhere you will actually look at it.