Sanctions Screening Software features explained
for Treasury Compliance
Every feature we track for Sanctions Screening Software products, with a description of what each one means.
Compliance Management & Workflow
Features that support investigation, resolution, and documentation of matches to facilitate compliance processes.
- Alert Prioritization
- Automated risk scoring and prioritization of alerts.
- Audit Trail
- Detailed records of all actions taken and user interactions.
- Automated False Positive Suppression
- Identifies and suppresses recurring known false positives.
- Bulk Case Processing
- Approve, reject, or escalate multiple alerts at once.
- Case Escalation Workflow
- Automated escalation rules for high-priority or unresolved cases.
- Case Management
- Comprehensive management of hits, investigations, and resolutions.
- Decision Justification Capture
- Ability to record the compliance officer’s reasoning for each action.
- Evidence Attachment
- Attach supporting documents directly to screening cases.
- Task Assignment and Collaboration
- Assign cases and collaborate between team members.
- Workflow Customization
- Configurable workflows to match corporate policy or regulatory requirements.
Cost & Licensing Flexibility
Pricing, licensing, and deployment models to fit a range of client needs.
- Cloud/SaaS Subscription Model
- OPEX-friendly, as-a-service deployment.
- Discounts for Volume or Multi-Year Commitments
- Reduced pricing for bulk or long-term engagements.
- Enterprise Licensing Option
- Flat-rate or unlimited use licenses for large organizations.
- Free Trial/Proof of Concept
- Test the software before fully committing.
- Modular Pricing
- Ability to license just the features required.
- No Upfront Integration Costs
- Low or zero initial costs for configuration and setup.
- On-Premise Perpetual Licensing
- Traditional software license model supported.
- Pay-As-You-Go Option
- Flexible usage-based pricing.
- Scalable Cost Structure
- Total cost aligns with actual usage/growth.
- Transparent Pricing Model
- Clear, predictable pricing structure with no hidden fees.
Integration & Connectivity
Options for connecting the software to other systems, sources, or automation engines.
- API Integration
- Supports integration with ERP/TMS/other fintech systems through APIs.
- Cloud Deployment Option
- Available as SaaS/cloud solution for remote/global access.
- Enterprise SSO Support
- Allows single sign-on authentication with corporate credentials.
- Event-Driven Triggers
- Supports screening initiated by workflow/business events.
- File-Based Integration
- Supports secure file exchange (e.g., SFTP) for batch processes.
- Mobile Access
- Allows users to manage and review matches from mobile devices.
- On-Premises Deployment Option
- Available for on-site hosting to support data sovereignty or policy preferences.
- Plug-ins for Treasury Management Systems
- Direct connectors for commonly used TMS solutions.
- Real-Time Data Sync
- Keeps entity/master data aligned with source systems in real time.
- Support for Webhooks
- Can send notifications or data pushes on screening events.
Regulatory Compliance & Audit
Features that support legal, regulatory, and audit requirements.
- Audit Readiness
- Built-in capabilities for supporting internal and external audits.
- Automated Compliance Checks
- Regular checks and diagnostics to ensure ongoing compliance.
- Change Management Logging
- Documents and stores all system configuration changes.
- Configurable Retention Policy
- Set, control, and audit retention of records as required.
- Evidence Preservation
- Ensures all steps, investigations, and outcomes are preserved for audits.
- Legal Hold Functionality
- Ability to prevent data deletion due to impending investigations.
- Policy & Procedure Documentation Storage
- Store and manage related compliance documentation.
- Regulatory Certification/Assurance
- Compliance with industry standards (e.g., ISO 27001, SOC 2).
- Regulatory Change Notifications
- Proactive warnings on changes in regulatory watchlists or standards.
- Support for Regulatory Inquiries
- Tools to facilitate responses to regulatory agency queries.
Reporting & Analytics
Capabilities for producing compliance, operational, and management reporting as well as analytics.
- Alert Processing Times
- Tracks the time taken from alert creation to resolution.
- Audit Log Exports
- Downloadable logs for external/internal auditing.
- Automated Scheduled Reports
- Ability to schedule and automatically distribute reports.
- Custom Report Builder
- Create custom analytical or operational reports.
- Export Functionality
- Export data and reports to Excel, PDF, CSV, etc.
- Hit Rate Statistics
- Monitors the proportion of screened entities or transactions generating alerts.
- KPI Dashboards
- Key compliance indicators visualized in dashboards.
- Regulatory Change Impact Analytics
- Assesses potential impact of watchlist or regulation updates.
- Regulatory Reports
- Built-in reports tailored for external regulatory submission.
- User Activity Reporting
- Detailed tracking and reporting on user actions.
Sanctions List Coverage
Features that determine the breadth and depth of sanctions lists supported by the software.
- API-Accessible Watchlist Management
- APIs available for automated management and querying of watchlists.
