Payment companies are at the front lines of cross-border financial flows, making them key players in preventing sanctioned individuals and entities from accessing the financial system. With real-time payments, e-money, and digital wallets, these firms face heightened exposure to sanctions violations due to high transaction volumes and speed.
Sanctions are legal measures imposed by governments or international organizations to restrict dealings with certain individuals, entities, or countries. Key regimes include the United Nations Security Council, U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), European Union, and the UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI). Non-compliance can lead to significant fines, reputational damage, and the loss of critical banking relationships.
To stay compliant, payment providers must embed sanctions screening throughout their transaction lifecycle, from customer onboarding to instant payment processing.
Key Principles of Sanctions Screening
Effective sanctions screening programs in the payments sector share several core principles:
- Risk-based approach: Focus resources on high-risk customers, corridors, and counterparties (e.g., high-risk geographies or business models such as remittances).
- Comprehensive list coverage: Screen against UN, OFAC, EU, OFSI, and local lists relevant to your markets.
- Advanced screening technology: Use solutions capable of fuzzy matching, transliteration handling, and real-time updates to reduce false positives while maintaining accuracy.
- Documented review procedures: Maintain clear escalation processes and audit trails for all alerts and dispositions.
- Continuous improvement: Regularly test and tune your systems, provide ongoing staff training, and validate vendor integrations.
Learn more about OFAC and other sanctions lists.
Sanctions Screening Checklist for Payment Companies
The following checklist provides practical steps to design, review, and strengthen your sanctions screening program.
1. Governance and Policy
| Checklist Item | What to Do |
| Define sanctions compliance policy | Establish written policies outlining roles, responsibilities, and escalation paths specific to payments processing. |
| Determine applicable regimes | Identify sanctions programs relevant to your corridors, partners, and customer base. |
| Risk classification | Categorize customers, countries, and payment types by risk exposure. |
| Update lists regularly | Subscribe to official sources or trusted vendors for near real-time list updates. |
2. Data Collection and Integration
| Checklist Item | What to Do |
| Gather identifying data | Collect key identifiers (names, DOBs, addresses, IDs, account numbers) for senders and beneficiaries. |
| Integrate screening into payment flows | Embed screening at onboarding, during ongoing KYC, and pre-transaction stages. |
| Use multiple list sources | Include international and domestic sanctions lists relevant to your operating markets. |
| Maintain data quality | Standardize and validate input data to reduce false positives. |
3. Screening Execution
| Checklist Item | What to Do |
| Implement robust screening software | Deploy purpose-built sanctions screening solutions with advanced name-matching and real-time monitoring. |
| Use risk-based settings | Apply enhanced due diligence to high-risk corridors or transaction types. |
| Conduct real-time checks | Screen transactions before execution; block or hold payments pending review. |
| Document decisions | Record all screening results, reviews, and outcomes for audits. |
| Ensure escalation procedures | Define investigation thresholds and response timelines for potential matches. |
Discover Alessa’s Sanctions & Watchlist Screening solution.
4. Monitoring and Maintenance
| Checklist Item | What to Do |
| Periodic re-screening | Re-screen existing clients when sanctions lists are updated or periodically as part of enhanced due diligence. |
| Ongoing list monitoring | Continuously monitor for new or modified sanctions and update internal systems accordingly. |
| Regular system testing | Validate system accuracy through test cases and quality assurance reviews. |
| Training and awareness | Provide regular staff training on sanctions regulations and system use. |
| Audit and review | Conduct periodic audits to confirm program effectiveness and regulatory alignment. |
5. Handling Matches and Alerts
| Checklist Item | What to Do |
| Investigate potential matches | Collect supporting data to confirm or dismiss a match. |
| Escalate and make decisions | Use clear workflows to decide whether to block, reject, or clear a payment. |
| Maintain records and reports | Store all documentation and generate reports for regulators. |
| Report confirmed violations | Follow regulatory reporting requirements and internal incident response plans. |
Moving Forward with Sanctions Screening
Sanctions screening is not optional, it’s a critical safeguard for payment companies to protect their networks and partners. As sanctions evolve and payment channels diversify, compliance teams must ensure their screening programs remain agile, automated, and audit-ready.
By following this checklist, payment companies can:
- Strengthen compliance with global and local sanctions regulations.
- Reduce operational risk and avoid costly penalties.
- Demonstrate due diligence to regulators and partners.
Alessa helps payments providers build reliable sanctions screening frameworks through automation, advanced matching technology, and integration across your compliance stack. Learn how Alessa can help your organization.
Alessa