About sanctions.io
sanctions.io is an AML screening specialist founded in 2020. It provides automated sanctions list screening, PEP database checks, criminal watchlist matching, and adverse media monitoring via a RESTful API. The company operates across regulated and unregulated industries, with gaming and gambling listed as a dedicated vertical alongside fintech, crypto, insurance, and professional services. It positions itself as an alternative to established legacy providers, citing transparent pricing and simplified commercial terms as distinguishing factors.
The platform covers sanctions and watchlists from over 30 jurisdictions, with PEP data that extends to family members and close associates. Criminal watchlist coverage incorporates Interpol Red Notices and FBI Most Wanted records. Adverse media is tracked across more than 60,000 global news sources. All screening runs through a name-matching engine built on natural language processing and machine learning. This engine addresses transliteration, phonetic variation, nickname recognition, and non-Latin script entries, which are areas where manual or rule-based systems commonly fail.
For gaming and gambling operators, sanctions.io covers three AML screening areas commonly relevant to regulated operators in this sector: sanctions and watchlist checks at onboarding and on an ongoing basis, PEP identification that extends to persons in international organisations, and adverse media checks. The platform supports real-time screening at account registration and high-volume batch processing for periodic rescreening of existing customer bases, with a stated average API response time of approximately 350ms.
| Founded | 2020 |
| Office Address | Wilmington, Delaware, USA |
| Core Service | AML Screening / Sanctions and PEP Screening |
| Verification Methods | Database screening: sanctions lists, PEP records (1M+ records globally), criminal watchlists (Interpol, FBI), adverse media (60,000+ sources) |
| Industries Served | iGaming, Fintech, Crypto, Insurance, SaaS, Retail, Professional Services, NGOs |
| iGaming Focus | Yes — dedicated gaming and gambling vertical; relevant to AML screening workflows discussed in MGA, UKGC, and Curaçao regulatory contexts |
Integration & Operator Fit
sanctions.io offers three integration paths. The primary route is a RESTful API for real-time onboarding and event-driven transaction screening, with a stated uptime of 99.995%. A batch API endpoint handles concurrent processing of large customer databases, with results delivered via webhook. Operators without development resource can access a manual screening portal, with file upload support for batch runs via spreadsheet. Pre-built connectors exist for SAP and BigID environments. Customer testimonials on the company website describe API implementation within a couple of days or in a matter of days. A sandbox environment is available for testing prior to go-live. The platform is SOC 2 compliant, according to the company website.
The provider is best suited to operators that need to meet sanctions, PEP, and watchlist obligations quickly and at scale, particularly those across multiple jurisdictions where list coverage breadth matters. The company’s listed products do not include document verification or biometric identity checks. Operators that need full onboarding KYC functionality, including document scanning, liveness detection, and age verification, will need to combine sanctions.io with a separate identity verification product. For compliance teams that already run a KYC provider and seek to strengthen their AML watchlist layer, sanctions.io presents a focused, API-first option with volume-based pricing available for enterprise deployments.
