Category: AML & CFT

Dive into the intricate and compelling world of Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) with Signzy’s extensive and comprehensive collection of insightful articles.

Our team of expert contributors offers an in-depth exploration into the most recent trends, pioneering solutions, and significant regulatory changes that are directly impacting the landscape of AML/CFT.

Navigating the complex maze of the rapidly evolving fintech industry requires a strong grasp of new technologies and innovative methodologies that are shaping the future of AML/CFT. Our articles cover a broad spectrum of engaging topics, from the critical role of artificial intelligence in detecting and identifying suspicious activities to the wide-ranging effects of new regulations on financial institutions operating on a global scale.

At Signzy, we are committed to the belief that sharing knowledge is not just beneficial, but vital in the ever-evolving world of fintech. We strive to create a resourceful platform that enlightens and informs our readers about the significant aspects of AML/CFT. Our ultimate goal is to provide a well-rounded view of the multifaceted challenges and numerous opportunities that are presented by AML/CFT, and how these can be effectively navigated within the dynamic and fast-paced world of fintech.

Whether you’re a seasoned financial professional aiming to stay at the forefront of the industry, a student brimming with eagerness to learn about the fascinating intersection of technology and finance, or simply an interested individual captivated by the transformative world of fintech, our articles offer a wealth of valuable insights and in-depth analyses into AML/CFT.

Join us in our explorative journey into the future and Stay well-informed about the latest regulatory changes and technological innovations that are fundamentally reshaping the financial world. With Signzy, you’re not just reading about the future of fintech – you’re part of it.

RBI Rules for Wire Transfer

RBI Updates Wire Transfer Rules to Combat Money Laundering

Posted on | by Signzian

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has updated its wire transfer rules in an effort to combat money laundering. The new rules, which came into effect on May 10, 2023, require banks and other financial institutions to collect more information about wire transfer senders and recipients.

The new rules also require banks to report all wire transfers of more than $50,000 to the Financial Intelligence Unit of India (FIU-IND). The FIU-IND is India’s central agency for receiving, processing, analyzing, and disseminating information relating to suspected or actual instances of money laundering or terrorist financing.

The RBI’s decision to update its wire transfer rules is part of a broader effort to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. Under the new rules, banks and other financial institutions must collect the following information for all wire transfers:

  1. The name of the sender and recipient
  2. The sender’s and recipient’s account numbers
  3. The reason for the wire transfer
  4. The source of the funds being transferred

Banks and other financial institutions are also required to verify the identity of the sender and recipient of each wire transfer. This can be done by requiring the sender and recipient to provide government-issued identification documents.

The RBI has said that the new rules are necessary to “strengthen the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.” The RBI has also said that the new rules will not have a significant impact on the cost of wire transfers for businesses and individuals.

What does New Wire Transfer Rules mean for businesses and individuals?

The new wire transfer rules by RBI mean that businesses and individuals will need to provide more information when sending or receiving wire transfers. This information will include the name, address, and account number of the sender and recipient. The new rules also require businesses and individuals to provide a reason for the wire transfer.

The new rules are designed to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing. By requiring businesses and individuals to provide more information, RBI can better track and monitor wire transfers. This will help to identify and stop suspicious transactions.

It will have a number of implications for businesses and individuals. Businesses will need to update their systems and procedures to comply with the new rules. This may involve investing in new software and training staff. Individuals may also experience some inconvenience as they will need to provide more information when sending or receiving wire transfers.

However, the new rules are important for protecting the financial system from money laundering and terrorist financing. By complying with the rules, businesses and individuals can help to keep their money safe and help to make the financial system more secure.

Here are some of the key implications of the new wire transfer rules for businesses and individuals:

  • Businesses will need to update their systems and procedures to comply with the new rules.
  • Individuals may experience some inconvenience as they will need to provide more information when sending or receiving wire transfers.
  • They are designed to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.
  • By complying with the rules, businesses and individuals can help to keep their money safe and help to make the financial system more secure.

What can businesses and individuals do to comply with the new rules?

