ComplianceAssist

What ComplianceAssist does

ComplianceAssist Limited is a Brighton, UK-based private compliance technology and outsourced services firm founded in 2009 by Darren Hickman. The company provides an integrated anti-money laundering (AML), Know Your Customer (KYC), and sanctions/PEP screening platform under the AML Guard brand, with complementary products including WatchlistGuard (watchlist screening against 500+ regulatory lists and 9.5m+ profiles), WatchlistAssist (outsourced match review), and Assist (outsourced AML operations and remediation support). The platform is delivered through a web portal, Open API 3 integration, and SFTP/PGP batch processing, with data sourced from partnerships with Experian (identity verification across 50+ countries), Dow Jones Risk and Compliance, and Acuris Risk Intelligence. Underlying technology combines rule-based screening with configurable matching logic, AI-powered fraud scoring, biometric document verification, and configurable workflow and escalation routing.

The company serves six primary verticals: Financial Services, Insurance, Corporate/Third-Party Due Diligence, Accountancy, Legal, and Property, with named customers including Mastercard, Allpay, Artemis, Rubix, VSO International, Integra, Arrow Global, Maven, and Crosspay, alongside a long tail of UK accountancy, legal, and property firms. Commercial model is a tiered monthly subscription (Essential, Standard, Professional, Enterprise) ranging from 2 to 20 users, with no multi-year contract requirement, supplemented by managed services revenue. The firm holds ISO 27001, ISO 9001, and ISO 22301 certifications and operates with 1-10 employees as a founder-owned private limited company with no institutional backing beyond a small 2015 raise from The FSE Group.

Name

ComplianceAssist

Legal name

ComplianceAssist Limited

Website

https://complianceassist.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ComplianceAssist is a UK-based AML compliance platform and outsourced services provider, offering KYC, sanctions screening, identity verification, and managed AML operations to financial, insurance, legal, accountancy, property, and corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

RegTech (AML Compliance Software)

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

AML/CTF Transaction Monitoring & Case Management (FSAGAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fraud, Risk, KYC/AML & Compliance Platforms (BPAMAFAI)

Keywords

• AML compliance software
• Sanctions screening
• Identity verification
• PEP screening
• Know your customer

Headquarters

HQ city

Brighton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

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. AML Guard Subscriptions: Subscription-based AML compliance services with multiple tier levels (Essential, Standard, Professional, Enterprise). Each tier includes different feature sets, user limits, and support levels. Revenue is generated through recurring subscription fees with varying price points based on tier and included features.
2. Identity Verification Services: Fees for identity verification services including electronic ID verification, physical document verification, and biometric analysis for customer onboarding compliance.
3. Watchlist Screening: Revenue from sanctions, PEP, and adverse media screening services with ongoing monitoring capabilities.
4. Outsourced AML Services: Managed services providing outsourced AML operations including match review, data processing, and remediation project support with flexible engagement models.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ComplianceAssist provides a cloud-based Anti-Money Laundering (AML) compliance platform called AML Guard, which delivers identity verification, sanctions/PEP/adverse media screening, company verification, ongoing monitoring, and AI-powered fraud prevention. The company also offers outsourced AML operational services (Assist and WatchlistAssist) where trained analysts handle match review, KYC screening, and remediation projects. Services are delivered via a web portal, API integration (Open API 3), and SFTP batch processing, with four subscription tiers (Essential, Standard, Professional, Enterprise).

Product overview

ComplianceAssist offers a unified AML compliance platform called AML Guard, which combines multiple products and modules. The core platform includes identity verification (electronic, physical, and document-based), company verification, sanctions/PEP screening via WatchlistGuard, ongoing monitoring, AI-powered fraud prevention, and configurable workflows. Additional services include Assist (outsourced AML operations), WatchlistAssist (managed match review), system migration, and downloadable templates. The company was founded in 2009 and serves clients internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WatchlistGuard: Sanctions, PEP and adverse media screening service platform
• AML Guard
• Watchlist Assist
• Assist

