Parallel Developer Documentation

Legacy – v1.x, which is no longer actively maintained.

For up-to-date documentation, see the latest version (Current – v2.x).

Version: Legacy – v1.x

When a user clicks the Parallel Login button

When a user clicks the Parallel Login button, they are sent to parallelmarkets.com to authenticate and potentially go through an accreditation or identity verification flow. Partners can choose which flow(s) a user experiences after clicking the Parallel Login button with the force_accreditation_check and force_identity_check parameters in the initial authentication URL). Before entering any flow, all users will be asked to consent to sharing any information they provide — according to the scopes requested by the Partner — unless they have previously granted consent.

Enable Accreditation Check (Default)

If a Partner needs to know if an individual or business is accredited, then they should force an accreditation check for all users with an unknown accreditation status (e.g. new users or those with expired accreditations). This is the default behavior, as the force_accreditation_check parameter described in Obtaining an Access Token is set to true by default. With this option, all users will be sent through the accreditation application process unless:

1. The user has indicated the individual or business is not accreditable (i.e., they cannot meet the standards necessary) or
2. The individual or business is currently accredited or
3. The individual or business has a pending accreditation application

When Should This be Used?

This flow can be useful if the Partner only wants to grant access to users who are accredited (for instance, 506(c) Offerings), in which case the Partner would want to ascertain the user's accreditation status as quickly as possible. In this case, all new users (and any other users with unknown accreditation status) should be forced into an accreditation flow before being redirected back to the Partner.

Skip Accreditation Check

If a Partner only wants to authenticate the user and get permission to access their profile, then the Partner can specify force_accreditation_check=false. In this case, every user will still be asked for permission to share information with the Partner (if they haven't already granted consent), but the user will not begin an accreditation flow, even if their current accreditation status is unknown. It is possible that the user has an existing (or previous) accreditation, in which case the Partner will have access to that pre-existing information when the user grants consent.

When Should This be Used?

This flow can be useful if the Partner does not yet care about accreditation status and only wants to permit a streamlined login process for existing Parallel Markets users. At any point in the future, the Partner can still send the client back to Parallel Markets while forcing an accreditation check to determine the status of anyone without an existing accreditation.

Enable Identity Check (Default)

If a Partner needs to review the identity details of an individual or business, then they should force an identity check for all users without current identity details (e.g. new individuals or those with details provided long ago). This is the default behavior, as the force_identity_check parameter described in Obtaining an Access Token is set to true by default. With this option, all users will be sent through the identity verification process unless:

1. The user has previously submitted identity details and said details are not expired or
2. The user must satisfy additional flow requirements due to an identity_claim_override_id specified in the Partner's flow configuration

When Should This be Used?

This flow can be useful if the Partner only wants to grant access to users who have submitted their identity details (for instance, to comply with CIP KYC/AML regulations), in which case the Partner would want to review the user's identity details immediately. In this case, all new users (and those without up-to-date identity information) should be forced into an identity verification flow before being redirected back to the Partner.

Skip Identity Check

If a Partner only wants to authenticate the user and get permission to access their profile, then the Partner can specify force_identity_check=false. In this case, every user will still be asked for permission to share information with the Partner (if they haven't already granted consent), but the user will not begin an identity verification flow. It is possible that the user has previously submitted identity information, in which case the Partner will have access to that pre-existing information when the user grants consent.

When Should This be Used?

This flow can be useful if the Partner does not yet care about identity verification details and only wants to permit a streamlined login process for existing Parallel Markets users. At any point in the future, the Partner can still send the user back to Parallel Markets while forcing an identity check to collect their details.

Mixing Flows

A Partner can send a user through any of the flows described at any point. For instance, some Partners have opted to not force an accreditation check on login. The Partner would still get information about the user if it exists already (for instance, a previous or current accreditation, or an indication the user has said they don't meet the accreditation thresholds) - but the user won't be forced into an accreditation flow if that information isn't known yet. Then, at some later point, if a user indicates they wish to make an investment, the Partner will:

1. Immediately allow the investment if the user has a current accreditation
2. Send the user through a forced accreditation check flow if their accreditation status is unknown

This staged, incremental approach is supported and is entirely up to the Partner if they wish to use it.