Use case
AML screening for
Asset Management Companies
Identify reputational risks in Asset Management with PEP and sanction checks.
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Why screening matters for asset management companies
The wealth and asset management industry is under increased regulatory observation as many stock market indices approach all-time highs, and conpanies are searching for practical ways to protect themselves against financial crime and money laundering.
Rising regulatory scrutiny
With the total amount of assets under management expected to rise from $110 trillion in 2020 to $145 trillion in 20251, regulatory scrutiny is likely to follow suit. This could include tougher penalties and fines for non-compliance, deferred prosecution agreements, and targeted management accountability for AML and sanctions violations.
Core AML compliance factors
Asset Management Companies (AMCs) consider several factors when it comes to Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance:
- Regulatory Requirements: AMCs must comply with AML regulations, which are designed to prevent the use of financial services for illegal activities such as money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial crimes. AMCs must understand the AML regulations that apply to their operations and implement the necessary compliance measures.
- Customer Due Diligence: AMCs must conduct proper customer due diligence to understand their clients' risk profile and ensure that they are not facilitating illegal activities. This includes verifying the identity of clients, understanding the source of their funds, and conducting regular monitoring of their transactions.
- Transaction Monitoring: AMCs must monitor their clients' transactions to identify and report suspicious activities that may indicate money laundering or other financial crimes.
- Suspicious Activity Reporting: AMCs must report any suspicious activities to the relevant authorities to prevent the use of their services for illegal activities.
- Training and Awareness: AMCs must train their employees on AML regulations and best practices and ensure that they are aware of the signs of money laundering and other financial crimes.
- Risk Management: AMCs must conduct regular assessments of their AML compliance program to identify and manage their risks of facilitating illegal activities.
The challenge
The approach
Asset management companies ought to have risk-sensitive AML policies and procedures that mandate identifying and concentrating on business relationships that pose the highest risk of money laundering. Such regulations and procedures need to be implemented successfully, receive the full support of senior management, and be communicated to the appropriate staff2.
Asset managers must also determine whether a customer's actions are consistent with what the company knows about that customer and their risk profile in order to maintain accurate customer due diligence (CDD) records. As transaction monitoring is typically identified as an area of weakness, effective transaction monitoring will enable asset managers to comply with law regulations and detect and report suspicious transactions3.
Why dilisense
dilisense can help AMCs identify relevant PEPs, as well as scan any entity against a number of sanctions, watchlists and warnings issued by regulatory agencies worldwide. Our services can be used to screen clients, suppliers, and transaction parties for sanctions as part of your internal or external sanctions screening process to help identify AML risks.
To avoid human error and increase process speed and efficiency, dilisense automates PEP and sanction checks using cutting-edge technology. Using a thorough search of numerous sanction lists and official websites, asset managers, wealth and asset management companies can quickly determine the risk profiles of their customers.
PEPs, prohibited people and organizations, wanted criminals on the blacklist, and sanctioned people and companies can all be found using this information. Join us today!
04 — Recommended products
The right setup for asset management companies
Every product screens against the same consolidated database — pick the integration that fits your team.
AML Screening API
Real-time REST API to screen against 10,000+ global sanctions, PEP and adverse media sources with sub-150ms response.
Ongoing Monitoring
Continuous re-screening of your customer base with instant alerts when sanctions or PEP status changes.
No developers? No problem.
Screen thousands of names against the full database directly from an Excel file — no API integration, no engineering time.
Pay per use
A screening API at a fraction of the usual market price
Integrate the REST API and pay per call — no seat licenses, no minimum contract. Start on the free tier and scale into volume pricing as your check volumes grow.
per call, pay as you go
free calls every month
per call at volume
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Like other financial services businesses, asset management companies are subject to strict AML and CFT rules, though requirements vary by country. Regulators expect them to conduct customer due diligence, monitor transactions, and report suspicious activity. Screening clients and counterparties against sanction and PEP lists is a core part of meeting these obligations, and regulatory scrutiny of the sector is increasing as assets under management grow.
Asset managers can screen clients, suppliers and transaction parties through the dilisense REST screening API, which returns JSON responses and fits into existing onboarding workflows. Firms without developer resources can screen whole client books at once with Excel-based batch screening, and ongoing monitoring automatically re-screens customers and raises alerts when a risk profile changes.
Asset management companies need coverage that goes beyond a single sanctions list: sanctions, watchlists and warnings issued by regulatory agencies worldwide, politically exposed persons data, and criminal enforcement sources. dilisense screens against international and domestic sanction lists alongside PEP and criminal data, with sources updated every 60 minutes so customer risk profiles reflect the latest designations.
It depends on volume, but entry costs are low. dilisense offers an unlimited free sanctions and PEP search with no registration, and its screening API is pay per use with no monthly fee and a monthly allowance of free calls. Asset management companies screening a full client book can use Excel-based batch screening without any IT integration, or run unlimited on-premise checks with the downloadable AML database.
References
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Some of our clients allow us to share their names in certain cases — ask us for references and we’ll connect you.
Related industries
- 1 https://www.pwc.com/jg/en/publications/asset-wealth-management-industry-to-grow-by-2025.html
- 2 https://www.fca.org.uk/publication/thematic-reviews/tr13-09.pdf
- 3 https://www.mas.gov.sg/-/media/MAS-Media-Library/publications/monographs-or-information-paper/CMI1/2022/Strengthening-AML_CFT-Practices-for-External-Asset-Managers.pdf