Businesses and individuals can comply with the new RBI wire transfer rules by:

  1. Gathering the required information about the sender and recipient of each wire transfer.
  2. Verifying the identity of the sender and recipient of each wire transfer.
  3. Using a bank or other financial institution that is familiar with the new RBI wire transfer rules.

By taking these steps, businesses and individuals can help to ensure that they are complying with the new RBI wire transfer rules and that they are not inadvertently aiding in money laundering or terrorist financing.

Implications of the Wire Transfer Rules

The RBI’s updated wire transfer rules are a step in the right direction, however, they are just one part of the solution. India needs to do more to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, including strengthening its anti-money laundering and terrorist financing laws, improving its enforcement of these laws, and increasing public awareness of the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing.

Here are some of the implications of the new rules:

  1. Increased compliance costs for banks and other financial institutions: The new rules will require banks and other financial institutions to collect more information about wire transfer senders and recipients, and to report all wire transfers of more than Rs.50,000 to the FIU-IND. This will increase the compliance costs for these institutions.
  2. Reduced anonymity for wire transfer senders and recipients: The information required about wire transfer senders & recipients will reduce the anonymity of these individuals, which could make it more difficult for them to launder money or finance terrorism.
  3. Improved detection of money laundering and terrorist financing: The new rules will require banks and other financial institutions to report all wire transfers of more than Rs.50,000 to the FIU-IND. This will help the FIU-IND to identify and investigate potential cases of money laundering and terrorist financing.

How can Signzy help in the KYC of Wire Transfers? 

One of the ways that Signzy can help with wire transfer compliance is by automating the process of collecting and verifying customer information at a reasonable cost. Our solution also helps to reduce the risk of human error and ensure that all required information is collected efficiently. The solution is best to comply with wire transfer regulations and reduce the risk of money laundering and terrorist financing.

Here are some of the specific ways that Signzy can help with compliance:

  • Customer onboarding: Signzy can help financial institutions to onboard new customers quickly and easily. Our platform automates the process of collecting and verifying customer information. This can help to reduce the risk of human error. We have ready-to-use flows to quickly verify KYC and comply with applicable laws.
  • Transaction monitoring: Our platform uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify and flag suspicious transactions. Further it helps to prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.
  • Reporting: The platform can generate reports on customer activity, transaction monitoring, and other compliance-related data.

Our Take

Overall, the RBI’s updated wire transfer rules are a positive step in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing. But this is not it. It is important to note that these rules are just one part of the solution. India needs to do more to combat these crimes, including strengthening its anti-money laundering and terrorist financing laws, improving its enforcement of these laws, and increasing public awareness of the risks of money laundering and terrorist financing.

Identity verification services — fueling the demand for safe gaming experience

How Online Gaming is becoming a soft target for Fraudsters

Posted on | by Signzian

We’ve all heard stories about fraudsters taking advantage of unsuspecting people through online gaming. However, what may surprise you is how often this happens and the extent of the damage it can cause. As more and more people turn to online gaming as entertainment, fraudsters also recognize this opportunity and are preying on its increasing popularity.

The proportion of New Paying Users (NPUs) in online gaming in India has grown at the fastest rate in the world, from 40% in 2020 to 50% in 2021. The number of paying players grew by 17% from 80 million in 2020 to 95 million in 2021, according to a report by EY FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry).

This blog post will discuss how online gaming is becoming a soft target for fraudsters and what measures can be taken to protect yourself against their malicious tactics. 

The rise in online gaming

In recent years, online gaming has become a popular pastime for people of all ages. But as the popularity of online gaming grows, so does the risk of fraud.

Fraudsters are increasingly targeting online gamers to steal their personal and financial information. They do this by setting up fake websites and game servers that trick gamers into giving up their login details or credit card information.

Some fraudsters also create fake game accounts and then use them to cheat other players out of their virtual possessions. Others may hack into legitimate game accounts and steal virtual currency or items.

Moreover, certain online gaming firms facilitate the trading of computer game items with traditional currencies like dollars, yuan, and pounds. This is called microtransactions and is seen in free-to-play games that give the option for digital purchases. Take, for example, Entropia Universe and Second Life offering purchasable products via their e-stores. More games have now started to entice gamers to make microtransactions by marketing loot boxes which are a selection of random in-game assets concealed until payment is made.

