A note before you read. Dal makes AIN, one of the eight platforms below. Every claim about another vendor comes from that vendor's own website, read on 22 or 25 October 2026. Where a page did not say something, we write "not stated on the pages we read". It may still be true, so ask the vendor.
Key takeaways
- KYB in Saudi Arabia means two things: verifying the company from a reliable, independent source, and finding the natural persons who own or control it. The AML rules set three tests in order: 25% or more of the shares, then control by other means, then the senior managing official [1][2].
- In March 2026, SAMA asked the institutions it supervises to connect the Ministry of Commerce's Wathq service to their due diligence, check beneficial owners against it, and tell the Ministry about any gaps [4]. A platform with a direct Saudi registry source saves that work.
- Two of the eight platforms name a direct source for Saudi company records on their pages: AIN (Wathq) and Lean Technologies (the Ministry of Commerce, live) [7][9]. The global platforms state coverage in 200 or more countries, but the pages we read do not name their Saudi source.
- Indirect ownership is where checks go wrong. The CMA's guidance multiplies percentages down each chain and adds a person's holdings together [3]. Ask every vendor to show that math on a two-layer company.
- One platform states that client data is hosted in Saudi Arabia: AIN [8]. Ask every vendor where your data will sit.
The short answer
The best KYB platform for a Saudi business is the one that pulls the company record from the Ministry of Commerce, finds beneficial owners under the Saudi tests, and screens the company and every person behind it. For a Saudi-regulated firm that wants that whole workflow in one place, with the record pulled from Wathq, AIN by Dal is built for the job [7][8]. For a team that only needs the registry data inside its own systems, Lean Technologies' Business Verification returns the Ministry of Commerce record by API [9]. For a firm that onboards companies in many countries, Sumsub, Shufti, Trulioo and Signzy are global KYB platforms to compare [11][13][15][16]. For research on complex groups, Moody's sells company and ownership data [17].
What a Saudi KYB check has to do
Six things decide whether a KYB platform works for a Saudi-regulated firm.
- Start from the official record. For a company client, the AML rules require the name, legal form, proof of existence, the powers that bind it, its directors and senior managers, and its registered office, verified from reliable and independent sources [1]. In Saudi Arabia that record sits with the Ministry of Commerce, and Wathq is its data service. For a CMA-licensed firm, the Investment Accounts Instructions list the documents it may use for a Saudi company's account, starting with the commercial register [6]. Ask each vendor where its Saudi company data comes from, by name.
- Find the beneficial owners under the Saudi tests. First, any natural person with 25% or more. If there is none, or there is doubt, the person who controls the company by other means. As a last resort, the senior managing official [1][2]. Since 4 January 2026, companies keep their own beneficial owner register and must give the data to the financial institutions that serve them [2]. Read our guide to beneficial ownership in Saudi Arabia for the rules in full.
- Count indirect ownership correctly. Ownership is rarely one layer deep. The CMA's guidance multiplies the percentages down each chain and adds every holding of the same person [3]. If a holding company owns 60% of your client and one person owns 50% of that holding company, that person holds 30% of your client and passes the 25% test.
- Check the declaration against Wathq. SAMA's circular of 9 March 2026 asks SAMA-supervised institutions to verify beneficial ownership against Wathq and to notify the Ministry of Commerce of discrepancies or undisclosed owners [4]. No CMA text we read names Wathq, but the same check is good practice for a CMA-licensed firm.
- Screen the company and the people around it. CMA-supervised firms screen clients, beneficial owners, managers, signatories and other related parties against the UN Security Council lists and the Saudi national sanctions lists [5]. A KYB platform should send every person it finds into screening, not only the company name.
- Keep it current, and keep the record. Companies must file ownership changes with the Ministry within 15 days and confirm their data every year [2]. Your file needs the same updates, and due diligence records are kept for at least ten years after the relationship ends [1]. Look for alerts when a company's record or KYB review is about to go stale.
The eight platforms at a glance
- AIN by Dal: a compliance platform built in Saudi Arabia. Wathq integration from the company's unified number; beneficial owners by 25% and by effective control; ownership traced through nested companies; owners and associations screened; data hosted in Saudi Arabia; priced per monitored client a year [7][8].
- Lean Technologies: a business verification API for Saudi companies. The Ministry of Commerce record from the unified national number, with shareholders, capital and the board on its Full tier; beneficial owners not mentioned [9].
- azakaw: a compliance operating system built for the MENA region. Digital KYB with sanctions, PEP and negative news screening; registry sources and a beneficial owner method not stated [10].
- Sumsub: a verification suite with a KYB product. Registry checks across 220+ countries, beneficial owners and directors in one flow, screening; from $1.35 per verification on its page [11][12].
