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Identities allow you to securely record and manage customer (individual or organization) data within your Blnk Ledger. By keeping your customer data in your Ledger, you can link each identity to their respective balance and transactions, giving you a unified view of a customer’s financial activities. In this guide, you’ll learn how to create identities and link them to balances and transactions.
Identities in Blnk Ledger are not a replacement for KYC verification. While they enable you to securely store and manage customer data, you can integrate third-party tools to handle KYC verification. This ensures your compliance needs are met while maintaining a unified and organized system for managing customer information.

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1. Create an identity

First step in managing and linking identities is to create one. There are two identity types in the Blnk Ledger — individual and organization. While Blnk has predefined attributes for creating an identity in your Ledger, you can add custom fields for your application using the metadata object. 
POST https://YOUR_BLNK_INSTANCE_URL/identities
cURL
curl -X POST "http://localhost:5001/identities" \
  -H "X-blnk-key: <api-key>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "identity_type": "individual",
    "organization_name": "",
    "first_name": "Alice",
    "last_name": "Smith",
    "other_names": "Marie",
    "gender": "female",
    "dob": "1985-05-15T00:00:00Z",
    "email_address": "alice.smith@example.com",
    "phone_number": "+1234567890",
    "nationality": "Canadian",
    "category": "customer",
    "street": "789 Elm St",
    "country": "Canada",
    "state": "Ontario",
    "post_code": "M4B 1B3",
    "city": "Toronto",
    "meta_data": {
        "customer_id": "CUST123456",
        "membership_level": "Gold",
        "preferred_language": "English",
        "verification_data": {
            "verified_by": "ThirdPartyService",
            "verification_date": "2024-07-01T10:00:00Z",
            "verification_status": "verified"
        }
    }
  }'
PropertyDescriptionType
identity_typeSpecifies the identity type. Can be “individual” or “organization”.string
organization_nameName of the organization.string
first_nameFirst name of the individual.string
last_nameLast name of the individual.string
other_namesAny other names linked to the individual.string
genderGender of the individual.string
dobDate of birth.date
email_addressEmail address of the identity.string
phone_numberContact number of the identity.string
nationalityNationality of the individual.string
categoryType of customer depending on your use case, e.g. VIP, regular, etc.string
streetStreet address of the identity.string
countryResidential country of the identity.string
stateState of residence of the identity.string
post_codePostal code related to the identity.string
cityCity of residence of the identity.string
meta_dataCustom metadata linked to the identity.object

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2. Update an identity

To update an identity, call the Update Identity endpoint: 
PUT https://YOUR_BLNK_INSTANCE_URL/identities/{identity_id}
cURL
curl -X PUT "http://localhost:5001/identities/{identity_id}" \
  -H "X-blnk-key: <api-key>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "identity_type": "individual",
    "first_name": "Alice",
    "last_name": "Smith",
    "other_names": "Marie",
    "gender": "female",
    "dob": "1985-05-15T00:00:00Z",
    "email_address": "alice.smith@example.com",
    "phone_number": "+1234567890",
    "nationality": "Canadian",
    "category": "customer",
    "street": "789 Elm St",
    "country": "Canada",
    "state": "Ontario",
    "post_code": "M4B 1B3",
    "city": "Toronto",
    "meta_data": {
        "customer_id": "CUST123456",
        "membership_level": "Gold",
        "preferred_language": "English",
        "verification_data": {
            "verified_by": "ThirdPartyService",
            "verification_date": "2024-07-01T10:00:00Z",
            "verification_status": "verified"
        }
    }
  }'

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3. Delete an identity

To delete an identity, call the Delete Identity endpoint: 
DELETE https://YOUR_BLNK_INSTANCE_URL/identities/{identity_id}

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Why use Identities

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1. Centralized & comprehensive customer management

  • Unified records: Storing identities on your Ledger provides a single, reliable source of truth for all customer data. This ensures that every team—technical or non-technical—has consistent access to the same information.
  • Seamless linking: Identities are inherently connected to balances and transactions, creating a network of data that is easy to navigate and manage. This eliminates the need for complex cross-referencing between separate systems.
  • Efficient collaboration: Teams working across functions—whether fraud & compliance, customer support, internal controls, or finance—can access and act on interconnected data effortlessly, leading to quicker resolutions and informed decisions.

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2. Enhanced security and accountability

  • Tamper proof: The Blnk Ledger ensures data integrity by recording changes in an auditable, unalterable format. Every update to an identity, balance, or transaction is logged, creating a robust audit trail.
  • Secure infrastructure: Blnk employs enterprise-grade security controls to safeguard customer data against unauthorized access. Our commitment to security and compliance is demonstrated through our certifications and adherence to industry standards, including ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, SOC 2, and GDPR.

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3. Data-driven customer insights

  • Behavioural patterns: By linking identities to transactions, you can get insights into the spending habits, unusual activity, and long-term trends. These insights help refine strategies and improve customer offerings.
  • Customer personalization: Knowing your customer’s complete financial history allows for tailored experiences, from customized product offerings to proactive communication based on their specific needs.

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4. Proactive fraud prevention

  • Identity validation: By recording identities, it’s easier to detect and prevent inconsistencies, such as duplicate accounts or incomplete credentials.
  • Anomaly detection: Sudden spikes in activity, unusual transaction frequencies, or mismatched identity details can be identified in real-time, helping you proactively address potential issues and stay on top of your AML controls.
  • Regulatory risk mitigation: Recurring compliance risks—like transactions involving blacklisted entities—can be monitored and addressed effectively, safeguarding your business.

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Need help?

We are very happy to help you make the most of Blnk, regardless of whether it is your first time or you are switching from another tool. To ask questions or discuss issues, please contact us or join our Discord community.
Tip: Connect to Blnk Cloud to see your Core data.You can view your transactions, manage identities, create custom reports, invite other team members to collaborate, and perform operations on your Core — all in one dashboard.Check out Blnk Cloud →