In another incident, it was reported on 31st January 2023 that there have been eight arrests in Noida for allegedly defrauding people with online gambling and betting apps. A total of Rs. 24 crores was frozen in various bank accounts, along with 193 mobile phones, 21 laptops, 416 checkbooks, 233 debit cards, and 21 point-of-sale devices.

The vulnerability seen in online gaming

According to a report by Kaspersky Lab, online gamers are increasingly becoming victims of fraud. The report found that in the first half of 2017, there was a 50% increase in the number of people who had their gaming accounts hacked compared to the same period in 2016.

There are several reasons why online gamers are particularly vulnerable to fraud. Firstly, many gamers use their real names and personal information when signing up for gaming platforms and services. This makes it easy for fraudsters to obtain this information and use it to commit identity theft or other types of fraud.

Secondly, gamers often make in-game purchases using credit cards or other payment methods. If a fraudster gains access to a gamer’s account, they can use this information to make unauthorized purchases.

Finally, gaming platforms and services are often targeted by phishing attacks. In a phishing attack, the attacker will send an email or message that appears to be from a legitimate gaming company or service. The message will usually contain a link that leads to a fake website designed to look like the real thing. Once on the fake website, the victim is asked to enter their login details or financial information. The attacker then uses this information to commit fraud.

To protect themselves from these attacks, gamers should only sign up for gaming platforms and services using secure passwords and payment methods. They should also be wary of any emails or messages that contain links, even if they appear to

The types of fraud in online gaming

The online gaming industry is becoming a soft target for fraudsters due to the amount of money and personal information exchanged daily. There are many different types of fraud being committed against online gamers, including:

  1. Credit card fraud: It is when someone uses another person’s credit card information to make unauthorized purchases in their name.
  2. Identity theft: This is when someone steals another person’s personal information (such as their name, address, date of birth, etc.) to open new accounts or make fraudulent charges in their name.
  3. Phishing is when someone contacts an individual via email, text message, or social media pretending to be from a legitimate company to get them to provide personal information or financial account details.
  4. Hacking is when someone gains unauthorized access to another person’s computer or gaming account to steal personal information or virtual goods/currency.

Final Thoughts

As online gaming continues to grow, it has become an increasingly attractive target for criminals looking to exploit players’ lack of knowledge and safety protocols. By understanding the risks associated with gaming and taking preventive steps like verifying the legitimacy of game providers, regularly changing passwords, avoiding public Wi-Fi networks, and installing updated anti-virus software on all devices used for gaming activities, gamers can greatly reduce their chances of becoming victims of fraudsters. With a little effort at prevention, gamers can enjoy their favorite activities without fear or worry.

Ensuring the digital gaming industry is secure from fraud is paramount for players. Not only does criminal activity damage a business’s reputation, but it can also greatly hurt its annual revenue. However, Artificial Intelligence (AI) can greatly help in this situation by being integrated into identity verification and AML screening systems. AI-powered solutions analyze a gamer’s behavior, flagging possible cheaters and stopping bad actors from making artificial accounts for illegal purposes. This ultimately means that comprehensive identity verification methods are the best way to prevent cheating.

At Signzy, we provide state-of-the-art quality AI-driven API products without needing a single line of code. The system is powered by thousands of AI algorithms that can render a good percentage of accuracy and real-time verification results in less than a second. 

About Signzy

Signzy is a market-leading platform redefining the speed, accuracy, and experience of how financial institutions are onboarding customers and businesses – using the digital medium. The company’s award-winning no-code GO platform delivers seamless, end-to-end, and multi-channel onboarding journeys while offering customizable workflows. In addition, it gives these players access to an aggregated marketplace of 240+ bespoke APIs that can be easily added to any workflow with simple widgets.

Signzy is enabling ten million+ end customer and business onboarding every month at a success rate of 99% while reducing the speed to market from 6 months to 3-4 weeks. It works with over 240+ FIs globally, including the 4 largest banks in India, a Top 3 acquiring Bank in the US, and has a robust global partnership with Mastercard and Microsoft. The company’s product team is based out of Bengaluru and has a strong presence in Mumbai, New York, and Dubai.

