Fenergo Partners with BENEFIT to Create National eKYC Utility in Bahrain

Fenergo, a leading provider of digital Client Lifecycle Management (CLM) solutions for financial institutions, today announces that it will be working with Bahrain’s Electronic Network for Financial Transactions (BENEFIT) in designing and implementing the world’s first national Know Your Customer (KYC) utility that incorporates blockchain technology. The utility platform will support sectors including retail and corporate banking, asset management as well as insurance and telecommunications in the future. Fenergo deployed the first phase of the eKYC project in just four weeks.

Financial institutions that subscribe to BENEFIT can instantly complete KYC and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance procedures when onboarding new individual and corporate customers through the Fenergo-powered eKYC hub and rules engine utilising blockchain. The centralisation of customer data removes the need for duplicate requests for information, enabling financial institutions to onboard new customers and products swiftly and seamlessly. The elimination of manual processes reduces costs and improves operational efficiencies, ultimately optimising customer experiences. 

The Fenergo API-first solution enables financial institutions to verify customer identity via biometric identity and verification (ID&V) technology which links to Bahrain national identity card data before instantly connecting to the eKYC hub. This will prompt Fenergo’s rules engine to determine the required KYC and AML data and documentation for customer due diligence (CDD) as subscribed by Central Bank of Bahrain. Once the customer is quickly and successfully onboarded, Fenergo will write data attestations to the blockchain for reuse by other financial institutions within the Bahrain ecosystem.

On this occasion, BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Officer Abdulwahed AlJanahi said,

“BENEFIT is committed to supporting financial institutions on their journey to digital transformation. By partnering with disruptive technology companies like Fenergo, we can deliver on our promise to help financial firms streamline and simplify the collection and management of customer data, improving customer experiences and minimising fraud.”

Marc Murphy, CEO, Fenergo:

“Regulatory mandated KYC utilities represent a massive opportunity to enable significant efficiency, improve customer experience and help drive regulatory certainty. In a digital economy, where open banking and customer choice are at the forefront, making the KYC process digital is a huge enabler for any digital transformation initiative.

At Fenergo, we are honoured to partner with BENEFIT and the Bahrain regulator to deliver the KYC technology of the future.”

Fenergo is developing the cloud-based utility as part of an initiative mandated by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) to enable financial institutions to seamlessly perform CDD checks for enhanced customer experiences and regulatory certainty. The initiative is part of a wider Government scheme, Economic Vision 2030, to improve the Kingdom’s economy.