Answers to our most frequently asked questions

Yes, KYG Trade’s platform and technology are patented.

KYG Trade holds several issued U.S. patents. One is for its AI-assisted global trade and ESG management system. The patent (Application #20250191000, issued June 12, 2025) covers a system that uses electronic data records (EDRs) to manage product attributes, regulatory categorizations, and compliance attestations. It leverages blockchain and distributed ledger technologies to ensure immutable, auditable documentation across global supply chains. (https://patents.justia.com/patent/20250191000).

Additionally, KYG Trade is the first patented AI-assisted global trade management platform, emphasizing our innovation in automating trade compliance tasks such as HTS and ECCN classification, FTA qualification, forced labor rebuttals, and supply chain responsible ethical ESG origin tracing and scoring.

Yes—and more. KYG Trade can run as a complete stand-alone solution, or it can enhance, extend, or even replace your existing Global Trade Management system, including SAP GTS 11.x or E4H. Many companies keep core screening in GTS and use KYG as a sidecar for advanced workflows like FTA qualification, UFLPA traceability, and First Sale for Export—without heavy customizations or costly SI projects.

All it takes is our prebuilt API integration into your ERP and order systems—KYG handles the rest.

KYG Trade reduces the time and effort it takes to perform trade compliance functions, improves accuracy and reduces risk.

There are four primary functions of the platform: 1) providing global trade compliance tools, 2) enabling in-application collaboration, 3) automatic recordkeeping and audit trails and 4) research.

Each of the four functions uses native AI and significantly reduces the emails, attachments, PDFs, spreadsheets, uploads, downloads and data entry currently required to manage the trade compliance risk.

Not unless you want them to. KYG Trade is flexible by design—it can enhance, extend, or fully replace your current trade management system including SAP GTS. Many companies keep core screening in GTS and use KYG as an AI-assisted sidecar for advanced workflows like global HS and ECN classification, FTA qualification, UFLPA traceability, Analyatics, and First Sale for Export—without the heavy customizations or big SI projects.

If you’d rather simplify everything, KYG can also run as a complete GTM either on a stand-alone or fully integrated basis.

We call any regulatory qualification or determination an attestation. For example, HS classifications, ECN classifications, FTA qualifications and Supplier risk analyses are all considered attestations.

Each unique product/item/SKU has a collection of attributes that define that item aka the product genome. The good’s attribute data are analyzed by regulatory rules-based AI and ML expert systems (i.e., oracles). For example, to determine an HS code, the AI is trained to apply the relevant tariff and supporting regulatory data to the product.

These oracles can either be your internal systems, KYG Trade proprietary oracles, or 3rd party oracles.

For example, when the required documents for an origin determination are received from an external FTA software source, a certification of origin (CO) message is immutably recorded to KYG Trade’s registry representing a trusted digital equivalent of paper-based COs.

The user/entity that records and links product information to a KYGID™ is, and forever will be, the data owner. 3rd parties can only access your data if you provide them with a private encrypted key.

A KYGID is the unique identifier of a product/item/SKU within the KYG Trade platform.

KYG Trade, Inc. is a Delaware C Corporation Headquarted in Newport Beach, CA. Our Founder CEO is Todd R. Smith, a former Big 5 trade and customs partner, and a US CBP licensed customs broker. More information on KYG Trade can be found here.

KYG Trade is committed to transparent pricing. We have an ala carte subscription model starting with a Micro tier up to an Enterprise tier. Each tier allows unlimited users.

Our Trade Korpus regulations and rulings search service is priced per user, per month.

API integrations carry a one-time fee but are not required.

Please see our pricing for more information.

Yes! KYG Trade can be used on a standalone basis and accessed via web browsers and mobile devices.

Data can be imported and exported manually or via APIs.

Using a combination of Intel’s SGX silicone and Project Amber, zero-knowledge proof, Merkle trees, encrypted hashes, and off-chain document storage, field-level atomic attribute access to sensitive data (e.g., component prices in a Bill of Materials, supplier information, etc.) can be hidden from unauthorized parties.

These anonymous privacy features allow owners of data to efficiently share product attribute information while keeping competitive trade secrets, margin, and sourcing information private from customers and competitors.

When a tax, customs, or other government regulatory authority requests information or commences an audit, the data owner can make the source documents supporting the attestation available directly. This data includes source documentation that is referenceable by the good’s KYGID™.

Brand owners and manufacturers are repeatedly asked to provide the same product information to their customers, suppliers, agents, and authorities via email and attachments. The data is required to determine and make various mandatory trade, tariff, and product traceability attestations to regulators.

Trade compliance costs an estimated 2% to 8% of COGS, or from $480B to $2T annually.

65% of the cost and time to determine and make attestations is spent gathering product attribute information such as bills of material, specifications, recipes, and production data.

Many traders forego tariff savings programs such as free trade agreements due to complex rules and record-keeping requirements.

KYG Trade simplifies the exchange of product attribute information, eliminates redundancy, and streamlines the attestation process. The result is a significant reduction in cost and penalty risk while increasing levels of compliance and utilization of preferential tariff savings.

KYG Trade can be utilized for any exported or imported good across all countries, sectors, and industries. The number of merchants requiring expert assistance to understand trade and tariff regulations is increasing exponentially in step with the growth in ecommerce small parcel cross-border trade, as well as reciprocal and retaliatory tariffs.

KYG Trade helps businesses and customs agencies manage the administrative burden and complexity of trade and tariff compliance.

For example, KYG Trade supports compliance and certifications of origin for 231 countries covering 300+ free trade agreements, which contain over 600,000 product-specific rules of origin. $9.7 trillion in manufactured goods are traded under preferential agreements each year. Every importer that claims preferential tariff benefits requires certification of origin. Among other features, KYG Trade streamlines and demystifies preferential origin utilization and compliance.