Top PEP Screening Tools for AML Compliance in 2025

Nowadays, PEP Screening tools can be lifesavers for any business, but the abundance of options can give you a hard time choosing one. So, we have prepared a comprehensive guide about the importance of PEP screening and compared the leading PEP screening software tools of 2025 in order to help compliance professionals make informed decisions.

What Is PEP Screening and Why Is It Critical?

PEP screening is basically the identification of prominent individuals or those who are associated with them, and the risk of involvement in financial crimes for these relationships is considerably high. Global regulatory bodies like the Financial Task Force, European Union and FinCEN has now made PEP screening mandatory for AML (Anti-Money Laundering) compliance frameworks.

Risks of Neglecting PEP Screening

If you fail to implement PEP Screening, you will likely face unpleasant repercussions. As you may be expecting, regulatory fines are one of these. One notable example is Deutsche Bank. Only few years ago, the failure of the German bank in PEP monitoring caused the incurring of a $186 million fine. Financial losses aside, the reputational damage that you can face can rapidly damage trust with customers and stakeholders. Moreover, the absence of screening also can result in the facilitation of illicit activities. With effective PEP screening, your organization can identify at-risk entities during on boarding and monitoring phases in order to mitigate these risks. 

Comparison of the Top PEP Screening Tools in 2025

As we have mentioned in the introduction, the PEP screening software landscape is highly competitive. There are several diverse capabilities offered by each vendor. You can find the comparative analysis of the top tools for 2025 below. 

Sanction Scanner 

It is the perfect fit for fintech companies, cryptocurrency exchanges, and banks looking for an all-inclusive AML (Anti-Money Laundering) solution with real-time capabilities.

Sanction Scanner excels at real-time monitoring of PEPs, global sanctions lists and adverse media. You can also gain a deeper understanding of risks thanks to its robust RCA (Relatives and Close Associates) detection, which evaluates individuals with links to flagged entities. When it comes to its coverage, it sources wide-reaching and reliable data from over 3,000 official lists and agencies across 220+ jurisdiction worldwide.

Your business also will not have to deal with exhausting adaptation processes thanks to its customizable risk scoring tailored based on the organization’s risk appetite, API/batch screening support and daily updates to ensure you’re working with the latest information. 

ComplyAdvantage 

ComplyAdvantage is a suitable alternative for Growth-stage neobanks, fintech companies, and Payment Service Providers (PSPs). Especially, if your business seeks a scalable and intelligent compliance solution. The standout feature of ComplyAdvantage is that it is powered by machine learning. You can uncover hidden risks with the intelligent risk scoring and the global entity resolution. Its data quality is impeccable, which makes it an ideal contender for businesses scaling their compliance operations. Despite its significant scalability advantages for larger compliance teams, its pricing can be a bit of problem for startups.

Dow Jones Risk & Compliance 

If you are a global financial institution with high compliance requirements and looking for a tool that depends on manually validated data, then this might be the one for your business. You can have a deeply accurate critical compliance workflow thanks to Dow Jones Risk & Compliance’s manual validation for high-risk cases based on its carefully curated data. It especially comes helpful in large-scale operations but the fact that its workflows being batch-focused makes it less effective for organizations that prioritize real-time monitoring. 

Refinitiv World-Check 

Refinitiv is an optimal choice for establish banks that possess substantial compliance budgets and traditional infrastructure. It offers deep insights and original risk notes for flagged entities. Refinitiv is also highly compatible with traditional banking infrastructures. However, it is more suitable for batch processing scenarios rather than real-time use, since its design prioritizes complex compliance workflows instead of agile operations. 

LexisNexis

You can come across Bridger Insight XG in sectors that value comprehensive due diligence such as the insurance and lending sectors. It integrates sanctions, PEP screening and identity verification, and if you use it alongside LexisDiligence, you can have a combination of compliance and due diligence solution. Yet, its interface is definitely not the most accessible one. Also, its licence costs are not very affordable, so it may not be ideal for smaller organizations.

NameScan

Contrary to the previous options, NameScan is simple and cost-effective solution for small to medium-sized businesses that needs straightforward compliance. For businesses of this size, it has a reasonable data coverage for basic sanctions and PEP screenings. However, it is not very detailed in RCA relationships and lacks real-time adverse media monitoring. 

Shufti Pro 

This is a suitable choice for businesses with a focus on KYC needs such as fintech startups and digital marketplaces. In Shufti Pro, identity verification is combines with basic PEP screening. Also, it features a straightforward design that allows quick deployment in identity-first applications but the absence of RCA handling and incompatibility with complex compliance environments may deter some businesses. 

SEON 

SEON is one of the most appropriate solutions for Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services and online marketplaces. Its lightweight fraud prevention and risk signals can be of great help for businesses that focus on reducing fraud rather than full-scale compliance solutions. As you may guess, SEON is not a comprehensive AML suite and its capabilities in compliance-grade PEP tracking is rather limited. So if you have an organization with extensive regulatory requirements, this is unsuitable for you. 

How to Choose the Right PEP Screening Tool

Key Evaluation Criterias

• We have already covered several PEP screening tools and now it is time to decide. Some of the options may seem more suitable based on your needs by now. Yet, we have nevertheless listed some key criteria for PEP screening tool selection.
• First, you must ensure that the tool captures domestic and foreign PEPs and RCAs. This is especially important for jurisdictions that are subject to FATF regulations, which affect over 200 countries and jurisdictions globally.
• Also, the importance of adverse media coverage is non-negligible. According to the studies of OFAC show that  adverse media alerts helped flag 83% of financial crimes. So, verify the presence of AI-based tools that continuously monitor adverse media coverage.
• You must equally pay attention to false positive management because with effective systems, your teams can adjust matching algorithms. This can reduce false positives by up to 40%, so that your teams can focus on genuine risks.
• Also, the integration process can differ due to varying systems. So you must evaluate whether the tool integrates with existing systems via API or batch solutions. Research shows that 72% of organizations place great importance on seamless integration as a critical feature in risk tools.
• Lastly, regulators such as FATF or FinCEN impose audit requirements, so you had better check that the tool maintains exhaustive logs because in the event of non-compliance, penalties can cost up to $50 million per violation.

Which Industries Use PEP Screening?

The definite list is very long because the risks of financial crime, corruption, and reputational harm can come up from anywhere. Obviously, financial institutions, such as banks and credit unions, are one of the first industries that come to mind when it comes to implementing PEP screening as part of their AML (Anti-Money Laundering) programs in order to identify potential high-risk clients.

Additionally, it goes without saying that the real estate sector is often vulnerable to illicit activities. So, it employs screening to ensure compliance during high-value transactions. Legal and accounting firms must also conduct due diligence on behalf of their clients to align their practices with regulatory standards. Furthermore, the incorporation of PEP screening tools is on the rise in sectors like gaming, insurance, and fintech in order to both avoid fraud and maintain operational integrity.