AML, FINTRAC & screening guides
Plain-English guides on FINTRAC and PCMLTFA compliance, sanctions, PEP and adverse media screening, KYB and the Travel Rule, written for Canadian fintechs, MSBs, PSPs and crypto VASPs.
48 guides found.
Insight & Analysis
Analysis on regulatory change, enforcement trends and how screening technique actually works.
CDD vs EDD: customer and enhanced due diligence
What customer due diligence and enhanced due diligence each require under FATF and in Canada, the US, the UK and the EU, what triggers EDD, and where sanctions, PEP and adverse media screening fit.
Best AML & sanctions screening software (2026)
A practitioner's guide to the best AML and sanctions screening software in 2026: the selection criteria that decide fit, the leading platforms grouped by what they are built for, and how to evaluate on your own data.
BriteBase vs ComplyAdvantage
A practitioner's comparison of BriteBase and ComplyAdvantage for sanctions, PEP and adverse media screening: false positives, ownership resolution, explainability and deployment.
ComplyAdvantage alternatives compared
The leading alternatives to ComplyAdvantage for sanctions, PEP and adverse media screening, compared, with every vendor description quoted from the vendor's own site.
What is AML screening? The complete guide
The full discipline in one place: what AML screening is, the four screening types, name, entity and payment screening, the data layer, false positives, and the governance an examiner expects.
Sanctions lists explained: OFAC, EU, UN, UK & more
The major sanctions regimes explained: who issues OFAC, UN, EU, UK, Canada and Australia sanctions, what each covers, how they differ, and why the 50% Rule means named entries are only the start.
What is entity resolution in AML screening?
The core technique behind fewer false positives: what entity resolution is, how it differs from fuzzy matching, and how it applies the 50% Rule.
What is adverse media screening?
What adverse media screening is, why open-web negative news is so noisy, how relevance filtering works, and where it fits alongside sanctions and PEP screening.
PEP screening explained: tiers, RCA & HIO
What PEP screening is, how tiering works, who counts as a relative or close associate, and the enhanced due diligence a PEP match triggers.
Transaction monitoring vs AML screening
Monitoring watches behaviour over time; screening checks who a party is against lists. What each does, how they differ, and why you need both.
AML screening requirements by region
How AML screening obligations work across the US, EU, UK, Canada and beyond on the shared FATF standard, for firms operating across borders.
AML screening false positives: causes & fixes
Why the vast majority of AML screening alerts are false positives, what that noise costs a compliance program, and how entity resolution cuts it without dropping true risk.
Sanctions screening vs. PEP screening
Sanctions screening is a prohibition check, PEP screening is a risk-tiering check. What each actually checks, where they overlap, and how they run together in practice.
AI governance framework for AML compliance
How to build an AI governance framework for AML and financial-crime compliance in Canada: the components, the build, and what a FINTRAC examiner will assess.
AI model risk management for AML in Canada
How model risk management applies to AI in AML compliance in Canada, what OSFI's Guideline E-23 expects, and how non-bank reporting entities adopt the discipline.
Quebec's AMF AI Guideline explained
What Quebec's AMF Guideline on the use of artificial intelligence requires, who it covers, when it takes effect, and what it signals for AI governance in Canadian financial services.
Explainable AI in AML compliance
What explainable AI means in AML compliance, why a confidence score is not an explanation, and what an examiner needs to see behind an automated decision.
AI governance for FINTRAC compliance in Canada
Canada's AI strategy is reshaping expectations for AI in AML. Why FINTRAC-regulated firms need AI governance now, and the framework to build it.
Will FINTRAC embrace AI in AML?
Is FINTRAC becoming more open to AI in AML, and is that good news for regulated entities? A balanced read on Canada's AI strategy and the effectiveness standard.
PCMLTFA changes for newly captured industries
A long explainer on how recent PCMLTFA amendments brought title insurers, mortgage companies, and cheque cashing and factoring firms into FINTRAC's reporting tent.
How AI will transform AML compliance in Canada
Where AI is changing Canadian AML compliance today, what Bill C-12 requires of automated programs, and how regulated firms should adopt AI responsibly.
Bill C-12 FINTRAC compliance guide (2026)
Bill C-12 raised FINTRAC's standard to reasonably designed, risk-based and effective, and lifted AMP ceilings roughly 40x. Here is what your firm has to do.
FINTRAC enforcement crisis facing Canadian MSBs
Three years of FINTRAC enforcement data expose a sector under extraordinary scrutiny, and Bill C-12 has raised the stakes. What MSB officers must know.
FINTRAC's enforcement surge, 2024 to 2026
Administrative monetary penalties have accelerated sharply since 2024. What the pattern reveals about regulator priorities, and where lean teams are exposed.