Visit www.signzy.com for more information about us.

You can reach out to our team at reachout@signzy.com.

Gambling & Money Laundering

Gambling & Money Laundering – How to tackle it?

Posted on | by Signzian

An issue that has been ignored for too long is Money Laundering via Gambling in the casino system. It has now become a recurring issue, as gambling giants like Entain recently received a fine of more than £17 million for violating anti-money laundering protocols. The failure of these big gambling players to clamp down against money laundering not only contributes to the proliferation of criminal activity such as human trafficking and illicit arms dealings, but it also highlights how casinos now serve as a platform for modern slavery.

Money laundering is the illegal process of concealing the origins of money obtained from criminal activities. It is a severe crime, and yet, sadly, many casinos still fail to tackle it effectively. From a lack of proper regulations to inadequate tracking systems, this article will discuss why casinos still need to crack down on money laundering and how they can tackle it. We will also discuss the implications for businesses and what measures should be taken to prevent money laundering in the future.

Money laundering in Casinos

Global gambling-industry financial penalties amounted to approximately $128,913,840 in 2022, up 166% from $48,642,992 in 2021, according to USA-Casino.com. As of October 2022, the UK’s gambling regulator had charged 16 operators $48m (£45m).

Casinos have long been associated with money laundering due to the large amounts of cash that change daily. Despite this, casinos have failed to crack down on money laundering, and the problem seems to be getting worse. 

There are several reasons why casinos have failed to tackle money laundering. A few majors are 

  1. Lack of tracking of the fund source – because cash is often used. 
  2. Lack of AML policies. 
  3. Being located in countries with lax financial regulations makes it easy for criminals to launder money 
  4. Inadequately trained employees to spot money laundering signs and stop the same. 

So how can casinos crack down on Gambling & Money Laundering?

  1. They need to put better policies and procedures in place to prevent it from happening in the first place. This includes proper customer due diligence, robust Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures, and more effective monitoring of transactions. As former US gambling regulator Richard Schuetz spoke with USA-Casino.com and said, “Given the inevitable increase of proliferation of online gambling in 2023, one can expect more regulations, and of course more casino and gambling industry fines”.
  2. Casinos need to do more to train their staff to spot the signs of money laundering. This training should cover what to look for when customers withdraw or deposit large amounts of cash and how to report suspicious activity.
  3. Casinos should consider using modern technology. 

The methods used by criminals

Though casinos have been put under increased pressure to stop money laundering, they continue to face many challenges. For one, criminals are constantly finding new ways to launder money, making it difficult for casinos to keep up. Moreover, many casinos still need to do more to crack down on, leaving themselves vulnerable to attack.

So what can casinos do to protect themselves from money launderers better? For starters, they need to be more proactive in identifying suspicious activity. This means being on the lookout for things like large cash deposits or withdrawals, frequent wire transfers, and patterns of betting that seem designed to evade detection.

Additionally, casinos need to ensure they have robust anti-money laundering policies and procedures. These should include KYC (know your customer) checks, reporting suspicious activity to authorities, training staff on the spot, and reporting red flags. By taking these steps, casinos can make it much harder for criminals to use them to launder money.

The Casino’s responsibility

In recent years, casinos have come under increased scrutiny for their role in money laundering. This is because casinos are often used to clean dirty money obtained through illegal activities.

Casinos have a responsibility to ensure that they are not being used to launder money. However, they have failed to crack down adequately on this activity. This is partly because casinos are often reluctant to report suspicious behavior to the authorities for fear of losing customers or damaging their reputation.

There are steps that casinos can take to tackle money launderings, such as better training for staff, improved customer due diligence, and more substantial reporting procedures. However, more must be done to prevent casinos from being used to clean dirty money.

The challenges of combating Casino’s money laundering

Although casinos are some of the most heavily regulated businesses worldwide, they are still struggling to combat money laundering effectively. The challenges are numerous and include both institutional and operational challenges.

Institutional challenges include that many casinos are owned by large, publicly-traded companies, making it difficult to implement adequate anti-money laundering policies. These companies are often reluctant to invest in compliance because it is not revenue-generating and can be seen as a cost center. In addition, there is often a lack of coordination between regulatory agencies, making it challenging to develop a cohesive strategy for combating money laundering.

