What Unit21 does

Unit21 is an agentic AI Risk Infrastructure platform purpose-built for fraud prevention and anti-money laundering (AML) compliance. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in San Francisco, the company unifies fraud, AML, enhanced due diligence, and sanctions workflows within a single platform that monitors 4.5 billion monthly events and processes more than 500,000 alerts per month across its customer base. The platform is architected around AI Agents that execute the full financial crime lifecycle autonomously, from real-time detection with sub-250ms latency through investigation, evidence gathering, narrative drafting, and regulatory filing of SARs, STRs, CTRs, 314(a), and goAML submissions, with complete audit trails for every AI decision. Supporting modules include Real-Time Monitoring, Device Intelligence, Fraud Consortium (covering 80M+ U.S. adults), AML Transaction Monitoring, Case Management, Payment Screening, Sanction Screening, Customer Risk Rating, and Regulatory Filings, all accessible through an API-first architecture with no-code rule customization.

Unit21 serves more than 200 customers across four primary verticals: fintechs (neobanks, digital banks, payments, BaaS, marketplaces), crypto and digital asset platforms, sponsor banks and BaaS programs, and traditional financial institutions. Named customers include Chime, Crypto.com, FIS, Jack Henry, Intuit, Brex, Rippling, Sallie Mae, MoonPay, GreenDot, and Uphold, with documented outcomes of up to 93% fewer false positives and 80% faster investigation handle times. The company operates a SaaS subscription model with quote-based, module-tiered pricing defined in customer-specific Statements of Work and 24-month renewal cycles. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales, technology integrations with Chainalysis, TRM, Elliptic, and Fingerprint, and a channel partnership with Helix by Q2 for sponsor bank and BaaS distribution. Unit21 has raised $92 million in total funding, with the most recent $45 million Series C in 2022 valuing the company at $700 million.

Name

Unit21

Legal name

Unit21 Inc.

Website

https://unit21.ai

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Unit21 provides an agentic AI Risk Infrastructure platform for fraud prevention and AML compliance, serving 200+ fintechs, crypto platforms, sponsor banks, and financial institutions with AI-driven detection, investigation, and regulatory filing automation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Crime Compliance Software (Fraud & AML)

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (522320)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

AML/CTF Transaction Monitoring & Case Management (FSAGAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Model Risk Management & AI Governance (validation, monitoring, explainability) (FSAGAFAL), Fraud, Risk, KYC/AML & Compliance Platforms (BPAMAFAI), AML Case Management, Alerts & Workflow Orchestration (FSADALAH), Sanctions Screening & Watchlist/PEP Screening (Crypto) (FSADALAC)

Keywords

• Fraud detection software
• AML compliance platform
• Transaction monitoring
• Sanctions screening
• Financial crime risk infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. SaaS Subscription: Unit21 operates as a SaaS platform charging subscription fees denominated in U.S. dollars, with invoices due within 30 days. Subscription terms are defined in Statements of Work (SOWs), with 24-month renewal periods as default. The pricing is quote-based and tiered according to transaction volume, customer type, and module selection.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Unit21 sells an agentic AI Risk Infrastructure SaaS platform for fraud prevention and anti-money laundering (AML) compliance. Its AI Agents autonomously execute the full financial crime lifecycle — real-time detection across modern payment rails, end-to-end investigation, entity and device risk scoring, sanctions and watchlist screening, and regulator-ready SAR/STR/CTR filing — supported by modules for transaction monitoring, case management, customer risk rating, device intelligence, no-code rule building, and a shared fraud consortium. The platform is sold to financial institutions, fintechs, crypto exchanges, and sponsor banks on a subscription basis.

