Onboarding Friction for EU-based HFT Desk
Anyone else finding KYC/KYB for an EU-based prop firm a bit of a moving target these days? We're looking at expanding into a few new markets, primarily for $EURUSD and some higher-frequency $BTC strategies, and the onboarding process with some of the larger, supposedly 'tier-one' brokers is becoming an absolute slog. Layers of documentation, then new requests pop up mid-process – feels like they're just pushing paper around until someone gets bored.
It's not just the time sink; the lack of clarity on why certain documents are suddenly needed, or the shifting goalposts, is starting to cost us in opportunity. We're talking established entities here, not some fly-by-night operation. Are we alone in this, or is this just the new normal for anyone trying to get adequate liquidity provisions without signing away their firstborn?
It's not just you. The 'moving target' description is spot on. Seems like the compliance departments are perpetually revising their checklists, often without updating the public-facing documentation.