A KYB failed to identify known UBOs. What's the workaround?
Use manual UBO declaration: the customer enters beneficial-owner details directly via the platform and confirms them against alternative sources where possible.
The fallback is manual UBO declaration - the customer enters the beneficial-owner details directly via the platform, and easyAML's data team confirms them against alternative sources where possible. The CDD record is preserved with the same audit-trail standard as an automated unwrap.
Why an automated unwrap might miss a known UBO:
- ASIC data is stale. A recent share transfer or director change hasn't yet been reflected in ASIC - the customer should lodge an ASIC Form 484 to bring the public register current. easyAML re-reads from authoritative data, so updating ASIC is the cleanest fix.
- A trust sits in the middle of the structure. Trusts aren't externally registered; the unwrap pauses at the trust layer and asks for the deed. (See "What happens during 'unwrap' when a corporate shareholder turns out to be a trust?" in Section 3.)
- An offshore parent is involved. Foreign corporate registers don’t always provide live data connections like the standard ASIC integration; Tier 2 / Tier 3 KYB pricing applies for these (see Section 8).
- Nominee or custodian arrangements. ASIC shows "beneficially held = false" - the named shareholder isn't the real owner. Documentation of the underlying arrangement is needed.
What the manual fallback looks like in the platform:
- The customer is prompted via the platform to confirm the UBOs - name, DOB, ownership %, role (director / shareholder / appointor / trustee).
- Verify the supplied data against alternative sources where available (ASIC historical extracts, supplied documents).
- The KYB record is completed with the manually entered UBOs flagged in the audit log.
- KYC links go out to each identified controller as normal.
Any KYB unwrap issue is also flagged to the data team for diagnosis - repeated mismatches against a known structure get product-team attention to improve the automated path.
The reporting entity remains responsible for the integrity of the final CDD record - the manual fallback is a workflow tool, not a downgrade of the standard. See AUSTRAC's Trust and corporate services designated services page.
Related articles
- What does the KYB unit price include?
- Glossary: Key Terms & Definitions
- Can a platform user override the UBOs identified by KYB unwrapping?
- For company/trust onboarding where the trust deed isn't yet in easyAML, what should the user do?
- How are director/shareholder changes for an existing entity handled?