Product overview

Unit21 is an agentic AI Risk Infrastructure platform for fraud prevention and AML compliance. The unified platform combines AI agents, real-time monitoring, and modular capabilities including transaction monitoring, case management, device intelligence, sanctions screening, and regulatory filings. The core product is the AI Agents system that autonomously executes the full financial crime lifecycle from detection to SAR filing. Supporting modules include Real-Time Monitoring for sub-250ms fraud interdiction across payment rails, Device Intelligence for device fingerprinting and risk scoring, Fraud Consortium for cross-institutional intelligence sharing (80M+ adults), AML Transaction Monitoring with configurable rules, Case Management with AI-powered investigation workflows, Payment and Sanction Screening for real-time watchlist checks, Customer Risk Rating for dynamic profiling, and Regulatory Filings for automated SAR/STR/CTR reporting. The platform serves fintechs, crypto companies, sponsor banks, and financial institutions with API-first infrastructure and no-code customization options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AI Risk Infrastructure Platform Unit21's flagship agentic AI Risk Infrastructure platform combining AI Agents, real-time monitoring, AML transaction monitoring, sanctions and payment screening, case management, customer risk rating, regulatory filings, device intelligence, and the Fraud Consortium into a unified SaaS offering for fraud prevention and AML compliance. Processes over 500,000 alerts monthly and serves 200+ fintech, financial institution, crypto, and sponsor bank customers.
• Build Your Own Agent (BYOA) Custom AI agent builder product enabling banks, credit unions, and fintechs to integrate custom agents into sanctions screening, transaction monitoring, and check fraud detection workflows. Reported 90% reduction in alert handling time and 99.99% accuracy.
• AI Rule Recommendation Agent AI-powered tool that analyzes patterns to suggest optimized detection rules, combining machine learning with human-made rules to reduce false positives and enable faster investigations.
• Real-Time Payment Fraud Prevention (Real-Time Monitoring) Real-time fraud detection and interdiction across RTP, FedNow, ACH, cards, and crypto rails with sub-250ms decisioning latency, executing complex velocity rules and behavioral models before funds move.
• Device Intelligence Unified Device Risk Score powered by deep device and behavioral signals including detection of rooted devices, VPNs, and tampered browsers, enabling instant distinction between trusted users and risky environments.
• Fraud Consortium Shared intelligence network covering 80M+ adults in the U.S. (nearly one-third of the adult population), surfacing early fraud signals, investigation outcomes, and cross-platform patterns across consortium participants.
• AML Transaction Monitoring Transaction monitoring module with configurable rules, behavioral models, and AI agents for suspicious activity detection across AML use cases.
• Case Management Investigations workflow with AI agents gathering evidence, drafting case narratives, connecting entities across data points, and reducing investigation time.
• Sanction Screening and Monitoring Screening against OFAC, PEP, adverse media, and global sanctions lists with continuous monitoring, fuzzy matching, configurable thresholds, and auditability.
• Real-Time Payment Screening (Watchlist Screening) Real-time payment screening against global sanctions and watchlists using fuzzy matching and configurable thresholds for outbound and inbound payment flows.
• Customer Risk Rating Dynamic customer risk scoring based on activity, device signals, sanctions exposure, and network associations for ongoing customer due diligence.
• Regulatory Filings Automated SAR, STR, CTR, 314(a), and goAML filing product with AI pre-population of evidence, timelines, and policy references and complete audit trail generation.
• Sponsor Bank Operating System Platform product enabling sponsor banks to customize rules per fintech, maintain audit-ready oversight, and scale compliance across diverse fintech partner portfolios in BaaS and embedded finance programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 93% fewer false positives reported by customers
• +12 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

