ThetaRay, a leading provider of AI-powered transaction monitoring technology, today announced that ARCA, a premier African payment services provider, will implement ThetaRay's advanced SONAR SaaS anti-money laundering (AML) and sanctions list screening solution for transactions on its open AI-based platform. ARCA is the first Nigerian fintech to adopt ThetaRay's advanced SONAR solution, industry renowned for its ability to detect the very first signs of sophisticated financial crime. ARCA provides advanced digital payments for an open banking ecosystem, helping expand innovative and inclusive financial services throughout Africa. "Our mission is to provide feature-rich financial solutions delivered through an open and flexible digital platform, through the use of cutting-edge technologies," said Alex Umeh, Chief Information Security Officer at ARCA. "ThetaRay's SONAR is a perfect fit. Its advanced machine learning and algorithms can instantly spot any attempts to launder money or circumvent sanctions, no matter how sophisticated. This will help us to create new lines of revenue, better serve our customers, and continue to remain compliant with regulatory requirements."

South Africa's Apollo Fintech has tapped ThetaRay for its AI-powered cross-border payments monitoring technology Sonar. The tech will be deployed to monitor and screen transactions on its new Knox Wire service, a bank-to-bank cross-border payments system. Apollo Fintech CEO Stephen McCullah says utilising ThetaRay's anti-money laundering (AML) solution will allow the firm "to expand our network of partner financial institutions". Knox Wire enables 30,000 financial institutions to offer their clients near-instant cross-border payments to over 200 countries in 150 currencies with lower transactions costs. "Knox Wire was built to set a new global standard for network size and settlement speed," McCullah adds.

2021 was another bumper year for fines slapped against financial institutions (FIs) for failures in anti-money laundering (AML) compliance. AML shortcomings in transaction monitoring are a global problem. Countries whose banks were hit with fines include the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Latvia, France, the UAE, India, Malaysia, and South Africa.  Fines imposed on FIs by regulators could reach as high as $2 billion for a second year running when the final figures come in, according to estimates. The continuous vigilance of regulators should serve as a wake-up call for financial institutions worldwide to take stock in failures and take action to change the trend in 2022. Some guilty parties lacked an AML compliance culture or even engaged in outright fraud and corruption. Others turned a blind eye. For FIs investing in large and costly compliance teams and tools, it’s surely frustrating to be hit with fines of tens

Artificial intelligence is an innovation that is changing all social statuses. It is a wide-ranging tool that empowers individuals to reevaluate how we incorporate data, analyze information, and utilize the subsequent insights to improve decision making. AI is getting into the realms of policymakers, opinion leaders, and interested observers, and exhibits how AI as of now is modifying the world and bringing up significant issues for society, the economy, and governance. Artificial intelligence algorithms are intended to make decisions, frequently utilizing real-time information. They are different from passive machines that are competent just for mechanical or predetermined reactions.

ThetaRay, a provider of Big Data and artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced analytics tools, has joined Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) partner program, One Commercial Partner, which provides various cloud-powered solutions. ThetaRay's anti-money laundering (AML) solution for correspondent banking can be accessed through Microsoft's Azure Marketplace. A large US bank has reportedly signed an agreement to use the solution. "We are proud to join the One Commercial Partner program and offer Microsoft Azure customers access to our industry-leading AML for Correspondent Banking solution." "Global banks are increasingly de-risking or abandoning their correspondent banking relationships due to a lack of transparency and fears of money laundering and regulatory fines. Our solution provides banks with the … ability to reverse the trend and grow their business by allowing full visibility into all links of the cross-border payment chain, from originator to beneficiary."

Money laundering accounts for up to 5% of global GDP - or $2tn (£1.5tn) - every year, says the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. So banks and law enforcement agencies are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to help combat the growing problem. Money laundering, so-called after gangster Al Capone's practice of hiding criminal proceeds in cash-only laundromats in the 1920s, is a huge and growing problem. "Dirty" money is "cleaned" by passing it through layers of seemingly legitimate banks and businesses and using it to buy properties, businesses, expensive cars, works of art - anything that can be sold on for new cash. And one of the ways criminals do this is called "smurfing".

ThetaRay, a big data analytics company based in Hod HaSharon, Israel, today announced that it raised more than $30 million in a funding round led by Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP), GE, Bank Hapoalim, OurCrowd, SVB Investments, and others. That puts its fundraising total to date at about $60 million. "In this era when criminal activity and money laundering are increasing and becoming more sophisticated and also regulation is on the rise, there is a greater demand for our solutions," Mark Gazit, CEO of ThetaRay, said in a statement. "As the amount of digital information grows, you just can't protect it without artificial intelligence systems. ThetaRay offers the most advanced and mature solutions to detect threats before they happen."