What’s the best KYB API for verifying U.S. businesses, directors, and UBOs in one flow? (2026)

Onboarding business customers in the U.S. isn't as straightforward as verifying an individual. Business information is fragmented across state registries, ownership structures can be complex, and compliance teams often need to verify not only the company itself, but also its directors and Ultimate Beneficial Owners (UBOs).

Without the right tooling, this typically means switching between multiple systems for business verification, ownership discovery, identity verification and AML screening—creating more manual work, slower approvals and higher customer drop-off rates.

A modern KYB API brings these checks together into a single onboarding workflow, allowing organisations to verify the business, identify directors and UBOs, screen them against sanctions and PEP lists, and make faster onboarding decisions.

In this guide, we compare three leading providers that support this approach:

• GBG
• Middesk
• AU10TIX

We'll compare their business verification capabilities, director and UBO verification, AML screening, workflow automation and ideal use cases.

What is a single-flow KYB API?

A traditional KYB process often requires multiple vendors – one for business verification, another for beneficial ownership discovery, another for identity verification, and another for sanctions screening.

A single-flow KYB API combines these steps into one onboarding journey.

Rather than passing customers between separate tools, the platform can:

• Verify that a business is legally registered.
• Identify directors and Ultimate Beneficial Owners (UBOs).
• Verify the identities of those individuals using KYC checks.
• Screen businesses and individuals against sanctions, PEP and adverse media databases.
• Apply risk scoring and automated decision rules.
• Trigger enhanced due diligence (EDD) where necessary.
• Continue monitoring businesses and individuals after onboarding.

For regulated industries such as financial services, payments, fintech and lending, this approach can reduce manual review while providing a clearer audit trail.

What makes a good KYB API for verifying U.S. businesses, directors, and UBOs in one flow?

A strong KYB API for U.S. companies needs to do more than return a company profile. 

Look for:

• End-to-end coverage in one workflow: business validation plus director and UBO discovery, identity verification for individuals, and AML screening – without forcing users into separate tools or forms.
• Source aggregation: because there’s no single national corporate registry, KYB depends on aggregating state-level sources and other authoritative datasets. Solutions that connect broadly across U.S. sources reduce “can’t verify” outcomes.
• Risk decisioning built in: configurable scoring, reason codes, and rules that enable auto-approval for low-risk cases and clear escalation for higher-risk ones.
• Case management and auditability: a single view of each business, what was checked, when it was checked, and why decisions were made.
• Ongoing monitoring: KYB doesn’t stop at onboarding – status changes, ownership changes, and screening list updates need to trigger re-checks on a schedule or by event.

Comparing the best KYB API providers for verifying U.S. businesses, directors, and UBOs in one flow*

Although all three providers automate business verification, they take different approaches.

• GBG delivers an end-to-end onboarding platform combining KYB, KYC, AML screening and ongoing monitoring.
• Middesk specializes in U.S. business verification using authoritative government data.
• AU10TIX combines business verification and identity verification through a single API.

GBG: Global end-to-end KYB and screening in one platform

GBG’s KYB platform, GBG Detected, focuses on delivering a unified KYB lifecycle across jurisdictions. It provides:

• Automated business verification with access to 600 million company records and ownership registries
• Director and UBO discovery that includes an automatic calculation of ownership percentages and an auto-build hierarchy tool that enables you to analyze complex ownership structures
• Identity verification using global datasets, documents, and biometrics across 195 countries
• Access to 2,500+ PEP, sanctions, and adverse media watchlists
• Ongoing monitoring for any changes in company status or risk

With GBG Detected, companies can achieve up to 60% reduction in end-to-end onboarding time and cut their manual checks by an average of 67%.

“We can automatically find who the UBO is from our data sources and present that to the customer. It removes extra steps and gives people confidence they’re onboarding the right business.” – Harry Musson, KYB Specialist at GBG

Middesk: U.S.-first KYB with fast, data-rich business checks

Middesk is built specifically for U.S. business verification. It connects directly to every Secretary of State office and the IRS, enabling rapid validation of registered entities.

Key features include:

• More than 160 million  business profiles
• 52 direct Secretary of State integrations
• 100% coverage of registered U.S. businesses
• 92% of businesses updated within the last 10 days
• Sub-second responses

Middesk Signal uses just a business name and address to return a composite risk score (0–100) with reason codes based on registration status, entity type, business age, and sanctions matches.

AU10TIX: Single-call KYB + KYC with integrated screening

AU10TIX provides an “all-in-one” API that covers:

• Business verification
• KYC for directors and UBOs
• Enhanced due diligence workflows
• AML screening and monitoring

With coverage in 200+ jurisdictions and 98% business verification accuracy, AU10TIX provides a centralized data hub and management dashboards for case processing. Screening across 100+ sanctions lists, 1,600 government websites, and 30,000 media sources is also available.

Pitfalls to avoid when choosing a single-flow KYB API

• Don’t mistake business lookup for full KYB: a provider can verify registration but still leave you doing manual UBO identification, identity checks, or screening in separate systems.
• Don’t underestimate U.S. fragmentation: without broad connectivity to state-level sources, you’ll see more exceptions, more document chases, and slower approvals.
• Don’t delay implementing a monitoring plan: onboarding-only checks create risk gaps when ownership, directors, or screening status changes after approval.

Which KYB API is right for your business?

The right platform depends on your onboarding priorities.

• Organizations focused exclusively on U.S. business verification may prioritize providers such as Middesk with broad domestic government data coverage.
• Businesses looking to combine business verification and identity verification through a single API may find AU10TIX well-suited to their onboarding workflows.
• Organizations that require an end-to-end KYB platform with business verification, director and UBO discovery, identity verification, AML screening, configurable workflows, and ongoing monitoring would benefit from a broader platform, such as GBG.

FAQs

1. What data sources does a strong U.S. KYB API need to cover?

A high-quality KYB API for the U.S. should aggregate state-level Secretary of State data, IRS identifiers, beneficial ownership information, sanctions and PEP lists, adverse media sources, and licensing or regulatory records. Because the U.S. lacks a central corporate registry, broad source coverage significantly improves match rates and reduces manual review.

2. How are directors and UBOs identified during KYB?

Most KYB APIs use a combination of corporate filings, state registries, ownership databases, and third-party datasets to map corporate hierarchies. Once individuals are identified, their identities are typically verified via KYC methods such as PII checks, document verification, or biometrics, followed by sanctions and PEP screening.

3. Why is ongoing monitoring essential for KYB?

Businesses and individuals change over time. Ownership can shift, new sanctions may be issued, and registrations may lapse. Ongoing monitoring alerts you when a previously approved entity becomes higher risk, helping maintain regulatory compliance and reduce risk exposure.

*Disclaimer: Information relating to third-party products and companies referenced in this article is based on publicly available sources and official publications at the time of writing. While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, product features, positioning and company information may change and GBG does not guarantee that all information remains current or complete.

Nothing in this article constitutes an endorsement, recommendation or ranking of any third-party provider. Readers should consult each provider’s official website and conduct their own assessment before making any purchasing decisions.

To request an update or correction, please contact communications@gbg.com

Sources:

• https://www.au10tix.com/
• https://www.au10tix.com/solutions/business-verification/
• https://www.au10tix.com/solutions/aml-screening/
• https://www.middesk.com/
• https://www.middesk.com/products/signal