KYB means know your business. For a lender it comes down to four checks: the company exists and is active, its name and number match the application, you know who runs and owns it, and its record is clean. Use Companies House in the UK and KVK in the Netherlands.
Check 1: the company exists
Search the register by company number, not by name. Names repeat, but numbers do not.
Companies House shows if the company is active, in liquidation or closed. It also shows the date it was set up and its registered office. KVK works the same way with the KVK number. It shows the legal form, the office and the names the company uses. It also keeps records of firms that have stopped trading.
A company set up six weeks ago that asks for a big loan is not a problem by itself. It does mean the rest of the file has to prove more.
Check 2: the details match
Put the registered name, number and address next to what the applicant wrote. Then compare them with the bank statements, the invoices and the website. A trading name is fine if the register shows it. A name that is on no register needs an answer.
Companies House lists old names, and KVK lists trade names. A recent name change is not bad by itself, but it can hide a company's past. So ask why.
Check 3: who runs it and who owns it
Both registers list the people who run the company. Companies House shows current and past officers. It also shows people with significant control, which means the owners. KVK lists each official with a title, a start date and their authority to act for the company. That last part matters. If two people must sign together, one name on a contract is not enough.
Ownership takes more work. The usual line is a stake of about 25% or more, and your own policy may set it lower. KVK runs a register of the final owners, called the UBO register. Ask KVK what your firm may see in it. Also ask the applicant for a chart of the owners and their shares. If a company owns the company, ask for the same chart one level up.
Check 4: the record is healthy
Look for signs of trouble. At Companies House, check if the accounts or the yearly confirmation statement are late. Check for notes on insolvency. Check the charges too. A charge is security the company gave to another lender. A new lender may rank behind it.
In the Netherlands, also look at the Dutch insolvency register, the Centraal Insolventieregister.
I read the Companies House and KVK pages for this guide on 28 October 2026. Registers change what they show, so check the live page when you write your own process.
Other checks that sit next to KYB
- A VAT number check. In the EU, the VIES service confirms the number and the name behind it.
- Sanctions screening for the company and its owners. Your own policy against money laundering says how much you need.
- An address check, such as the Dutch national address register.
- An IBAN check on the bank details.
Checks on the people are a separate job, called KYC. It uses ID documents and screening.
What to ask for when it does not match
Say what does not match, and ask for the paper that settles it. For a name or number, ask for the certificate of incorporation or a fresh register extract. For a new director, ask who joined, when and why. For ownership, ask for the share chart and ID for each owner above your line. For late accounts, ask for the reason and a date.
Keep the register page in the file with the date you looked. A register changes, so the date is part of the proof.
Red flags
- A number that does not match the name.
- A name on the register that is on no other document.
- A registered address that is a shared mailbox, with no trading address.
- Directors who joined in the last few weeks and are not on the application.
- Late filings, or a charge added very recently for another lender.
- An owner that is another company, with no chart to show who is behind it.
- A business activity on the register that does not fit what the applicant says.
A worked example
This is an example with made-up details. It is not a real company.
An applicant is called Brightwell Fabrication Ltd and lists two directors. The register shows three. The third joined five weeks ago and is not on the application. Another lender added a charge last month, and the accounts are due next week.
None of this means the loan should be refused. The new director may be a relative who joined to help with the application. The charge may be for a small loan on one machine. So the credit team asks who the third director is and what the charge covers. A person reads the answers and decides.
What can and cannot be automated
Lookups are a good job for software. It can search the register by number and compare the name and address. It can read the status and the filing dates, list the charges and flag a recent change. It can run a VAT check and a sanctions check on the owners too. The Companies House data is free through its API, so this does not have to cost much.
A person still has to judge what the result means. A new director might be harmless, or might be a warning. A chain of owners across several countries needs papers and often a second opinion. Whether the risk is worth taking is a credit decision.
Klarefi can run these register checks during intake, using the number the applicant gave. It shows each result next to the facts it checked, and a failed check stays visible. It does not decide. Your credit team reads the file and makes the call.
Use the document checklist to see what else belongs in the file. Our guide to loan software covers the wider process.