KYC & AML Policy
Prior to any account on Polar Gainode being able to accept deposits or initiate withdrawals, verification procedures must be completed. This section outlines the verification criteria, eligible documentation types, typical processing timelines and your responsibilities.
- Identity checks on every account
- Documents handled confidentially
- Ongoing transaction monitoring
On this page
- What KYC means
- Accepted documents
- Why verification is required
- Your obligations
- Why a check can fail
- Ongoing monitoring
- How long it takes
- What AML means
- Verification steps
- Questions
What "Know Your Customer" means
Know Your Customer (KYC) represents the procedure through which financial institutions validate that a client is a legitimate, identifiable individual and that details supplied during signup are correct.
In practice, KYC at Polar Gainode means we collect and confirm a small set of basic facts about you: your full legal name, your date of birth, your country of residence, your contact details and the payment method you intend to use. We compare the details you typed into the sign-up form with the details shown on the documents you upload.
What we do not do
We will never request your internet banking credentials, complete card PIN code, or device access permissions. Our personnel will not solicit these items under any circumstances. Should any communication request these, it originates elsewhere and must be reported using the designated complaint mechanism.
Which documents are accepted
Documentation requirements may extend to three distinct types. Submissions must be colour photographs or PDF documents, entirely visible within frame boundaries, unaltered, with all edges and written content clearly readable.
1. Identity document
A valid identity document issued by a governmental authority displaying your image, complete name, birth date, identification number and validity expiration. Standard examples include passports, national identity credentials, or photographic driving permits where applicable. The credential must be current with no expiration.
2. Proof of address
A recent document, usually issued within the last few months, showing your name and your residential address as it appears on your account. Typical examples are a utility statement, a bank or card statement, a local tax or municipal notice, or an official letter from a public authority. Post-office boxes and addresses belonging to someone else are not accepted.
3. Proof of payment method
Proof establishing the payment source belongs to you. For credit/debit cards, this typically involves a photograph displaying your name, initial six numerals and concluding four numerals, and validity expiration, with intermediate numbers and verification codes obscured. For bank transfers, a bank statement or notice in your designation containing account details suffices. For digital payment services, account profile screenshots displaying your name and account identifier apply.
Formats and file size
Maximum submission sizes, permitted document formats and further verification requirements appear within your account's verification interface. Non-English language materials may require certified translations; the compliance department will notify you if necessary.
Why verification is required
- 01
Legal obligation
Services that hold or transmit client funds are generally required to identify their clients before providing the service. This is not optional and applies to every account without exception.
- 02
Protecting your money
Verification ties an account to one identifiable owner. It makes account takeover far harder, and it means withdrawals can only be sent back to a payment method proven to belong to you.
- 03
Keeping the platform clean
Verification screening prevents restricted entities and concealed corporate structures from operating on the platform, thereby safeguarding all other users.
- 04
Faster payouts later
Accounts pre-verified avoid subsequent withdrawal-stage verification interruptions, avoiding delays when they cause the most inconvenience.
Your obligations
- Give accurate, current and complete information, and keep it up to date.
- Use only your own funds and your own payment instruments - never someone else's.
- Operate exclusively one account and safeguard your login information.
- Respond to document requests within the timeframe stated in the request.
- Tell us promptly if you change country of residence, legal name or payment method.
- Report any suspected unauthorised access to your account immediately.
Providing counterfeit or modified documentation represents a critical infraction. This results in permanent account termination and potentially regulatory notification per applicable legal frameworks.
Why a check can be rejected
Denials typically reflect document deficiencies rather than personal assessment. Resubmission succeeds on the subsequent review in the majority of instances.
| Reason | How to fix it |
|---|---|
| Image blurred, cropped or glare-covered | Re-shoot in daylight, flat on a dark surface, all four corners visible. |
| Document expired | Upload a currently valid document. |
| Name or date of birth does not match the account | Revise account information, or substantiate a lawful name modification using appropriate documentation. |
| Proof of address too old or not in your name | Provide a recent qualifying document issued to you at your registered address. |
| Payment method belongs to a third party | Use an instrument in your own name - third-party funding is not accepted. |
| Image that has been manipulated, partially removed to conceal information, or a digital capture of a display | Submit an unmodified original image or PDF. |
| Residence in an excluded jurisdiction | Account activation is impossible; consult our regulatory page for broader information. |
For clarification regarding a determination, reach out to customer service for specific justification. Our policies permit explanation wherever legislation allows.