March 2026 FINTRAC AMP increase explained
March 2026 brought a substantial increase in administrative monetary penalty ceilings. What changed, why it matters, and how to gauge your firm's exposure.
The PCMLTFA explained: requirements and amendments
What the PCMLTFA requires of Canadian reporting entities, from compliance programs to FINTRAC reporting, and what recent amendments change for MSBs, PSPs and crypto firms.
Industry Primers
Practical, sector-specific guides and how-to playbooks for building and running a compliance program.
AML screening for crypto exchanges & VASPs
Screening at crypto speed: sanctioned wallet exposure, travel-rule counterparty screening, unhosted-wallet risk, and screening without throttling throughput.
AML screening for banks at scale
Why large books over-generate alerts, what legacy screening-configuration debt is, and how entity resolution reduces alert volume at bank scale.
How often to run AML screening
What drives AML screening frequency, why onboarding screening is only the start, and how to set a risk-based, ongoing monitoring cadence that holds up under examination.
AML risk assessment Canada: guide and checklist
A step-by-step guide and checklist for the AML risk assessment FINTRAC requires: the factors to score, how to mitigate high risk, and how to keep it current.
AML & KYC glossary for Canada
Plain-English definitions of the AML and KYC terms that matter in Canada: CAMLO, PEP, KYB, STR, Travel Rule, beneficial ownership, and more.
Business verification (KYB) in Canada
Know Your Business verification for Canadian regulated firms: entity verification, beneficial ownership, and screening, with the material discrepancy check FINTRAC expects.
FINTRAC identity verification methods (2026)
The methods FINTRAC accepts to verify identity in Canada: the government-issued photo ID, credit file, and dual-process methods, plus how AI verification fits.
Beneficial Ownership Material Discrepancy Report
What the Beneficial Ownership Material Discrepancy Report obligation under the PCMLTFA is, when it triggers, what counts as material, and how to report it.
Retail Payment Activities Act (RPAA) explainer
A practitioner's explainer of Canada's Retail Payment Activities Act: who must register, the five core obligations, and how it sits next to the PCMLTFA.
MSB compliance primer: AML & sanctions in Canada
A Canadian MSB compliance primer: FINTRAC registration, the five PCMLTFA pillars, reporting (STR, LCTR, EFTR), sanctions screening, and the MSB tech stack.
PSP compliance primer: AML & sanctions in Canada
A Canadian PSP compliance primer: RPAA registration, PCMLTFA obligations, the five pillars, reporting, sanctions screening, and the PSP technology stack.
VASP compliance primer for Canadian crypto firms
A Canadian VASP compliance primer: FINTRAC MSB registration, the Travel Rule, LVCTR reporting, blockchain analytics, wallet screening, and the tech stack.
AML compliance primers: MSB, PSP, VASP (Canada)
Three Canadian AML and sanctions compliance primers (MSB, PSP, VASP): the PCMLTFA framework, the five pillars, reporting, screening, and the tech stack.
FINTRAC Travel Rule requirements in Canada (2026)
The Travel Rule under FINTRAC: who is covered, the originator and beneficiary data that must flow, EFT and virtual currency thresholds, and how to comply.
Audit-ready compliance program for FINTRAC exams
Examinations don't reward effort, they reward evidence. A practical playbook for documentation, workpapers, and habits that survive FINTRAC scrutiny.
Crypto Travel Rule mistakes for Canadian VASPs
Canadian crypto firms face overlapping registration, Travel Rule, and virtual currency reporting duties. The common failure modes, and how to fix them.
Technology Guide
Software and vendor comparisons: what to evaluate, what things cost, and how to buy.
Best AML compliance software for fintechs (2026)
Eight platforms ranked for fintechs: screening specialists, watchlist data, verification suites, orchestration and monitoring engines, compared on false positives, coverage and integration speed.
How to integrate AML screening via API
How a screening API works: the request and response, onboarding versus payment integration, ongoing monitoring, and keeping the audit trail in sync.
How much does AML screening software cost?
What drives the price: pricing models, the hidden cost of false positives, software-only versus software-plus-service, and how to compare total cost of ownership.
AML compliance software in Canada: buyer's guide
What AML compliance software is, what a Canadian regulated firm should evaluate, software versus software plus services, and how to choose for FINTRAC.
Sanctions & PEP screening software in Canada
PEP, sanctions, and adverse-media screening software for Canadian regulated firms: real-time and ongoing screening with recorded dispositions.
Compliance-as-a-Service for Canadian MSBs & PSPs
Compliance-as-a-Service bundles AML software with a Canadian practitioner bench on one annual cost. What CaaS is, who it suits, and why lean firms choose it.
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