KYC Registration Agency (KRA)

A KYC Registration Agency (KRA) is a SEBI-registered entity that centralises and maintains Know Your Customer (KYC) records for investors in Indian capital markets — eliminating the need for investors to complete the KYC process separately with each financial intermediary they engage with. When an investor completes KYC once with a SEBI-registered broker, mutual fund distributor, or other intermediary, the KRA stores the verified KYC information — including identity proof, address proof, PAN, and Aadhaar details — on a centralised platform accessible to all registered intermediaries. Subsequent financial service providers can retrieve the investor's KYC status from the KRA database without requiring fresh documentation. SEBI has authorised five KRAs in India: CDSL Ventures Limited (CVL-KRA), NSDL Database Management Limited (NDML-KRA), CAMS Investor Services (CAMS-KRA), Karvy Data Management Services, and DotEx International. The KRA system has significantly streamlined account opening processes and reduced duplication of KYC documentation across India's financial services ecosystem.