- Shufti: a KYB product with live registry lookups in 240+ regions. Beneficial owners to the 25% threshold; each director screened; modular pricing without figures [13].
- Trulioo: business verification by one API per market. An ownership tree tier and AML checks on beneficial owners; three tiers without figures [15].
- Signzy: a KYB API across 50+ jurisdictions, including MENA. Registry lookups, beneficial owners and screening of directors and owners [16].
- Moody's: company and ownership data for KYB, with 650M+ entities and an Entity Verification API [17].
Built for Saudi Arabia
1. AIN by Dal
AIN is Dal's compliance platform, built by former CMA regulators for firms regulated by the CMA, SAMA, REGA and the Insurance Authority [8]. Its KYB module verifies Saudi businesses through a direct Wathq integration: the user enters the company's unified number (it starts with 700) and AIN pulls and verifies the record in real time [7]. It covers all Saudi legal entity types, including LLCs and joint stock companies, with address and IBAN verification for corporates [7][8].
- What stands out: beneficial owners under both Saudi tests, 25% ownership and effective control, with effective ownership calculated for every company in the chain [8]. AIN maps ownership chains three levels deep automatically, and deeper on demand [8]. Every beneficial owner and related party, such as shareholders and board members, is screened and linked, and their risk feeds the client's risk score [7]. Corporate clients can onboard through a white-label portal on the firm's own domain, and KYB expiry alerts flag records before they go stale [7]. All data is hosted in Saudi Arabia [8].
- What to check: AIN is built for Saudi companies and Saudi-regulated firms [7][8]. If you onboard many foreign companies, ask Dal how their records are verified.
- Best for: Saudi-regulated financial firms that want the registry record, the beneficial owners, screening and onboarding in one platform.
2. Lean Technologies: Business Verification
Lean's Business Verification checks a Saudi company from its unified national number, with data "pulled live from MoC", the Ministry of Commerce [9]. Lean KSA is licensed by SAMA for open banking as an account information service provider [9].
- What stands out: two tiers. Basic returns the core record: CR number, unified number, name, status, issue date, activities and headquarters. Full adds partners and shareholders, capital structure, the management board, licensing and status history [9]. An IBAN can be checked in the same call, and Lean says its response is mapped to SAMA's KYB requirements [9].
- What to check: the page does not mention beneficial owners, indirect ownership, screening, hosting or pricing [9]. Lean returns data; your team or another system still applies the tests and screens the people.
- Best for: fintechs and banks that want the Ministry of Commerce record inside their own onboarding flow.
Built for the region
3. azakaw
azakaw calls itself "The Compliance Operating System" and describes itself as built for the MENA region [10]. Its digital KYB sits next to digital KYC, onboarding, transaction monitoring and corporate compliance, with screening for "sanctions, PEPs and negative news" and regulator-specific templates [10].
- What stands out: onboarding, KYB, screening and monitoring in one workflow tool, named an IDC Innovator in IDC's 2026 report on Middle East regulatory technology providers [10].
- What to check: the registry sources it uses for Saudi companies, how it finds beneficial owners, Arabic support, hosting and pricing are not stated on the pages we read [10].
- Best for: firms in the region that want KYB inside a wider onboarding and monitoring workflow.
Global KYB platforms
4. Sumsub
Sumsub's business verification runs a corporate registry check, returns ownership and corporate hierarchies, and verifies beneficial owners and directors "within the same flow" [11]. It states 600M+ commercial records and data sources across 220+ countries, with an in-house team for manual document review [11][12].
- What stands out: screening against 11,000+ data sources, periodic rechecks by risk level, and identity verification for owners in the same suite [11]. The page's structured data lists a price "starting from $1.35 per verification" [11].
- What to check: Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and Arabic are not mentioned on the pages we read, and the coverage directory did not show which Saudi source it uses [11][12]. Ask how indirect ownership is calculated.
- Best for: digital businesses that onboard companies in many countries and want KYC and KYB from one vendor.
5. Shufti
Shufti's KYB runs live registry lookups at each request, across "240+ actively processed regions", with beneficial owner extraction "to the FATF 25% threshold" and corporate document checks [13]. Each entity and each director is screened against sanctions, PEP and adverse media lists [13].
- What stands out: live registry calls rather than a stored copy, 4,000+ watchlists, and integration by API, mobile SDKs or a no-code journey builder [13].
- What to check: Shufti's own FAQ says registry searches can return blank in some regions, MENA among them [13]. Its Saudi page lists identity documents and AML screening but no registry source [14]. Pricing is modular, with no figures on the page [13].
- Best for: firms onboarding companies across many countries that want live registry checks by API.
