- Founded
- 2017-01-01 in London, UK
- Headquarters
- London, England, United Kingdom
Shufti is a London-headquartered global identity verification platform offering AI-powered Know Your Customer (KYC), Know Your Business (KYB), and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance solutions. Founded in 2017 by Shahid Hanif, the company was born from Hanif's personal frustration with slow manual identity checks. Today, Shufti serves over 2,000 enterprises across 240+ countries, verifying documents in 150+ languages. Its core Global Trust Platform combines document verification, facial biometrics, liveness detection (iBeta Level 3 certified with 0% APCER), and continuous fraud monitoring. The company is used by regulated industries including fintech, crypto, banking, insurance, and e-commerce. Shufti has been recognised as a G2 Leader, ranked by Gartner for document diversity, and named Exceptional in the Liminal Index for age estimation. As of 2026, the company is bootstrapped with $20 million in Series A funding from Updata Partners (2022), employs about 185 people, and generates an estimated $20.4 million in annual recurring revenue. In January 2025, co-founder Shahid Hanif became CEO, succeeding Patrick Cox, who remains on the board.
Detailed Review
History and Founding
Shufti was founded in 2017 in London by Shahid Hanif, who previously co-founded Zensed (an ML-based fraud prediction company) and Programmers Force. The idea came when Hanif underwent a tedious manual identity verification process and decided to build a faster, more accurate digital alternative. The company launched its first identity verification platform and gradually expanded into a full compliance suite.
Business Model
Shufti operates on a SaaS model with transparent pricing tiers. It charges per verification or subscription, serving both large enterprises and mid-market businesses. The platform is modular and configurable, allowing clients to select only the services they need. Revenue is primarily from KYC/KYB/AML verification fees and annual recurring contracts. Estimated ARR of $20.4 million as of 2026.
Products and Platforms
The Global Trust Platform is the core AI-driven identity verification suite. Key products include KYC (individual identity checks with 10,000+ ID types in 150+ languages), KYB (business entity verification), KYI (intermediary/investor verification), AML Screening (sanctions, PEPs, adverse media), Liveness Detection (iBeta Level 3 certified passive liveness, 0% APCER), Age Verification (Exceptional in Liminal Index 2026), Video KYC (agent-assisted), and OCR for data extraction. The platform processes verifications in seconds with 98.67% accuracy.
Market Position and Recognition
Shufti competes with larger identity verification providers like Jumio, Onfido, and Trulioo but differentiates through its geographic reach (240+ countries), self-trained AI, iBeta certification, and on-premise deployment option. Independent validations include: Top 5 in the 2025 DHS RIVR for identity validation, Broader Global Reach recognition by KuppingerCole, and G2 Leader in Summer 2026 across four reports. The company has a 4.7/5 TrustPilot rating (2,700+ reviews) and is listed on AWS Marketplace.
Leadership and Recent Changes
Shahid Hanif – CEO & Co-Founder (appointed January 2025, previously CTO from 2017). Former CEO Patrick Cox now serves as a Board member. Prior to Cox, Victor Fredung was CEO during the 2022 Series A raise. The CTO role is vacant since Hanif's promotion; the COO position is being recruited (job posting for upcoming COO role). No other C-level executives (CCO, CFO) were confirmed from the provided sources.
Scale and Operations
As of early 2026, Shufti employs approximately 185 people (up from 90 in 2023). The company is bootstrapped aside from the $20 million Series A. It serves over 2,000 enterprises and verifies documents in 150+ languages across 240+ countries and territories.
Key Products
Video KYC
Agent-assisted or recorded video verification for high-risk or high-value transactions.
OCR (Optical Character Recognition)
Automated extraction of text from identity documents for data pre-fill and digitisation.
Global Trust Platform
AI-driven identity verification suite featuring facial biometrics, document checks, and passive liveness. Core platform for all verification workflows.
Know Your Customer (KYC)
Individual identity verification for regulated onboarding, supporting 10,000+ ID types in 150+ languages.
Know Your Business (KYB)
Business entity verification, including ownership structure and corporate document checks.
Know Your Intermediary (KYI)
Verification of intermediaries, investors, and other third parties for compliance.
Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Screening
Automated screening against sanctions, PEP lists, and adverse media.
Liveness Detection
iBeta Level 3 certified passive liveness with 0% APCER; prevents deepfake and spoofing attacks.
Age Verification
Age estimation solution ranked Exceptional in the Liminal Index 2026.
Offices & Headcount
185 employees (approx.)
Key Persons
- Shahid Hanif
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder