What is KYT
KYT (Know Your Transaction) is a risk identification mechanism for individual cryptocurrency transactions, providing real-time analysis of each on-chain transaction to determine its risk level and provide handling recommendations.Core Question: Is this transaction safe?KYT helps you quickly identify the risk level and associated risk entities before processing each transaction.
Comparison with Traditional Finance
| Dimension | Traditional Finance | Crypto KYT |
|---|---|---|
| Monitoring Method | Bank transaction monitoring | On-chain transaction analysis |
| Data Foundation | Account history based | Address association based |
| Processing Time | T+1 batch processing | Real-time/near real-time |
| Rule Engine | Primarily manual rules | Algorithm + label driven |
How It Works
Analysis Flow
- Fund Tracing: Trace fund sources and destinations forward/backward
- Entity Identification: Identify known entities involved in transactions (exchanges, protocols, labeled addresses)
- Pattern Detection: Identify suspicious transaction patterns (splitting, obfuscation, layering)
- Sanctions Screening: Match against sanctions lists
Risk Level Definitions
ChainStream uses a four-tier risk classification system:| Level | Indicator | Definition | Typical Triggers |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEVERE | 🔴 | Known criminal association | Sanctioned addresses, confirmed hacker addresses, darknet markets |
| HIGH | 🟠 | High-risk patterns | Mixer outputs, scam associations, unlicensed gambling |
| MEDIUM | 🟡 | Requires attention | High-risk exchanges, privacy coin swaps, anomalous patterns |
| LOW | 🟢 | Normal | Known compliant entities, regular user behavior |
Level Details
SEVERE
SEVERE
- Definition: Direct association with confirmed criminal activity
- Data Sources: OFAC sanctions list, law enforcement reports, confirmed hacking incidents
- False Positive Rate: Very low (<0.1%)
- Recommended Action: Immediate freeze, report to regulators
HIGH
HIGH
- Definition: High-risk characteristics but unconfirmed criminal activity
- Data Sources: Mixer identification, scam address clustering, behavior pattern analysis
- False Positive Rate: Low (<5%)
- Recommended Action: Manual review, delayed processing
MEDIUM
MEDIUM
- Definition: Risk signals present but requires further evaluation
- Data Sources: Association analysis, behavioral anomaly detection
- False Positive Rate: Moderate (5-15%)
- Recommended Action: Enhanced monitoring, may proceed
LOW
LOW
- Definition: No obvious risk characteristics
- Data Sources: Normal transaction patterns, known compliant entities
- Recommended Action: Process normally
Recommended Action Mapping
Based on risk level, the system provides standardized action recommendations:| Risk Level | Recommended Action | Automation Level | SLA |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEVERE | Freeze | Automatic | Immediate |
| HIGH | Manual Review | Requires manual confirmation | 4 hours |
| MEDIUM | Enhanced Monitoring | Semi-automatic | 24 hours |
| LOW | Pass | Automatic | Immediate |
Action Flow
Exposure Types
ChainStream distinguishes between two types of risk exposure:- Direct Exposure
- Indirect Exposure
Definition: Transaction directly interacts with a risk addressCharacteristics:
- One-hop association
- High certainty of risk
- Typically triggers immediate response
- Receiving funds from known hacker address
- Sending to sanctioned address
- Receiving directly from mixer output
Exposure Handling Guidelines
| Scenario | Direct Handling | Indirect Handling |
|---|---|---|
| SEVERE source | Immediate freeze | Freeze within 2 hops, 3+ hops manual review |
| HIGH source | Manual review | Flag for monitoring |
| MEDIUM source | Process normally | Ignore |
Business Flow
Standard KYT Flow
Processing Times
| Stage | Target Time | SLA Commitment |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction Registration | <100ms | 99.9% |
| Risk Analysis | <30s | 95% |
| Result Return | <30s | 95% |
| End-to-end | <1min | 90% |
Valid transactions complete analysis within 30 seconds. Complex associations may require longer processing time.
Data Elements
Input Data (Register Transfer)
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
network | ✅ | Network: bitcoin, ethereum, Solana |
asset | ✅ | Asset type: BTC, ETH, SOL, etc. |
transferReference | ✅ | Transfer reference (tx hash:address) |
direction | ✅ | Direction: sent or received |
Input Data (Register Withdrawal)
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
network | ✅ | Network: bitcoin, ethereum, Solana |
asset | ✅ | Asset type |
address | ✅ | Withdrawal destination address |
assetAmount | ✅ | Asset amount |
attemptTimestamp | ✅ | Attempt timestamp |
assetPrice | Optional | Asset price |
Output Data
Response Field Description
| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| externalId | string | Transfer ID (UUID), used for subsequent queries |
| asset | string | Asset type |
| network | string | Blockchain network |
| transferReference | string | Transfer reference |
| direction | string | Transfer direction |
| tx | string | Transaction hash |
| outputAddress | string | Output address |
| assetAmount | string | Asset amount |
| usdAmount | string | USD amount |
| timestamp | string | Transaction timestamp |
| updatedAt | string | Update time |
API Usage
Register Deposit Transaction (Transfer)
Register Withdrawal Transaction
Get Assessment Details
Withdrawal Related Queries
Best Practices
Risk Threshold Configuration
Risk Threshold Configuration
Adjust thresholds based on business risk appetite:
| Business Type | SEVERE Threshold | HIGH Threshold | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed CEX | Default | Default | Strict mode |
| Wallet Service | Default | Raise 10% | Balanced mode |
| DeFi Protocol | Default | Raise 20% | Relaxed mode |
False Positive Handling
False Positive Handling
Establish a false positive feedback mechanism:
- Record all manually overturned cases
- Regularly analyze false positive patterns
- Submit false positive feedback to ChainStream
- Adjust local threshold configuration
Audit Trail
Audit Trail
Ensure compliance audit requirements:
- Save all KYT requests and responses
- Record manual decisions with reasoning
- Retain for at least 5 years (per regulatory requirements)
- Support export in standard report formats
Continuous Monitoring
Continuous Monitoring
Risk status may change (e.g., address subsequently sanctioned). Recommendations:
- Periodically re-evaluate historical transactions
- Monitor new activity from associated addresses
- Establish alert mechanism for risk status changes

