Choosing Between kya/risk and kya/screening_v2

Both kya/risk and kya/screening_v2 assess the risk of a blockchain address, but they differ in the scope of what they evaluate. This page explains how the two relate and helps you pick the right one for each scenario.

In one sentence

• /kya/risk answers a single question: “Is this address itself high-risk?” — fast, lightweight response, ideal for high-volume first-pass screening.
• /kya/screening_v2 goes further by also reviewing the address’s counterparties, reconstructing risk exposure, fund paths, and transaction details. It is the more comprehensive, compliance-grade screening endpoint.

The two are not a simple “lite / full” substitute pair: screening_v2 covers everything risk determines about the address itself and adds a counterparty risk view that risk cannot provide. When you need to reach a compliance decision, rely on screening_v2.

Positioning

/kya/risk — self risk of an address

Calculates risk based only on the entities and labels directly associated with the target address, returning a risk level, risk score, and Risk Factors. It does not trace counterparties, so responses are typically millisecond-level.

Best for answering: “Is this address itself flagged as sanctioned, hack, scam, or otherwise high-risk?”

/kya/screening_v2 — comprehensive address screening

In addition to reviewing the address itself, it continues to screen the address’s counterparties and evaluates the risk exposure they introduce through fund flows. It can return:

• The triggering rule for each risk (rule_id / trigger_id) for audit traceability;
• Counterparty risk exposure (direction, share, USD amount, hop count, paths);
• The underlying transaction details supporting the decision (hash, amount, token, timestamp, etc.);
• Sync / async modes, with screening strictness selectable via a compliance policy (rule_set_id).

Best for compliance screening, KYC/KYT due diligence, and any workflow that needs a formal, auditable review outcome. Responses typically take about 2–3 seconds.

Capability comparison

Aspect	/kya/risk	/kya/screening_v2
Capability	Self-risk assessment of an address	Full screening: self risk + counterparty risk
Scope	Target address only	Target address + its counterparties
Counterparty review	No	Yes
Exposure / path analysis (exposure, paths)	No	Yes
Transaction details (transactions)	No	Yes
Rule traceability (trigger, rule_id)	No	Yes
Entities and labels (entities, labels)	Yes	Yes
Compliance policy selection (rule_set_id)	No	Yes
Sync / async modes	Sync only	Sync + async
Response time	Millisecond-level	~2–3 seconds
Typical use	Fast, high-volume first-pass checks	Compliance screening, due diligence, formal review

Same address, two views

Using the same address TEAqwfMhXLaomXhZ8KeMhx3njGmQEDnsUR, the capability gap becomes concrete.

/kya/risk flags the address itself as Blocked and Sanctioned (both from the address’s own labels) and returns a risk level of High:

"risk_factors": {
  "Blocked":   [{ "origin": "self", "sub_origin": "label", "category": "Blocked",   "level": "High" }],
  "Sanctioned":[{ "origin": "self", "sub_origin": "label", "category": "Sanctioned", "level": "High" }]
}

/kya/screening_v2 returns the same self risk and additionally surfaces a risk exposure from a sanctioned counterparty — information risk cannot provide:

"Sanctioned": [
  { "origin": "Self", "sub_origin": "Label", "category": "Sanctioned", "level": "High" },
  {
    "origin": "Direct Exposure", "sub_origin": "Label", "category": "Sanctioned", "level": "High",
    "exposure": {
      "direction": "Inbound",
      "amount_usd": 25700,
      "counterparty_address": "TAN6jFzDmmZVyE3GbL1B2qNfy4o3MX6U9D",
      "hop_count": 1
    }
  }
]

screening_v2 further provides the full transaction details for that counterparty under counterparties (hash, token, amount, timestamp, etc.), making the risk decision verifiable and auditable.

How to choose

Your scenario	Recommended endpoint
High-volume, high-frequency first-pass risk checks	/kya/risk
You only need to know whether the address itself is high-risk	/kya/risk
Compliance screening, KYC / KYT due diligence	/kya/screening_v2
You need to review counterparty risk exposure from fund flows	/kya/screening_v2
You need triggering rules and transaction details for an auditable outcome	/kya/screening_v2

Tip: use /kya/risk as a low-cost first filter, then call /kya/screening_v2 for deeper screening on the addresses that are flagged or uncertain.

Related pages

• kya/risk
• kya/screening_v2
• kya/labels