- Automated List Synchronization
- Automatically pulls updates from official sources without manual intervention.
- Custom List Upload
- Allows organizations to upload and screen against their own internal or third-party lists.
- Geographical Coverage
- Number of countries’ sanctions lists supported.
- Global List Support
- Supports major international sanctions lists like OFAC, EU, UN, HMT, and others.
- Historical List Archiving
- Retains and allows screening against historical versions of sanction lists.
- Language Support for Lists
- Supports lists in multiple languages for global compliance.
- List Update Frequency
- Frequency at which sanctions lists are refreshed and updated.
- List Version Tracking
- Ability to track and report the version of lists used for each screening.
- Watchlist Expansion
- Ability to expand coverage to PEP, adverse media, and other watchlists.
Scalability & Performance
The ability of the software to handle increased loads and grow with organizational needs.
- Concurrent User Support
- Maximum number of users supported at the same time.
- Disaster Recovery Capabilities
- Automated failover and data recovery features.
- Dynamic Resource Allocation
- System can auto-scale resources based on demand.
- Elastic Licensing
- License model supports easy scaling up/down.
- Geographically Redundant Hosting
- Options for hosting in multiple global data centers.
- High Availability Architecture
- Designed for minimal downtime disruptions.
- Load Balancing
- Distributes screening workloads across multiple servers/nodes.
- Response Time SLA
- Service level agreement for maximum allowed response times.
- Transaction Processing Capacity
- Number of transactions that can be processed per hour.
- Zero Downtime Upgrades
- Software updates do not require service interruptions.
Screening Capabilities
Core screening engine capabilities and flexibility in matching logic.
- AI/ML-Driven Screening
- Incorporates artificial intelligence/machine learning to improve screening accuracy.
- Alias & AKAs Detection
- Identifies matches to aliases and also-known-as (AKA) entries.
- Batch Screening
- Supports bulk screening of large numbers of transactions or counterparties.
- Multi-Field Screening
- Screening uses multiple data fields (name, address, date of birth, account number, etc.).
- Name Matching Algorithm Quality
- Uses fuzzy logic, phonetic matching, and other methods to minimize false negatives/positives.
- Partial Match Detection
- Detects partial matches for name permutations.
- Real-Time Screening
- Screens payments and counterparties instantly as transactions occur.
- Screening Speed
- The average time taken to screen a transaction or party.
- Tolerance Configuration
- Adjustable thresholds for matching sensitivity.
- Unicode and Diacritic Support
- Handles names with various alphabets and non-Latin characters.
Security & Data Protection
Security and privacy measures to ensure safe handling of sensitive data.
- Audit Logging
- Records and retains all user activities for review and investigation.
- Data Masking
- Sensitive fields can be masked from non-authorized users.
- Data Retention Policies
- Configurable settings to define retention and purging of data.
- End-to-End Encryption
- Data is encrypted during transfer and at rest.
- GDPR/CCPA Compliance Support
- Helps organization comply with data protection regulations.
- Granular Access Controls
- Fine-grained permissions to restrict data and function access.
- Incident Response Support
- Features to assist with detecting and managing security breaches.
- Multi-Factor Authentication
- Strong authentication options for system access.
- Secure APIs
- All integrations use secure, authenticated API protocols.
- Vulnerability Management
- Regular security testing and patch management.
Support, Maintenance & Vendor Services
Features and services provided by the software vendor.
- 24/7 Technical Support
- Access to around-the-clock technical help.
- Community/User Forum
- Online community and peer support.
- Comprehensive Documentation
- User guides, technical specs, FAQs, and release notes.
- Custom Feature Requests
- Process for requesting bespoke enhancements.
- Dedicated Account Manager
- Named representative for customer relationship management.
- Implementation Support
- Assistance with software deployment and integration.
- Multilingual Support
- Support offered in multiple languages.
- Regular Feature Updates
- Frequent enhancement and patch cycles.
- Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
- Clear commitments for service performance and bug fixes.
- User Training & Onboarding
- Systematic onboarding and periodic product training.
User Experience & Accessibility
Elements affecting the ease of use, accessibility, and adaptability of the software.
- Accessibility Standards Compliance
- Meets accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG).
- Bulk Actions on UI
- Ability to process multiple alerts or cases from the user interface.
- Contextual Help and Support Tools
- On-screen help, tooltips, and tutorials.
- Intuitive User Interface
- Modern and user-friendly web interface.
- Keyboard Shortcuts
- Efficiency features such as keyboard navigation.
- Mobile Responsiveness
- UI designed for usability on mobile and tablet devices.
- Multi-Language Support
- User interfaces available in multiple languages.
- Personalized Dashboards
- Customizable dashboards based on user or role.
- Role-Based Access Controls
- User permissions governed by roles and responsibilities.
- User Preference Settings
- Save and recall user preferences for interface and workflows.