Products and services

• AML Guard Primary anti-money laundering platform providing a comprehensive suite of checks including ID verification, sanctions/PEP screening, company verification, AI-powered fraud prevention, ongoing monitoring, and configurable workflows. Designed for regulated businesses across financial services, insurance, legal, accountancy, property, and corporate sectors.
• WatchlistGuard Sanctions, PEP, and adverse media screening service providing checks against 500+ regulatory lists with 9.5m+ profiles accessible. Includes ongoing monitoring, configurable rules to reduce false positives, and workflow routing with sub-second screening performance.
• WatchlistAssist Outsourced sanctions and PEP match review service where trained analysts review and discount potential matches following pre-agreed AML processes, helping reduce internal compliance workload.
• Assist (Outsourced AML) Outsourced AML operational support providing KYC screening, match review, data processing, and remediation project assistance. Experienced analysts integrate into client workflows with configurable SLAs to support both one-off projects and ongoing compliance requirements.
• Identity Verification Comprehensive identity verification service combining electronic ID verification (via Experian in 50+ countries), physical document verification with biometric analysis (190+ countries), and document verification (passports, driving licences, ID cards).

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% reduction in false positives
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers26 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ExperiancoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with Experian for electronic identity verification services. Provides Experian's data intelligence with over 30 years of experience serving UK banks and retailers. Enables 3-dimensional approach analyzing breadth, depth, and quality of available data for UK identity verification.
• Dow Jones Risk and CompliancecoreTechnology or IntegrationData provider partnership offering sanctions, PEP, and adverse media screening data. Allows customers to select Dow Jones as their watchlist data source for comprehensive global coverage.
• Acuris Risk IntelligencecoreTechnology or IntegrationAlternative data provider for special interest screening data. Provides categories such as organised crime, terrorism, corruption, bribery, and trafficking for enhanced risk assessment.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ComplyAdvantage: AI-driven AML/KYC platform offering sanctions, PEP and adverse media screening plus transaction monitoring to banks, fintechs and regulated firms; competes directly with ComplianceAssist's WatchlistGuard and AML Guard products at the enterprise end of the market.
• Onfido: Identity verification provider offering document and biometric ID checks globally; overlaps ComplianceAssist's identity verification sub-product, with stronger enterprise and fintech customer concentration.
• Jumio: Global identity verification and AML/KYC platform serving financial services, fintech and crypto; comparable to ComplianceAssist in KYC and sanctions screening but operates at significantly larger scale and with broader geographic reach.
• Creditsafe: UK-headquartered provider of business credit reports, KYC/AML data and corporate due diligence; directly comparable to ComplianceAssist's Corporate/Third-Party Due Diligence segment and company verification offering.
• Trulioo: Global identity verification and business verification platform with extensive country coverage; directly comparable to ComplianceAssist's electronic ID verification across 50+ countries and biometric document checks across 190+ countries.
• NorthRow: UK RegTech offering AML, KYC, KYB and ongoing monitoring solutions to regulated firms across financial services, legal and property - directly overlapping ComplianceAssist's vertical focus and technology stack.
• SmartSearch: UK-based AML/KYC platform specifically built for legal, accountancy, property and estate agency firms - an almost identical target customer base and product surface to ComplianceAssist, including sanctions/PEP screening, ID verification and ongoing monitoring.
• GBG (now part of Experian): Identity verification and AML compliance platform serving UK and global regulated industries; overlaps ComplianceAssist's Experian-powered identity verification and onboarding screening capability, with a much larger enterprise footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Dow Jones Risk & Compliance: Provider of sanctions, PEP and adverse media data licensed by ComplianceAssist but also sold directly to enterprise customers; represents both a key supply-side partner and a broader incumbent competitor in the watchlist data category.
• Refinitiv World-Check (LSEG): Market-leading sanctions, PEP and adverse media screening database owned by London Stock Exchange Group; competes with ComplianceAssist's WatchlistGuard and is embedded in enterprise compliance stacks globally, dwarfing ComplianceAssist's scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/complianceassist-limited
• Xx.com/Compli_Assist

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 ComplianceAssist