Anti-money-laundering and sanctions obligations affect how payment services can be provided.
Updated: 11 October 2026 · Customer guidance v1.0Anti-money-laundering controls help prevent payment services being used to move criminal funds. Financial-crime obligations also address terrorist financing and other applicable risks.
Customer identification, understanding payment purpose and appropriate ongoing checks form part of the regulatory framework. Read our KYC guidance to understand the information that may be requested.
Source of funds means where the money for a payment came from. Depending on the circumstances, supporting evidence may be needed to understand it.
Explain the actual purpose of the transfer and provide truthful information. Ask our team if you need help understanding a document request.
UK financial sanctions can restrict dealings with specified persons, entities or activities. Ownership and control can also be relevant. The applicable restrictions depend on the sanctions regime.
A payment may not be able to proceed where a prohibition applies, unless a lawful exception or licence permits it. A delay does not necessarily mean that a person is subject to sanctions.
Required checks can affect acceptance or timing. In some circumstances, legal restrictions limit the explanation we can provide. We cannot promise to override a legal requirement.
Use the support and complaints channels if you have a question or are unhappy with the service. The existence of controls does not guarantee that every fraud will be detected.