Smartcomply unveils “Adhere” for financial institutions’ identity verification, fraud detection, AML
Business
SMARTCOMPLY, a smart security solutions company has unveiled a new product, Adhere, an Artificial Intelligence-powered Anti-Money Laundering (AML), fraud detection and identity verification solutions for financial institutions.
The Chief Technical Officer, Smartcomply, Anita Ajalla, who spoke during the unveiling of Adhere, at the Compliance Frontline Forum in Lagos on Friday, said it would help financial institutions combat the growing sophistication of financial crime.
She explained that the platform was created because, though, conventional cybersecurity solutions are effective in protecting organisations against cyber attacks but they are not designed to address financial crimes such as identity fraud, money laundering and suspicious transactions.
“As fraud techniques continue to evolve, particularly with the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence to create more convincing forms of deception, there became a need for a dedicated solution capable of detecting and responding to these emerging threats,” she explained.
Ajalla said that the platform began with customer onboarding by strengthening identity verification processes, adding that it went beyond the basic Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures.
She said that the platform combined document verification, facial recognition, liveness detection and identity checks such as BVN and NIN verification to ensure that the person presenting an identity document was the legitimate owner.
The Smartcomply executive stressed that KYC should not be treated as a one-time exercise but as a continuous process.
She noted that customers who appeared compliant during onboarding may later become involved in suspicious activities or appear on sanctions lists.
“Adhere, therefore, performs continuous customer due diligence, automatically monitoring customer profiles and identifying changes that may increase risk over time,” she said.
Ajalla said that the solution also performed comprehensive AML screening by checking customers against sanctions lists, Politically Exposed Persons (PEP) databases and adverse media reports.
According to her, this enables financial institutions to identify customers who may pose regulatory or financial risks, even if those risks emerge after the customer has already been onboarded.
She highlighted that a major component of the platform was its Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning-powered transaction monitoring system.
“Instead of relying solely on traditional rule-based systems that react to previously known fraud patterns, “Adhere” analyses customer behaviour over time to establish normal transaction patterns.
“The system can identify unusual activities such as sudden high-value transactions, unexpected changes in transaction locations or other behavioural anomalies that may indicate fraudulent activity.
“While these activities may not necessarily be fraudulent, the system flags them for further review, allowing compliance and fraud teams to determine whether they are legitimate exceptions or actual threats,” the Smartcomply boss explained.
Ajalla emphasised that Artificial Intelligence was intended to support, rather than replace human decision-making.
“Although AI can analyse enormous volumes of data far more efficiently than humans and identify suspicious patterns in real time, compliance and fraud officers remain responsible for reviewing flagged transactions and making final decisions,” she said.
Ajalla said that beyond transaction monitoring, Adhere also detected account takeover attempts and suspicious user activities by tracking customer journeys across devices and locations.
The platform, she explained, could identify instances where multiple devices attempted to access the same account from different locations simultaneously, helping institutions detect identity theft and unauthorised account access before financial losses occur.
She explained further that the solution provided real-time monitoring capabilities, enabling financial institutions to detect suspicious transactions as they happen rather than after the fact.
“Transactions involving watchlisted or blacklisted BVNs, sanctioned individuals or other high-risk entities are immediately identified, allowing organisations to intervene before fraudulent transactions are completed.
“Adhere also supports regulatory compliance by automating reporting requirements such as Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs), Currency Transaction Reports (CTRs) and other AML reporting obligations required by regulators.
“Designed with flexibility in mind, the platform integrates easily into existing banking and financial systems through Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).
“Institutions are not required to deploy the entire solution but can choose specific modules, including identity verification, customer onboarding, AML screening, transaction monitoring or loan fraud assessment, depending on their operational needs,” Ajalla noted.
She added that this modular approach made the platform easier and more cost-effective to implement while ensuring seamless integration into existing infrastructure.
Ajalla stated that Adhere was designed to go beyond regulatory compliance by continuously evolving alongside emerging fraud techniques.
“As fraud patterns differ across countries and become increasingly sophisticated, the platform is regularly updated and retrained to recognise new threats, the executive said.
“By combining continuous identity verification, AI-driven transaction monitoring, automated AML screening, dynamic customer risk assessment and real-time fraud detection with human oversight, it aims to strengthen trust in financial institutions and provide a more proactive approach to preventing financial crime,” she said.
NAN reports that Smartcomply is an AI powered and compliance cybersecurity platform that automates regulatory compliance, risk assessment and financial crime detection for businesses across Africa.
It helps organisations manage security frameworks, monitor threats and verify customer identities. (NAN)
A.I
July 25, 2026
Tags: Anita Ajalla Smartcomply