Ongoing transaction monitoring
Verification is not a one-time event. Accounts and transactions are monitored for as long as the relationship lasts.
What is monitored
Funding and withdrawal patterns, changes of payment instrument, changes of country or contact details, activity that does not match the profile you gave at sign-up, and any activity flagged by our screening tools.
What can happen as a result
- A request for refreshed documents or an explanation of the source of funds.
- A temporary hold on a specific transaction while it is reviewed.
- Modification of the thresholds indicated within your account.
- Restriction or closure of the account where the law requires it.
Records
Identification data and transaction records are retained for the period required by applicable law after the relationship ends, and are handled in line with our Privacy Policy. Under specified legal circumstances, we are restricted from disclosing to you whether information has been reported.
How long a check takes
Most complete submissions are reviewed within a few hours to a couple of business days. Files that need a second look, a translation or an additional document can take longer.
Review times depend on volume, on the quality of the uploads and on whether any additional screening is triggered. The processing window that applies to your account, together with the current status of each document, is shown in your account area - that published figure is the one to rely on, not any figure quoted elsewhere.
- Clear, complete, unedited uploads are reviewed fastest.
- Requests submitted outside business hours are queued for the next working day.
- Comprehensive evaluation, when necessary, extends processing duration and notification will be provided.
What "anti-money laundering" means
Anti-money laundering (AML) is the set of internal controls a financial service uses to prevent its platform from being used to move the proceeds of crime, to finance illegal activity, or to disguise the true origin of funds.
AML controls are broader than a one-off identity check. They cover risk classification of new accounts, sanctions and politically-exposed-person screening, limits on unusual funding patterns, record keeping, internal escalation of suspicious activity and, where the applicable law requires it, reporting to the competent authority.
Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations supersede client directives when the two are incompatible. This may result in transaction delays, demands for supplementary documentation, or account limitations until the issue is settled.
The verification steps
- 01
Register
Create the account with your real legal name, date of birth, country of residence, email and phone number. Details that do not match your documents are the most common cause of delay.
- 02
Confirm contact details
Confirm your email address and, where requested, your phone number. This proves the contact channels belong to you.
- 03
Upload your identity document
Submit documentation pages containing your picture and identifying information. Certain verification procedures incorporate a brief identity confirmation or facial recognition component to authenticate document ownership.
- 04
Upload proof of address
Upload a recent qualifying document in your name at the address on file.
- 05
Confirm the payment method
Provide proof of the instrument you will use to fund and to receive withdrawals.
- 06
Screening and review
Our compliance team reviews the file, runs the required sanctions and risk screening, and either approves the account or asks for a correction.
- 07
Confirmation
Notification arrives when account verification status transitions. The ongoing verification status remains visible within your account's verification interface.
Where to ask questions
If anything on this page is unclear, or you want to know the exact status of your own verification, ask us before uploading again.
Who reviews my documents?
A trained compliance reviewer. Files are stored on restricted systems, and access is limited to staff who need it for the check.
Can I start before I am verified?
You can register and explore the account, but funding, trading and withdrawals depend on the verification status published in your account.
Do I have to verify again later?
It is plausible. Credentials expire, residence information changes, and routine AML verification refreshes remain customary. We will reach out should an update become necessary.
How do I contact the compliance team?
Use the contact route on our contact page and mention "KYC" or "verification" in your message, together with the email address on your account. Please do not send document images by unsecured channels - upload them in the account area instead.
Get verified once, cleanly
The overwhelming majority of review delays stem from three primary causes: poor image clarity, outdated residence documentation, and payment instruments registered under another individual. Addressing these resolves most verifications upon initial submission.
Need help with a document?
Our support team will provide you with precise details regarding which file was declined and the specific reason for rejection.
- Check the verification area of your account first.
- Afterwards, reach out to support using the email address associated with your account.
Ready to put your capital to work, securely?
Open a verified account in minutes, fund it from a modest £190 minimum, and see transparent, protected progress from day one.