AI capability6 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Helix by Q2coreTechnology or Integration · 23 March 2026Partnership announced March 2026 to support AI-powered AML monitoring and sponsor bank oversight for Banking-as-a-Service and embedded finance programs. Helix's cloud-native core banking platform customers can ingest data into Unit21's platform for consolidated risk visibility across fintech partners, reducing manual compliance effort and enabling sponsor banks to onboard more fintech partners without increasing compliance overhead.
• ChainalysiscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2026Native integration with Chainalysis KYT product enables blockchain intelligence alerts to flow directly into Unit21's platform for unified crypto and fiat transaction monitoring, investigations, and case management. MoonPay serves as a reference customer for this integration. Alerts are routed, triaged, and investigated within Unit21, with actions written back to Chainalysis via API.
• TRM (TRM Labs)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2026Blockchain analytics integration with TRM enables on-chain intelligence to be surfaced within Unit21's unified case view alongside fiat data, reducing analyst workflow fragmentation.
• EllipticcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2026Blockchain analytics integration with Elliptic brings on-chain intelligence into Unit21's unified case view, enabling seamless cross-chain and fiat compliance workflows for crypto platforms.
• Fintech Fraud DAOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Unit21 co-founded and supports the Fintech Fraud DAO consortium, a decentralized consortium for sharing fraud intelligence across fintech participants. The consortium supports publication of the 'Fraud Fighters Manual' in collaboration with fintech leaders and enables the Fraud Consortium data network covering 80M+ U.S. adults.
• FingerprintcoreTechnology or Integration · 21 July 2025Integration partnership announced July 2025 to elevate fraud prevention for fintechs using Fingerprint's device intelligence within Unit21's platform. Fingerprint's device identification and risk signals are integrated into Unit21's fraud detection workflows to combat AI-driven fraud.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sardine: Sardine is a fraud and compliance platform purpose-built for fintechs and crypto platforms, combining behavioral analytics, device intelligence, and AML case management. It directly competes with Unit21 across the same fintech and crypto customer segments (MoonPay-adjacent) with overlapping fraud, AML, and KYC modules.
• ComplyAdvantage: ComplyAdvantage offers AML, KYC, transaction monitoring, and sanctions screening as a SaaS platform targeting banks, fintechs, and crypto businesses. It overlaps directly with Unit21's AML Transaction Monitoring, Sanctions Screening, and Case Management modules for a similar regulated-customer base.
• Featurespace: Featurespace provides adaptive behavioral analytics for fraud and AML, with transaction monitoring and fraud prevention used by banks, card issuers, and fintechs. It is a Chartis-evaluated competitor in the same fraud/AML quadrants where Unit21 was named a 2026 Category Leader.
• Feedzai: Feedzai is a riskOps platform for fraud and AML serving banks, fintechs, and payments providers with real-time transaction monitoring and case management. It directly competes with Unit21 in the same fraud/AML/AML categories recognized by Chartis, including payment fraud prevention.
• Alloy: Alloy is an identity and fraud decisioning platform used by banks and fintechs to manage KYC, AML, and fraud workflows. It is highly comparable to Unit21's identity, risk-decisioning, and case management offerings for the same fintech and neobank buyer (e.g., banking-as-a-service sponsor banks).
• Persona: Persona provides identity verification, KYC, and risk decisioning infrastructure for fintechs and digital platforms. It overlaps with Unit21's onboarding fraud prevention and KYC-adjacent risk rating capabilities for the same digital-first customer base.
• Napier AI: Napier AI is an AML and financial crime compliance platform combining transaction monitoring, screening, and case management for banks and fintechs. It is directly comparable to Unit21's full AML lifecycle modules, including AI-driven detection and case management.

Broad incumbents

• FICO (Falcon): FICO's Falcon platform is an established incumbent in AML and fraud analytics used by large banks worldwide. As a broader financial analytics provider with overlapping fraud/AML capabilities, FICO is the legacy category leader that Unit21 is displacing in mid-market and fintech deals.
• Mastercard (Ekata / RiskRecon): Mastercard's identity, fraud, and AML capabilities (including Ekata) compete across financial crime and identity decisioning for global banks and fintechs. As a large incumbent with overlapping fraud prevention and AML compliance offerings, it sets the procurement benchmark Unit21 competes against in large enterprise deals.

Others

• Chainalysis: Chainalysis is the leading blockchain analytics provider and a Unit21 technology integration partner. Although not a direct SaaS competitor to Unit21's case management, Chainalysis supplies the on-chain intelligence that flows into Unit21, making it an adjacent ecosystem participant in crypto compliance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/unit21inc
• Facebookfacebook.com/unit21inc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unit21

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors16 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Unit21