New: Streamlined onboarding defaults  View changelog

Overview

How to create and verify individual and business customers before they can initiate transfers.

Before a customer can send or receive funds through SpherePay, they must be created and verified.

Why Onboarding is Required

SpherePay operates under anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) regulations. Every customer who initiates or receives a transfer must have their identity confirmed before any funds move.

This applies to both types of customers SpherePay supports:

  • Individuals — verified through KYC (government-issued ID, tax identification)
  • Businesses — verified through KYB (company documents, shareholder registry, UBO identity verification)

Prerequisite for Transfers

A customer whose verification profile is not approved cannot initiate or receive transfers. Complete onboarding before building any transfer logic.

Customer Types

SpherePay supports two customer types. Choose the type that matches your end user.

IndividualBusiness
Verification processKYC (Know Your Customer)KYB (Know Your Business)
Identity documentsGovernment-issued ID, tax identification numberIncorporation certificate, shareholder registry, UBO IDs
UBO verificationNot applicableRequired for all individuals with ≥ 25% ownership
Typical review time0–2 business days2–7 business days

Onboarding Flow

Both customer types follow a structured path from creation to approval. Business onboarding includes additional steps for document collection and UBO verification.

Liveness Check

Liveness check is a process where the customer is required to pass a liveness check via a face verification link or upload a liveness report document. It is an important step in the verification process to ensure the customer is who they say they are. The face verification link is generated by the Face Verification Link Endpoint.

Liveness Report Document

Liveness Report Document is a document from your KYC platform confirming the customer's liveness. The document is uploaded via the Upload Document Endpoint with documentType: "liveness_report". This is only required if the customer's verification profile has liveness_report_document in the required array.

Choose an Integration Method

Both customer types support two integration methods.

APILink
You controlEvery data collection and submission stepOnly the redirect — SpherePay handles the rest
Frontend effortHighMinimal
Best forCustom onboarding UX embedded in your productFastest time to integration

After Approval

Once a customer's verification profile status reaches approved, they can:

For a full breakdown of what each verification status means and what triggers state changes, see the Verification Profile.

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