Custom sanctions list screening tool development
Appfront builds screening tools for businesses in trade, industry and logistics that want to check their relationships against sanctions lists. Customers, suppliers and, where known, their owners are screened when the relationship is created, and again whenever a sanctions list changes. A potential match goes to a reviewer, and the decision is recorded. This lets you demonstrate that you do not do business with anyone on a list.
What is a sanctions list screening tool?
Sanctions prohibit doing business with certain individuals, companies and organisations, or making funds available to them. These prohibitions apply not only to banks but to everyone: a trading company, a manufacturer or a carrier may not supply to or buy from anyone on a sanctions list. The lists change regularly, and a company can also fall under a sanction because an owner appears on a list.
In practice, a new customer is sometimes checked by hand against a list, and never checked again. When a list changes, nobody re-checks existing relationships. A name spelled slightly differently gets missed. And when a bank, insurer or regulator asks, it is impossible to show who was checked, when, and what was decided.
We build custom solutions because businesses differ: which countries you trade with, how many relationships you have, where they are managed, and how orders flow. You and your lawyer or compliance adviser determine which sanctions rules and lists apply to your business and what to do in the event of a match. The tool ensures screening takes place and that it is demonstrable.
All relationships
Customers, suppliers, carriers and, where known, their owners, screened against the applicable lists.
Ongoing
Re-screened with every list change, not only when the relationship is created.
Matches reviewed
A potential match goes to a reviewer, and the decision is recorded.
How we build your sanctions list screening tool
We start with your relationships: how many there are, where they sit, which countries you trade with, and how checks are currently carried out. Owners of relationships are often not known in your own system. Together we look at which data is available and what can be added, for example when a new relationship is created.
Your relationships, systems, trading countries and current checks.
The lists that apply, and screening at creation and on change.
Review of matches, blocking and recording.
Integration with CRM, ERP and orders, followed by management.
What a sanctions list screening tool actually does
The components below come up in almost every screening tool. Which ones you need depends on your trade.
Relationships
Customers, suppliers and carriers.
Owners
Ultimate beneficial owners where known.
Lists
The sanctions lists that apply to you.
Comparison
Including name variants.
Assessment
Matches assessed with documented reasoning.
Block
Orders held until the assessment is complete.
Who we build a sanctions list screening tool for
The tool is intended for businesses outside the financial sector that need to screen their relationships.
Trading businesses
Many customers and suppliers. Continuous screening is the core.
Exporters
Customers in many countries. Owners matter most.
Logistics
Carriers and shippers. Blocking is what's needed.
Compliance
Accountability to banks and regulators. Record-keeping is the core.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
This page is about screening business relations in trade and industry. For financial institutions under the Sanctions Act, see our page on sanctions screening software; for customer due diligence, see our page on KYC and AML compliance software; and for trade compliance rules in general, see our page on trade compliance software. You can read about our approach at custom software development.
Why choose Appfront for your sanctions list screening tool?
A relationship checked only when it was created can appear on a list a year later. That's what we build for: all relationships, screened continuously, with every match assessed and recorded.
Ongoing
Every change to a list counts.
Fewer misses
Name variants are caught too.
Demonstrable
Who checked what, and when.
Security and privacy for a sanctions list screening tool
The tool holds data on relationships and their owners, and decisions on matches. Access is set by role, and only those assessing a match see its details. Every decision is logged.
The tool runs in a European data centre or in your own environment, with encrypted storage, daily backups and two-factor sign-in.
Frequently asked questions about a sanctions list screening tool
Questions businesses ask before getting started.
It screens customers, suppliers, carriers and, where known, their owners against the sanctions lists that apply, both when a relationship is created and whenever a list changes. It has possible matches assessed, holds orders while the assessment is under way, and records decisions.
Yes. Sanctions prohibit anyone from doing business with those on a list, or making funds available to them. What this means for your business is for you to determine with your lawyer or compliance adviser.
That software is for financial institutions, covering the freezing of assets and reporting to the regulator. This tool is for trade, industry and logistics: screening relationships, blocking orders on a match, and recording what was decided.
The lists that apply to your business, such as those of the EU, the UN and the national list. Which ones those are depends on your trade and the countries you work with. The lists are kept up to date, so a change triggers a new screening straight away.
The relationship and any related orders are held, and a designated person assesses whether it is a genuine match. The decision is recorded with its reasoning. What you should do in the case of a genuine match is for you to determine with your adviser.
Where they are known, yes. A company can be subject to a sanction because one of its owners is on a list. Where owners are not known, the tool can prompt you to supply them when a new relationship is added.
Check that first. Some ERP packages include a sanctions screening module, and that may be enough. Custom development makes sense if you currently check manually, if existing relationships are not re-screened, or if you want to include owners.
Show that you do not supply anyone on a list?
Tell us which countries you trade with, how many relationships you have and how you currently check them. We will show you what the screening, assessment and record-keeping look like.