Operational challenges include that casinos deal with large amounts of cash daily, making it easy for criminals to launder money through them. In addition, many casino customers are international visitors who may be using illicit funds to gamble. This makes it difficult for casinos to vet their customers and identify suspicious activity correctly.

Despite these challenges, there are some things that casinos can do to combat money laundering better. These include increasing transparency around ownership structures, investing in compliance functions, and developing better customer due diligence processes.

Solutions to tackle money laundering in Casinos

Money laundering is a serious problem for casinos. Casinos must implement better policies and procedures to crack down the same. Here are some solutions to tackle:

  1. Improve Know Your Customer (KYC) Procedures

Casinos need to improve their Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures. KYC is the process of identifying and verifying the identity of customers. This is important because it helps casinos ensure they are not doing business with criminals or terrorists.

  1. Implement Better Record-Keeping Practices

Casinos need to implement better record-keeping practices. This means keeping track of all transactions, both incoming and outgoing. This will help identify any suspicious activity.

  1. Use Technology 

Various technologies can be used to help combat money laundering. For example, casinos can use software that flags suspicious activity. They can also use data analytics to identify patterns of behavior that may be associated.

  1. Cooperate with Law Enforcement Agencies

Casinos should cooperate with law enforcement agencies in order to crack down on. This includes sharing information about suspicious activity with the authorities.

Conclusion

Money laundering is a serious problem for casinos and other gambling establishments, as it has the potential to lead to criminal activities. However, by investing in stronger AML systems and tightening their compliance regulations, casinos can reduce their chances of getting involved in such frauds. Additionally, they should also train staff on identifying suspicious activity and take steps toward improving customer verification processes. By accepting these necessary measures, casinos can protect themselves from being used as vehicles for money launderers while allowing customers peace of mind that all transactions are carried out legitimately.

A more proactive approach can detect and prevent money laundering. This can be done through improved customer due diligence practices and enhanced internal processes such as reporting suspicious activity immediately. With increased vigilance, casinos can ensure they remain compliant with regulations while reducing the threat of criminals using their services for illegal activities.

The latest AML onboarding solutions can help casinos prevent their operations from becoming dirty money laundering channels by tackling common AML malpractice. Technology can be the winning jackpot to clean up casino operations.

About Signzy

Signzy is a market-leading platform redefining the speed, accuracy, and experience of how financial institutions are onboarding customers and businesses – using the digital medium. The company’s award-winning no-code GO platform delivers seamless, end-to-end, and multi-channel onboarding journeys while offering customizable workflows. In addition, it gives these players access to an aggregated marketplace of 240+ bespoke APIs that can be easily added to any workflow with simple widgets.

Signzy is enabling ten million+ end customer and business onboarding every month at a success rate of 99% while reducing the speed to market from 6 months to 3-4 weeks. It works with over 240+ FIs globally, including the 4 largest banks in India, a Top 3 acquiring Bank in the US, and has a robust global partnership with Mastercard and Microsoft. The company’s product team is based out of Bengaluru and has a strong presence in Mumbai, New York, and Dubai.

Visit www.signzy.com for more information about us.
You can reach out to our team at reachout@signzy.com

Written By:

Shraddha is a passionate Digital Marketer and a versatile leader, working as the Director of Marketing at Signzy. She is a goal-driven professional with excellent innovative skills. Having 11+ years of experience across industries including travel, SNV, healthcare, and Fintech, Shraddha considers herself a self-empowered and self-driven individual ready to take on challenges and proactively rise to occasions in crisis. A professional who ardently believes in the right work-life balance, she ensures to spend quality time with her family. This has a positive effect on her professional life and pursuits.

KYC Processes

How Specializing Verification Improves KYC Processes

Posted on | by Signzian

Customer onboarding has historically included identity verification. The necessity for ID card verification still exists, but our society has gone digital, changing how we execute identity verification and why we need it. This is where KYC, KYB, And KYCC come into play.

