Anyone else finding KYC/AML a major hurdle with new energy trading counterparties?
Been looking to diversify some of my exposure beyond traditional futures, specifically into a few physical energy contracts and more specialized derivative products not always available through the tier-1 brokers. The onboarding process with some of these smaller or newer platforms is just brutal. It feels like every firm has a completely different interpretation of KYC/AML, leading to endless document requests and a generally glacial pace to get accounts operational. Just wondering if others in this space are experiencing similar friction when trying to expand their operational footprint, or if I'm just hitting a bad patch.
Absolutely, it's a constant pain point. I've found that some of the smaller, more niche firms are actually better about it because they often have dedicated teams that walk you through their specific requirements, whereas larger institutions can be a black hole of automated requests and little human support.