Introducing KYC services: simplifying inbound compliance for private markets

Ontra

November 13, 20252 min read

Inbound Know Your Customer (KYC) requests for private fund managers have long been a tedious, unpredictable, and resource-draining reality. Responding to endless questionnaires, collecting organizational documents, and coordinating with counterparties consumes valuable time that could be spent on strategic work.

Ontra’s new KYC service changes that. By fully outsourcing the KYC process to Ontra’s experienced KYC analysts, fund managers can accelerate clearance, manage fluctuating volumes efficiently, and protect their firm’s resources while ensuring consistent, high-quality compliance.

Know Your Customer inefficiencies slow down fund operations

KYC requirements are essential for regulatory compliance, but fulfilling inbound KYC requests can feel like a full-time job.

Fund managers must repeatedly produce core documentation, structure charts, and certifications for banks, fund administrators, and lenders. These requests are rarely standardized, often excessive, and always time-sensitive.

Fund managers become bogged down managing:

  • Repetitive manual work: Internal teams spend hours hunting for documents and completing questionnaires.
  • Unpredictable volume spikes: Busy seasons force teams to pull resources from strategic work or hire costly outside counsel.
  • Lack of standardization: Counterparties often ask for information beyond what’s necessary, leading to further negotiation.

Ultimately, manual, in-house processes lead to slower transaction clearance, operational strain, and higher compliance costs.

Current tech solutions don’t fill the gap

Some fund managers have attempted to use tech solutions to ease the strain of inbound KYC requests. Some have developed proprietary systems, however, they typically act as a document and data repository that’s unable to streamline or automate any essential KYC workflows.

Other managers have attempted to leverage horizontal tech solutions. Unfortunately, while these can also act as data repositories, they aren’t tailored to private funds’ workflows. They also often lack the flexibility fund managers need to address counterparty negotiations.

Fully outsourced reverse KYC by Ontra

Ontra’s new KYC service empowers private fund managers to entrust their end-to-end KYC process to a partner with deep expertise and scalable support.

Here’s how KYC with Ontra works:

Dedicated KYC analyst

An experienced Ontra analyst manages requests from start to finish — handling coordination, documentation, and counterparty correspondence, escalating only when necessary.

Custom playbooks

Each customer operates from a tailored playbook that standardizes data-sharing preferences, defines response templates, and provides clarity on when to decline non-standard requests.

Centralized knowledge base

Ontra’s analysts maintain a single source of truth for a customer’s KYC data, ensuring responses are consistent, complete, and up-to-date across all counterparties.

Predictable cost

With predictable pricing per request, fund managers can manage budgets transparently while freeing legal and compliance teams to focus on higher-impact work.

Benefit from speed, consistency, and control

Outsourcing KYC to Ontra’s dedicated KYC analysts offers measurable benefits:

  • Accelerate clearance to move quickly on transactions and reduce deal friction.
  • Drive efficiency through standardized processes and proven playbooks.
  • Control costs with transparent, predictable pricing.
  • Scale on demand to meet fluctuating KYC volumes without sacrificing quality or turnaround time.

Ontra’s KYC analysts bring over two decades of collective experience from leading financial institutions like Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, and HSBC — delivering reliability at scale.

Contact sales today

The traditional, reactive approach to inbound KYC is outdated. With Ontra’s fully outsourced KYC service, fund managers can transform a regulatory obligation into an operational advantage — ensuring compliance with speed, consistency, and confidence.

Ready to accelerate clearance and reclaim your team’s time? Get started now. 

Get started with end-to-end KYC services today.

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Ontra is not a law firm and does not provide any legal services, legal advice, or referral services and, as a result, we do not provide any legal representation to clients, nor do we participate in any legal representation of clients. The contents of this article are for informational purposes only, and are not intended to constitute or be relied upon as legal, tax, accounting, regulatory, or other professional advice, opinion, or recommendation by Ontra or its affiliates. For assistance or guidance regarding the impact or applicability of the topics discussed in this article to your business, please consult your legal or other professional advisers.