1. Why we ask for KYC
Know-your-customer (KYC) checks help us confirm who is running a store on Trado. Regulators and payment partners require this before we can enable payouts, reduce fraud, and keep the platform safe for buyers and sellers.
You complete KYC once in your dashboard under identity verification. We use it only to verify your account—not to build marketing profiles.
2. What we collect
- Identity: age, National Identification Number (NIN), and Bank Verification Number (BVN).
- Address: street, city, state, and country.
- Utility bill (optional path): a recent bill to confirm your address when you choose upload instead of scheduling a verification call.
3. How we protect it
We do not store your NIN, BVN, or full address as plain text. As soon as you submit each step, Trado seals that data into an encrypted token (JWE-style, AES-256-GCM) using a server secret that never leaves our backend.
Even if someone stole a database copy, the sealed blobs would be useless without the secret key. Your dashboard only shows masked hints (like the last four digits of an ID)—never the raw values again.
4. Utility bills
Utility bills are handled differently on purpose. When you upload one, our team reviews it manually to confirm your address. After verification succeeds, we delete the file from storage. We do not keep a copy of your bill once the check is done.
If you schedule a verification instead, no bill file is stored at all.
5. What we keep
- Encrypted identity and address seals plus minimal display hints (status, last-four digits, city/state labels).
- Verification status and timestamps so we know your account passed review.
- No plaintext NIN, BVN, full address, or utility bill after verification.
For the broader privacy picture, see our privacy policy and data policy.
6. Questions
KYC or privacy questions? Reach us through your usual Trado support channel or open the app.