From client name to audit-ready report
Five steps, most of them handled for you — from entering a client's details to holding a report you can defend at audit.
Enter their details
Add the client's name, entity type and jurisdiction, then choose which checks to run.
Lists checked in parallel
UK, US, UN and EU Sanctions Lists, PEP databases and Companies House are checked instantly, side by side.
Adverse media, matched correctly
Our AI analyses news coverage for adverse media, matching articles to the right individual and filtering out unrelated namesakes.
CDD or EDD, automatically
The due diligence level is set by what the checks reveal, mapped to Regulation 28(12) and (13) of the MLR 2017.
Ready to evidence
A transparent, audit-ready report is saved to the client's file, ready to share or produce on request.
Built for the businesses regulators hold to account
The manual burden of Customer Due Diligence and Enhanced Due Diligence takes too many hours, with too much risk if something is missed. Optimal KYC is tuned to how each of these teams actually works.
Sole Practitioner Solicitors
You're the fee-earner and the compliance officer. Every hour spent screening a new client is an hour you can't bill.
See how it helps youSmall & Medium Law Firms
You have some AML resource, but partners still get pulled into client risk assessments instead of billable work.
See how it helps your teamGambling Operators
Your DMLRO and MLRO are the bottleneck on manual adverse media review for CDD and EDD, at volume.
See how it helps youTraditional screening lists, plus AI that actually reads the news
Optimal KYC automates the process of manually checking whether a customer or client is politically exposed, on a Sanctions or terrorist watchlist, or carries adverse media that would affect your decision to onboard or continue working with them.
Book a demoA structured risk assessment,
not a spreadsheet
Every screening starts with a client risk assessment built around Regulation 28(12) and (13) of the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 — so the output lines up with what you're actually required to evidence.
- Client Details — captured once, reused across the assessment
- Risk Assessment Checks — Sanctions, PEP, adverse media and more, run together
- Due Diligence Level — CDD or EDD, set by the risk the checks reveal
- Report — a saved, shareable record for your audit trail
Watch the checks run in real time
Behind the scenes, Optimal KYC runs your selected checks, then sets its AI to work analysing news articles for adverse media — the same 1–3 hour manual read condensed into a live progress screen you can watch complete. Navigate away and you'll be notified the moment the report is ready.
Efficiency, confidence, and a decision you can defend
Minutes, not hours
Adverse media review that could take a compliance officer 1–3 hours per client is reduced to minutes, without cutting corners on depth.
A full, transparent audit trail
Every screening produces a record your business can use to evidence its AML and CTF decision-making — and defend it at audit.
Built by an MLRO
Designed from first-hand experience running CDD and EDD in gambling and financial services, not built by a vendor guessing at the workflow.
Built by an MLRO, for MLROs
Optimal KYC grew out of a consultancy set up in 2020 to provide services across Anti Money Laundering, Payments and Fraud. Our founder has decades of experience selling and supporting compliance software and services into regulated sectors — including gambling and financial services — and hands-on time spent as MLRO and Deputy MLRO. One problem kept recurring: Customer Due Diligence and Enhanced Due Diligence, especially adverse media review, were taking hours that compliance teams didn't have.
In 2025, unable to find a tool on the market that sped up adverse media review alongside PEP, Sanctions and country corruption risk, our founder invested in building one. Optimal KYC beta launched in 2026, launching in September 2026 as a full pay-as-you-use SaaS solution and API.
- ICA International Diploma in Anti Money Laundering
- ICA Specialist Certificate in AI for Compliance Professionals
- ICA Specialist Certificate in Conduct Risk
- ICA Certificate in Money Laundering in Betting and Gaming
- ICA Certificate in Anti Money Laundering
- LIBF Certificate in Principles of Payments (CertPAY)
Common questions
Is Optimal KYC a replacement for my own compliance judgement?
No. It's a tool that automates the searching, reviewing and assessing of PEP, Sanctions and adverse media risk — the decision on whether to onboard or continue working with a client stays with you and your compliance team.
How is my clients' data kept secure?
Information gathered while screening is held only briefly and hosted on AWS. Optimal KYC is built around the same data-handling discipline expected of a regulated business.
How do I pay for it?
Pay as you go, with a deposit to get started — ideal if your volumes vary. If you'd prefer an annual licence billed monthly based on your screening volume, request a call back and we'll talk it through.
What obligations does this help me meet?
Optimal KYC supports the obligations set out in the Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017 and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, by combining traditional screening with AI-assisted adverse media analysis.
Can I integrate this into my own systems?
Yes — API and webhook access is available, which is particularly relevant if you're a gambling operator running CDD and EDD at volume.
Book a demo, then sign up when you're ready
Every demo runs on built demo data — never a real person's information — across seven example scenarios covering PEP, Sanctions and adverse media outcomes.
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