In the past, unless there was a prior relationship, corporate entity verification was handled internally through extensive physical background checks. This made the client onboarding process vulnerable to fraud and bias. The transition to digital did little to change the way things are now. Customer onboarding continued to receive a lot of attention, but Business to Business (B2B) lagged.

Regulations and stringent rules for due diligence have increased protection for all parties while making it more straightforward for banks, financial institutions, and companies to onboard consumers.

Data about customers and businesses continued to be in danger, and fraud increased. As it was up to the enterprises to follow and put these rules into practice, many continued to disregard developing efficient ID validation systems, leaving holes in the onboarding and compliance process.

 

What Makes KYC Verification Insufficient For B2B Processes?

 Know Your Customer (KYC) regulations are centered on specific consumers, as the name suggests. Businesses and other financial institutions were left to decide how to handle their business clients in light of this. Unfortunately, that resulted in lapsed ID verification far too frequently and essentially nonexistent B2B customer onboarding.

Customers and companies alike paid the price for the absence of security standards in the form of an increase in money laundering, fraud, identity theft, malware and virus attacks, hacked accounts, stolen data, and, ultimately, money. As a result, global ID verification and document verification services were considered unneeded unless the customer was considered high-risk, and basic due diligence was the rule.

For complete customer due diligence, there were four crucial elements for KYC verification.

  • Validating identification and documents
  • Identification and confirmation of beneficial owners
  • To create a risk profile, one must comprehend the nature and purpose of customer connections.
  • for reporting questionable transactions and managing digital identities, ongoing behavior monitoring, and transaction screening

These ignored organizational structure, who the significant decision-makers were, and whether or not they differed from the constantly-changing signatories. Additionally, it didn’t consider who had access to the records, international payments, their current clients, workers, or suppliers.

The phrase “Know Your Client” was intended to be more broadly used to refer to corporate organizations than the acronym “KYC.” Sadly, many missed the memo, and firms were left to handle B2B customer authentication until authorities stepped in.

 

What Does KYB Get Right That KYC Doesn’t?

 According to the United Nations (UN), 2% to 5% of the global GDP is laundered annually, and an estimated 90% of money laundering activities go undetected. Therefore, it is evident that KYC verification alone cannot stop this from happening.

The losers in the fight against money laundering and other financial crimes are financial institutions. To offer businesses the same anti-money laundering (AML) regulations and address combating the financing of terrorism (CFT) laws, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCen) addressed the oversight of KYC. As a result, it implemented Know Your Business (KYB) in 2016.

With the implementation of KYB, the US Customer Due Diligence Requirements for Financial Institutions (CDD), or the EU’s Fifth Anti Money Laundering Directive (5AMLD), the penalties for non-compliance were raised.

Therefore, it was made sure that everyone made an effort to plan and carry out a KYB verification process. KYB aims to identify Ultimate Beneficial Owners (UBO), reduce the risk of money laundering and other fraudulent acts, monitor and screen businesses against blacklists and greylists, and identify UBO.

 

The Requirements For KYB

Aside from the basic customer due diligence that is part of the requirements for KYB, businesses are required to provide the following:

  • Company name
  • Operational status
  • Incorporation date
  • Company address
  • Business registration number
  • Key management personnel

Institutional and corporate rules and requirements could differ. Some people might need further details for the KYB and KYC verification processes. Names and addresses of board members and other essential decision-makers may also be included in the list of Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

Some companies may require that you comply with AML/CTF regulations before doing business with them. Know Your Customer’s Customer (KYCC) rules may apply depending on the type of your organization.

 

KYCC- Its Relevance For Companies

Banks and other financial institutions understood the rationale for KYCC after the Wirecard crisis in Germany in 2020, but the implementation was different. Trying KYCC without the full compliance of all entities was a headache because certain business entities, including payment providers, had several firms that, in turn, did business and had multiple consumers. It may seem unjust to categorize all Fintech or consultancy firms as high risk at the outset, but that occurs when banks need to determine who your company serves.

Regulators and implementers were able to control KYCC better, prevent the development of other fictitious firms, and lessen the possibility of incorrectly designating enterprises as “high risk” by supporting KYCC with AML policies and automation.

