India Mandates Live Selfie, Location for Crypto KYC

Source: Coinomedia Original Title: India Mandates Live Selfie, Location for Crypto KYC Original Link: India’s crypto landscape is seeing a fresh wave of regulatory tightening. Authorities have issued new guidelines requiring all crypto exchanges operating in the country to collect live selfies and geographic location data during user onboarding.

This move significantly ramps up Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures, signaling India’s push for stricter compliance in the digital asset space. Under the new rule, exchanges must verify users’ identities through a real-time selfie, along with location tagging to confirm the user’s physical presence.

The directive follows growing concerns about money laundering, fraud, and tax evasion within the crypto sector. Regulators believe that enhanced KYC verification will help combat illicit activity and bring more transparency to the system.

Impact on Users and Exchanges

For crypto users in India, the new requirements mean extra steps when signing up for an exchange account. Instead of just submitting ID documents, users must now take a live selfie — verified using facial recognition technology — and allow the app to access their device’s geographic location.

Crypto exchanges will need to update their onboarding systems quickly to stay compliant. Failure to do so could result in penalties or potential suspension of operations.

Many platforms already follow KYC standards similar to traditional banks, but the inclusion of live biometric and geo-verification adds a new layer of scrutiny.

A Clearer Path to Regulation?

While the crypto community may view the move as burdensome, industry experts see it as a step toward formal regulation. Clear KYC norms could help exchanges gain legitimacy and reduce regulatory uncertainty in the long run.

India’s government continues to take a cautious but firm approach to digital assets — not banning them outright, but setting strict guardrails to monitor their use. This latest KYC mandate is a key example of that strategy.