Travel Rule and KYC at Bitbuy

Crypto products attract users partly because transactions can feel direct. A regulated trading platform still has to know its customers and retain information needed for compliant transfers. Every new question or checkpoint adds friction to an experience users expect to be simple.

The product had to satisfy Travel Rule, KYC, and operational record requirements while collecting only the information that was necessary. The solution also had to work across product, engineering, operations, compliance, in-house counsel, and regulators.

I owned the Travel Rule and KYC product features. I worked directly with regulators and internal stakeholders to translate the obligations into customer flows and operating records.

I used a minimum viable regulatory requirement approach: identify the information and controls that were actually required, avoid collecting more than necessary, and study user behaviour to find where wording, timing, or flow created avoidable friction.

The features shipped in 2021 and 2022. The Travel Rule and KYC work contributed to the product and operating controls in place when Bitbuy became registered as a restricted dealer in Ontario.

Regulated product design is not a choice between compliance and experience. The work is finding the minimum necessary friction, then making that friction clear, proportionate, and operationally reliable.