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.
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.”
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.
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