 

The Bottomline

While constant monitoring is necessary for KYC Verification, it is only essential for high-risk businesses for KYB. The continuous problem of finding UBOs might make the corporate onboarding process take two to three months. Financial institutions and business clients experience frustration and hopelessness due to these circumstances.

But effective KYB can solve this issue. That’s why you need a reliable service provider for your processes. You can check out www.signzy.com for more details on the services we offer.

 

About Signzy

Signzy is a market-leading platform redefining the speed, accuracy, and experience of how financial institutions are onboarding customers and businesses – using the digital medium. The company’s award-winning no-code GO platform delivers seamless, end-to-end, and multi-channel onboarding journeys while offering customizable workflows. In addition, it gives these players access to an aggregated marketplace of 240+ bespoke APIs that can be easily added to any workflow with simple widgets.

Signzy is enabling ten million+ end customer and business onboarding every month at a success rate of 99% while reducing the speed to market from 6 months to 3-4 weeks. It works with over 240+ FIs globally, including the 4 largest banks in India, a Top 3 acquiring Bank in the US, and has a robust global partnership with Mastercard and Microsoft. The company’s product team is based out of Bengaluru and has a strong presence in Mumbai, New York, and Dubai.

 

Visit www.signzy.com for more information about us.

You can reach out to our team at reachout@signzy.com.

 

Written By:

Signzy

Written by an insightful Signzian intent on learning and sharing knowledge.

 

Exploratory Data Analytics To Fight Financial Crime- How To Effectively Prevent Fraud In The Fintech Industry

Posted on | by Signzian

Combating global financial criminal activity, from money laundering and market misconduct to sanctions, terrorist financing, bribery, and corruption, costs an estimated US$1.3 trillion annually, according to a 2018 Refinitiv Survey. Moreover, with global regulators imposing nearly US$26 billion in fines in the last decade for non-compliance with AML(Anti-Money Laundering), Online KYC(Know Your Customer), and Sanctions regulations, there is a material need for change. Exploratory data analytics can bring this about

Governments and regulators put financial companies on the front line to fight against financial crime with increasingly rigorous compliance requirements. However, trade institutions are finding it challenging to meet these expectations due to legacy technologies and manual processes that no longer keep up with the vast volumes of information produced and the complexity of the global banking ecosystem.

Banks innovating and adopting new technologies and techniques to address regulatory compliance demands will be industry leaders in the years to come. 

Time To Evolve The Fintech Industry With Exploratory Data Analytics

Conventionally financial companies have relied heavily on manual, human intervention in the regulatory reporting process. This remains the common practice today, particularly in the case management workflow. For example, several case investigators review details and write disposition narratives physically before suspicious activities and other compliance issues are reported to them.

However, with the flow of information in and out of banking systems, humans can’t keep pace with demand. As a result, risk alert backlogs are growing faster than operations teams can handle, more often than not. We can use advanced and exploratory data analytics techniques such as AI, machine learning, natural language processing, and cognitive automation to accelerate or automate a significant portion of the labor-intensive work. This reduces operational costs and leaves people free to focus on preventative interventions.

As well as decreasing operational workloads in case management, compliance teams also leverage advanced analytics in many preventative financial crime use cases, including enriching the KYC process, enhancing sanctions screening performance, and monitoring transactional activity, helping to identify risks and opportunities proactively.

Machine learning models accelerate the closure of a risk alert backlog and have a higher degree of accuracy. 

Innovation- Solution to Legacy Issues Using Exploratory Data Analysis

Following are the three examples of opportunities for financial companies and banks to use innovative and exploratory data analytics methods and technologies to improve regulatory compliance, enhance customer experience and lower the cost of operational risk management.

Transaction Monitoring (TM)

In Anti-Money Laundering, ML models enrich transaction monitoring alerts and boost SMR(Suspicious Matter Report) conversion rates – and predict AML scenarios before they occur. In addition, enrichment adds potentially essential details about the customers, beneficiaries, or accounts associated with the respective alert, such as:

  • Using previous cases, SMRs or TTR(Transaction Threshold Reports)
  • Existing scoring processes that assess the potential risk of a transaction, customers, series of transactions, or accounts
  • External information such as subpoenas, law enforcement inquiries, or negative news

Machine learning models detect “true positive” results with improved accuracy than traditional methods and even predict significant events before they occur.

