Equifax UK has launched Automatic Watchlist Monitoring (AWM), a product designed to automate anti-money laundering compliance for regulated businesses in the UK. The solution, built in partnership with data provider NOTO, screens customer portfolios in real time against global sanctions lists, politically exposed persons registers, relatives and close associates databases, and adverse media sources.
The product is aimed at firms in financial services, insurance and gaming, all sectors subject to ongoing customer due diligence obligations under UK AML rules, and is delivered via a single API with a centralised case management dashboard. Equifax says the tool replaces periodic, manual watchlist checks with continuous automated monitoring, generating an audit trail intended to satisfy supervisory review.
What the product does
AWM allows clients to configure match thresholds in line with their own risk appetite, a feature that addresses one of the persistent friction points in automated screening: the trade-off between sensitivity and false-positive volume. High-sensitivity screening catches more potential risks but creates significant case management overhead; configurable rules give compliance teams a mechanism to calibrate that balance.
The solution draws on what Equifax describes as “millions of detailed and up-to-date risk profiles” using anonymised data. The company did not publish independent accuracy metrics or false-positive rates in its announcement, nor did it name any financial services, insurance or gaming firms that have already deployed the tool.
Stephen Adams, principal consultant for identity and fraud Risk at Equifax UK, said the product expands the company’s offerings by “replacing time-consuming manual checks with an intelligent, automated, real-time solution to enable our clients to onboard customers faster and reduce operational burdens in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.”
Regulatory backdrop
The launch lands in a period of elevated AML scrutiny in the UK. The Financial Conduct Authority has repeatedly cited weaknesses in ongoing customer monitoring as a primary finding in AML-related enforcement actions against regulated firms, and the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 broadened the scope of corporate criminal liability for failure to prevent fraud. For firms in gaming, the Gambling Commission has similarly tightened source-of-funds and customer interaction requirements, increasing demand for automated screening capability.
Across Europe, the EU’s Anti-Money Laundering Regulation, which entered force in 2024 and will apply from mid-2027, will introduce a single rulebook and a new EU AML Authority to supervise the highest-risk entities directly. UK firms with EU operations face parallel compliance frameworks, making the case for a single, configurable screening layer more commercially compelling.
The automated AML screening market already includes established players such as LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Refinitiv World-Check and ComplyAdvantage, all of which offer real-time watchlist and adverse media capabilities at scale. Equifax’s differentiation rests on its integration with its broader identity and fraud stack and its FCA-authorised status, which gives UK-regulated clients a counterparty that sits within the same supervisory perimeter. The practical question is whether the configurable rules and NOTO data partnership offer a material performance advantage over tools that are already embedded in bank and insurer compliance workflows.
AWM is available immediately for UK-regulated businesses across the three named sectors.
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