Identity & corporate existence
Verify individuals, companies, registrations, addresses, directors and authorised signatories.
Buyer due diligence & transaction security
Verify the people, the authority, the product and the money flow.
A mineral transaction can fail even when the commodity exists. Divitia’s buyer-protection framework focuses on the full transaction perimeter: counterparties, legal authority, source documents, physical product, custody, banking and release conditions.
KYC / KYBBeneficial ownershipAML / sanctionsDocument reconciliation
Execution framework
Eight control domains
The control file should be proportionate to transaction value, jurisdiction, commodity risk and delivery structure.
Beneficial ownership
Understand who ultimately owns or controls the seller, intermediary, exporter and receiving entity.
Authority chain
Test mandates, powers, agency arrangements and the right of each party to offer or control the commodity.
Source legality
Review mining/trading/export authority, origin, production records and relevant state or customs evidence.
Product verification
Use inspection, weight, assay, parcel verification, photos only as supporting evidence — never as the sole basis.
Sanctions & adverse risk
Screen sanctions, politically exposed persons where relevant, fraud indicators and adverse information.
Banking & settlement
Confirm named account ownership, banking instructions, escrow/release conditions and prohibition of unexplained third-party payments.
Document reconciliation
Cross-check names, quantities, dates, licences, origin, product descriptions, transport and payment documents before release.
Red flags should stop the sequence, not accelerate it.
Commercial urgency is not evidence. Unexplained changes of beneficiary, refusal to identify principals, unverifiable licences, pressure for advance fees, inconsistent assay claims or last-minute payment instructions should trigger escalation or suspension.
Advance-fee pressure
Treat unexplained taxes, permits, security fees or facilitation payments requested before verification as high-risk.
Unverifiable principals
Do not rely on an intermediary who refuses to identify the legal seller, owner or authorised exporter.
Document mismatch
Names, licence numbers, product descriptions, dates, quantities and origin must reconcile across the file.
Third-party bank accounts
Payments to unrelated accounts require documented legal and commercial justification and enhanced review.
Assay inconsistency
Large purity/grade discrepancies or refusal of independent testing are transaction-stopping issues.
Chain-of-custody gaps
If nobody can prove where the product is and who legally controls it, settlement should not proceed.
Counterparty dossier
01
Incorporation / registration evidence
02
Directors and authorised signatories
03
Beneficial owners
04
Physical address and operating footprint
05
Tax / licence status where applicable
06
Mandate and agency documents
07
Bank account ownership
08
Trade references where appropriate
09
Sanctions / PEP / adverse-risk screening
10
Transaction-specific authority
Due diligence reduces risk but does not eliminate it. Buyers, banks, refiners and legal advisers remain responsible for their own approvals and regulatory obligations.
Control principles
Buyer-protection principles
VERIFY BEFORE VISIT / COST
Do enough documentary screening before committing travel, security or inspection costs.
CONTROL THE RELEASE EVENT
No party should be able to trigger payment solely with self-issued documents.
KEEP ONE RECONCILED FILE
Commercial, legal, physical and financial evidence should be traceable in one transaction file.
Need a transaction screened before engagement?
Send the seller/entity details, commodity, origin, proposed structure, documents already available and the specific risks you want tested.
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