Online KYC– Know Your Customer

Organizations must collect, manage, verify, and validate customer data for KYC checks and compliance to implement the required due diligence and permit apt customer risk assessments or investigations. However, building a comprehensive ‘single view of the customer’ spanning various source systems and multiple digital interactions has been a challenge for financial companies.

KYC checks and verification have traditionally been manual and inefficient processes, often combined with critical data gaps, errors, and quality issues. However, it’s possible to achieve a better perspective of the customer, enhance the data used to implement due diligence, and provide a contextual basis for determining customer risk and detecting suspicious activity by augmenting human activity with machine learning techniques. So now we can use Online KYC.

Analytics also enables customer segmentation and productive profiling for various business purposes, including compliance and marketing. For example, compliance teams could use customer profiles for risk assessments or investigations. Likewise, enterprises or marketing teams could use this data to create personalized banking offers based on customer preferences.

Effective Sanctions Screening

The performance of screening engines is under pressure due to rapidly altering and increasing regulatory demand. Unfortunately, this is accompanied by the fact that the risk detection capacity of existing systems is unable to keep up. As a result, a typical symptom of inefficient screening is an ever-growing backlog of screening alerts and unsustainable levels of false positives, directly impacting operational costs.

At the core of effective screening, the solution is an uplift of the completeness and the screening engine ingesting the data’s accuracy. Therefore, calibrating the matching and filtering performance of this effective screening engine needs the data to be of high quality, complete, and ultimately resulting in a boost in true positives detection rates and operational efficiency.

In addition to ensuring the screening, the engine is fully operating at peak performance; emerging AI and other analytical assistive options can also be used to address operational efficiency issues related to a particular case investigation.

Machine learning techniques can be combined with predictive calculations based on historical investigator decisions to substantially reduce the number of alerts to be safely dispositioned. In addition, the effort and cost involved are reduced by building processes that result in complete and accurate data and properly optimizing the engine to avoid false positives.

An intelligence-led and data-driven Fight In The Fintech Industry

Financial companies are being challenged internally and externally to keep up with the onerous demands of mitigating financial crime risks. Organizations are finding innovative ways to address issues surrounding SMR conversion rates, KYC due diligence, and screening alert management.

Banks have an increased appetite to go beyond simply flagging suspicious and illegal activities for compliance purposes. The aim is to leverage data and effective technology to cost-effectively identify potential criminal behavior and prevent illegal activities from occurring. Complete and accurate data is vital to resolve these issues, and the uplift of data quality will immediately affect the existing monitoring and screening engines’ performance.

Conclusion

Advanced analytics, such as AI, machine learning, and automation, can help filter out false positives and improve inefficiencies in existing investigative processes. As a result, there are many opportunities for data and analytics to drive efficiencies and operational cost reductions and, more importantly, to identify intelligence-led and data-driven ways to tackle financial crime.

For all of this, you need the best resources you can get. We at Signzy identify your needs and help you forge the solutions using our AI-driven API resources, which are completely customizable. Check out our website to learn more.

About Signzy

Signzy is a market-leading platform that is redefining the speed, accuracy, and experience of how financial institutions are onboarding customers and businesses – using the digital medium. The company’s award-winning no-code GO platform delivers seamless, end-to-end, and multi-channel onboarding journeys while offering totally customizable workflows. It gives these players access to an aggregated marketplace of 240+ bespoke APIs that can be easily added to any workflow with simple widgets.

Signzy is enabling ten million+ end customer and business onboarding every month at a success rate of 99% while reducing the speed to market from 6 months to 3-4 weeks. It works with over 240+ FIs globally, including the 4 largest banks in India, a Top 3 acquiring Bank in the US, and has a robust global partnership with Mastercard and Microsoft. The company’s product team is based out of Bengaluru, and it has a strong presence in Mumbai, New York, and Dubai.

Visit www.signzy.com for more information about us.

You can reach out to our team at reachout@signzy.com

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Signzy

Written by an insightful Signzian intent on learning and sharing knowledge.

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