6. Trulioo
Trulioo's business verification works through "a single API per market" and chooses among several data sources for each check [15]. It analyses ownership structure and percentages, identifies beneficial owners, and runs AML and KYC checks on the people it finds [15].
- What stands out: three tiers, KYB Essentials, KYB Insights and KYB Ownership Tree, so a firm can buy the depth it needs [15].
- What to check: Saudi Arabia and the Middle East are not mentioned on the page we read, and no prices are shown [15]. Ask which source its Saudi API uses.
- Best for: global platforms that verify businesses in many markets through one integration.
7. Signzy
Signzy's One Touch KYB validates businesses "across 50+ jurisdictions, including the U.S., MENA, and India", with a "Middle East Stack" of APIs for the region [16]. It runs registry lookups, surfaces beneficial owners, and screens businesses and key people against AML, PEP, sanctions and adverse media lists [16].
- What stands out: KYC on directors, owners and signatories in the same flow, and a stated go-live of two to four weeks [16].
- What to check: Saudi Arabia, its registry source, Arabic, hosting and pricing are not stated on the page we read [16].
- Best for: fintechs that want one KYB API across MENA and other markets.
Company data
8. Moody's
Moody's sells KYC data and tools, including Orbis for Compliance, an Entity Verification API, a Shell Company Indicator and Grid for screening [17]. It states 650M+ entities, 31M+ curated risk profiles and data on ownership, control and corporate structures in 200+ countries and jurisdictions [17].
- What stands out: depth on complex groups and live connections to corporate registers, according to an award description on its page [17].
- What to check: the Middle East and Saudi registers are not mentioned on the page we read, and deployment and pricing are not stated [17]. Moody's is a data source; you still need a workflow around it.
- Best for: banks and large firms that research complex international groups.
How to choose
Start from the companies you onboard, not from the longest feature list.
- Mostly Saudi companies. Shortlist platforms that name a Saudi registry source and apply the Saudi beneficial owner tests, then check that every person they find goes into screening [2][5].
- A SAMA-supervised institution. Ask each vendor to show how its check meets the Wathq circular: the record, the beneficial owner check against Wathq, and a way to flag discrepancies to the Ministry [4].
- Companies from many countries. Compare registry coverage country by country, and ask how each platform handles a country where the registry returns nothing.
- Complex groups. Ask for the ownership math on a real structure with two or three layers, and for the evidence stored for each owner [3].
Then run one test before you sign. Give each vendor the same three companies: a simple LLC, a company owned through a holding company, and a company where no one holds 25%. Compare the record each platform returns, the owners it finds, and the people it screens.
To see AIN verify a Saudi company from Wathq and trace its beneficial owners, Book a Demo at getdal.sa.
Frequently asked questions
What is KYB in Saudi Arabia?
Know Your Business (KYB) is due diligence on a company client. A Saudi-regulated firm verifies the company's name, legal form, existence, directors and registered office from reliable sources, and identifies the natural persons who own or control it [1].
Who is a beneficial owner under Saudi rules?
Any natural person who owns 25% or more, directly or indirectly. If no one does, or there is doubt, the person who controls the company by other means. As a last resort, the senior managing official [1][2].
Do Saudi firms have to check Wathq?
SAMA's circular of 9 March 2026 asks the institutions it supervises to integrate Wathq into their due diligence and verify beneficial owners against it [4]. We found no CMA text that names Wathq, but the Ministry of Commerce record is the natural source for any Saudi company check.
How is indirect ownership counted?
The CMA's guidance multiplies the percentages down each chain of ownership and adds every holding of the same person [3]. A person who owns 50% of a company that owns 60% of your client holds 30% of your client.
Which KYB platforms connect to the Saudi commercial register?
On the pages we read, AIN names a direct Wathq integration and Lean Technologies says its data is pulled live from the Ministry of Commerce [7][9]. The global platforms state wide registry coverage but do not name their Saudi source on the pages we read.
Who must be screened in a KYB check?
For CMA-supervised firms, the client, its beneficial owners, managers, signatories and other related parties are screened against the UN Security Council lists and the Saudi national sanctions lists [5].
How much does a KYB platform cost?
Most vendors price by quote. On the pages we read, Sumsub lists a price from $1.35 per verification [11], Shufti and Trulioo name tiers without figures [13][15], and AIN prices per monitored client a year, with the price per client falling as volume rises [8].
How was this list put together?
Dal makes AIN, which is on the list. We read each vendor's own pages on 22 and 25 October 2026, used only what they state, and marked what they do not state. We also read FOCAL by Mozn and Fenergo, and left them out because the pages we read do not describe a KYB workflow. We did not test the platforms ourselves, so ask each vendor to confirm the points that matter to you.
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